NEWS RELEASES
STRATEGY LAUNCHED TO PROHIBIT THE BULK REMOVAL OF CANADIAN WATER, INCLUDING WATER FOR EXPORT
February 10, 1999 (1:50 p.m. EST) No. 23
STRATEGY LAUNCHED TO PROHIBIT THE BULK REMOVAL OF CANADIAN WATER,
INCLUDING WATER FOR EXPORT
Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy and Environment Minister Christine Stewart today announced a strategy to
prohibit the bulk removal of water -- including water for export -- from Canadian watersheds.
The strategy responds to Canadian concerns about the security of Canada's freshwater resources and is
consistent with the motion on water security adopted by the House of Commons on Tuesday, February 9, 1999.
The new strategy includes:
Amendments to the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act (IBWTA) to give the federal government regulatory
power to prohibit bulk removals from boundary waters, principally the Great Lakes.
A joint reference -- with the United States -- to the International Joint Commission (IJC) to study the effects of
water consumption, diversion and removal, including for export from boundary waters. The IJC will make
recommendations to Canada and the United States on the management and protection of our shared waters.
A proposal to develop, in co-operation with the provinces and territories, a Canada-wide accord on bulk water
removals to protect Canadian watersheds. The ministers called on those provinces and territories that have not
already done so to adopt moratoriums on bulk water removal while the accord is being developed.
British Columbia and Alberta have legislation that prohibits the removal of water, including for export. Ontario is
finalizing regulations to accomplish the same goal. Other provinces are moving forward with similar policies.
"A comprehensive, long-term approach can be developed that protects our water resources and respects
federal/provincial/territorial jurisdictions," said Minister Axworthy. "Today's federal measures set in train an
approach to ensure the security of Canada's water over the long term."
This strategy reaffirms the Government's long-standing position opposing bulk water removal. It is also consistent
with the statement by the three NAFTA countries in 1993 that "unless water in any form has entered into commerce
and become a good or product, it is not covered by the provisions of any trade agreement, including the NAFTA."
"Canadians value their freshwater resources and want their governments to take action to protect them," said
Minister Stewart. "That's why I have invited the provinces and territories to work with the federal government for the
Canada-wide accord to prevent bulk water removal from our watersheds."
The availability of clean, fresh water is vital to ecosystems, human health, agriculture and industry. Bulk water
removals can have serious environmental consequences. As well, climate change has the potential to significantly
alter both the supply and distribution of freshwater in Canada, and therefore a precautionary approach is important
in achieving a common solution.
Canada will continue to work through international institutions, such as the United Nations Commission on
Sustainable Development and the United Nations Environment Program, to promote sustainable use of freshwater.
The federal government will seek opportunities to share Canadian expertise in water technology and services,
particularly with countries facing water challenges.
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Backgrounders are attached.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Debora Brown Mark Colpitts
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Environment Canada
(613) 995-1851 (819) 997-1441
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
This document is also available on the following Web sites:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
http://www.ec.gc.ca/press
Backgrounder
WATER FACTS
Canada's watersheds contain about 9 percent of the world's renewable water resources and 20 percent of the
world's total freshwater resources, including waters captured in glaciers and the polar icecaps.
Water is vital to ecosystems, human health, agriculture and industry. Bulk water removals may have cumulative
effects on watersheds. Inter-basin transfers result in the introduction of non-native micro-organisms and exotic
species, and the alteration of natural ecosystems and changes in water flows and tables. Climate change
implications have heightened concerns about water removals.
The federal approach to dealing with bulk water removals is an important part of the broader Federal Freshwater
Strategy now being developed in consultation with all provinces and territories. The Freshwater Strategy will
address the full range of water issues in Canada.
DEFINITIONS
Bulk water removal: the removal of water by man-made diversions (e.g., canals), tanker ships or trucks, and
pipelines. Such removals have the potential, directly or cumulatively, to harm the health of a watershed. Small-scale
removal, such as bottled water, is not considered bulk.
Watershed: a land area draining into a common watercourse. Often called a catchment area, drainage basin or river
basin. Examples of watersheds in Canada include Atlantic (including the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River),
Hudson Bay, Pacific and Arctic. A single watershed can cover a relatively large section of the Canadian landscape.
For example, the Great Lakes waters are not restricted to the lakes themselves but include the many rivers and
their tributaries that ultimately flow into the lakes.
Boundary waters: shared waters with the Canada-U.S. border running through them. The principal boundary waters
are the Great Lakes.
THE WATERSHED APPROACH
A watershed approach is environmentally sound and respects provincial and territorial authorities in water
management. The watershed is the fundamental ecological unit in protecting and conserving water resources.
Provinces, territories and the federal government are adopting a watershed approach as a key principle in water
policy and legislation. The watershed approach recognizes the linkages of water systems and the need to manage
water within drainage basins rather than on a river-by-river or lake-by-lake basis.
Backgrounder
A STRATEGY TO PROTECT CANADIAN WATER
The federal government's bulk water strategy is both environmentally sound and consistent with Canada's
international trade obligations. It builds on sound water management principles and the need to protect the integrity
of Canada's watersheds.
The strategy recognizes that provinces have the primary responsibility for water management and that the
Government of Canada has responsibilities under the Boundary Waters Treaty. Actions by territorial governments
will also be important as they assume greater responsibility over water resource management. Joint participation is
essential to develop and implement a permanent Canada-wide solution to bulk water removal.
The strategy respects Canada's trade obligations because it focusses on water in its natural state (e.g., in rivers or
lakes). Water in its natural state is not a good or product, and is not subject to international trade agreements.
Nothing in the North American Free Trade Agreement or in the World Trade Organization agreements obliges
Canada to exploit its water for commercial use or to begin exporting water in any form.
KEY ELEMENTS OF THE FEDERAL STRATEGY
Amendments to the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act
The Boundary Waters Treaty (1909) provides mechanisms to help prevent and resolve disputes, primarily
concerning water quantity and quality along the Canada-U.S. boundary. The International Joint Commission was
established under the Treaty. Parliament passed the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act (IBWTA) to
implement the Treaty.
The federal government is acting within its jurisdiction by introducing IBWTA amendments in Parliament.
The amendments will give the Minister of Foreign Affairs authority over projects potentially affecting levels and flows
of boundary waters (specifically, in the Great Lakes). Through this amendment, a regulation could be developed to
prevent the bulk removal of water from boundary waters on the basis of a single or cumulative impacts.
The amendments will be consistent with the principles of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment's
Harmonization Accord, and will be developed in close consultation with all affected provinces and territories
sharing waters with the United States. The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade will lead these
consultations.
Reference to the International Joint Commission
A consistent Canada-U.S. approach to the issue is an important element in protecting our shared waters over the
long term. Canada and the United States have agreed on a reference to the International Joint Commission (IJC);
this will build on the IJC's 1985 study regarding consumptive uses and diversions within the Great Lakes, and will
include an examination of potential impacts of water export.
Work on the first phase of this reference will commence immediately. Public hearings will begin in March. The IJC
will consult with interested provinces and territories in its work.
Canada-wide accord on bulk water removals
The Canada-wide accord on bulk water removals will represent a commitment by all jurisdictions to act through
legislation, regulation or policy. In the case of jurisdictions with measures already in place, the accord will re-affirm
their commitment. The federal, provincial and territorial governments will jointly develop the accord.
As an interim measure, the federal government is urging provinces and territories to institute a moratorium
preventing bulk removals from watersheds, including for the purpose of export, until such time as the accord is in
place. Several provinces already have moratoriums in effect to prohibit bulk water removals.
SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL WATER MANAGEMENT
Freshwater issues are becoming more prominent, and Canada continues to play a key role in promoting local
solutions to pressing water problems.
Through the Canadian International Development Agency, since 1987 Canada has contributed $76 million annually
to projects in infrastructure, irrigation, sanitation, pollution control and other water-related projects. The federal
government will continue to promote Canadian expertise and technology abroad, and to support international
institutions such as the United Nations Environment Program and the United Nations Commission on Sustainable
Development in order to promote solutions reducing global demand for freshwater. Exporting Canada's water is
neither an economically viable nor an environmentally sustainable means of dealing with water scarcity.
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