more lake area than any other country in the world. Canada has 563 lakes having an area
greater than 100 square kilometres. The Great Lakes are the largest system of fresh, surface
water on earth, containing roughly 18% of the world's fresh, surface water. Canada is one of
the highest water users per capita in the world, yet the quality and availability of freshwater is
decreasing in some parts of the country.
A key misconception about the water supply in Canada is the large volume of it. Canada
does have 20 percent of the world's freshwater, but it is not sitting in taps ready to run, nor is
all of it renewable. It is estimated that Canada has, at most, 7 percent of the world's
renewable water supply. That is much less than Russia's 14 percent and slightly more than the
US, which has 6.5 percent of the world's renewable fresh water.
We face a number of challenges in managing fresh water in Canada. Water quantity is
variable, and parts of Canada have suffered from drought and flooding. Canadians are high
per capita users of water, and while water is plentiful, competition is increasing among uses
and regionally there are areas where demand and economic activity is constrained by water
availability. Per capita, Canadians are the planet's second-biggest water consumers, behind
Americans. The average Canadian uses 335 litres per day. The average global citizen needs
only between 20 and 40 litres of water a day for drinking and sanitation.
Although water quality is generally good, some areas are locally or regionally polluted.
While Canada has a relative abundance of fresh water, our water is not where it is needed.
Sixty percent of our fresh water flows north to Hudson Bay and the Arctic Circle, and is
unavailable to 85 percent of the Canadian population, which resides within a few hundred
kilometres of the United States border.
On average, 30 percent of Canadians get their water from groundwater and those supplies are
compromised by pollution in some areas, and dropping stores in most. Glaciers that feed
many western rivers are melting. The rivers are expected to be seriously compromised and
face the possibility of drying up when the glaciers are gone, which is not in the far distant
future. Some of the great western rivers such as the Peace, the Fraser and the Coldwater are
expected to run dry within by the mid-point of the twenty-first century. Global warming is
being blamed for an alarming increase in the melting rate of glaciers in Western Canada,
leaving less water for drinking, crop irrigation and other uses. This affects the quantity and
the quality of our water. Extreme weather events like droughts, storms, floods and ice jams
are expected to be more frequent and severe. Water flow in the South Saskatchewan River
has dropped 80 percent. In addition, the water in the Great Lakes is dropping. Statistics
indicate that Lake Superior is now 50 cm below normal. Evaporation due to climate change,
decreases in groundwater levels and the daily pumping of trillions of litres from the lakes is
decreasing also.
Water is a key component of the modern Canadian economy. It is a fundamental resource for
food production, plays an important role in almost every modern industrial process and many
recreational activities, and provides an essential element for urban development across the
country. In total, fresh water is estimated to contribute up to $23 billion annually to the
Canadian economy. Within the federal government, over 20 departments and agencies have
unique responsibilities for freshwater. The provinces have the primary responsibility for
managing water within their boundaries. Environment Canada works closely with other
federal departments to develop a more strategic approach to addressing nationally significant
freshwater issues. NRCan (Natural Resources Canada) also works closely with the
government to manage our water resources. NRCan works in partnership with industry,
universities and local communities to develop and deploy solutions to water-related
challenges.
The Canadian Government is not taking the water situation as critically as they should be .
There has been no federal water legislation since the 1980s, and no evaluation of the real
fresh-water condition. Rejecting suggestions that water exports were under the terms of the
North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the SPP, John Baird, the federal
environment minister, declared on April 13, 2007 that Canada would not negotiate regarding
the bulk exportation of water and would continue to protect water resources and ecological
integrity through restrictions on bulk water removal. Two short months later in the Canadian
parliament, a motion was put before the House calling for the federal government to open
talks with these two partners to exclude water from the reach of NAFTA. The non-binding
motion passed, but members of the Conservative Party, of which the environment minister is
a member, voted against it. Exporting water will not provide a long-term solution and will not
address the underlying causes of water loss and drought conditions. Bad stewardship is
hastening the water crisis. Conservation is not being practiced effectively in many places,
including Canada. North Americans use 600 litres of water a day while the average African
gets by on 6 litres. Some agricultural practices are putting stress on water tables as well, such
as the crops that are being planted and the chemicals that are contaminating the environment.
Only one in four rivers in the US have been left safe for fishing. Canada's picture is not much
better; for example, Ontario has managed to eliminate 70 percent of its wetlands.
In conclusion water is one of the earth’s most abundant and reliable resources. There
are many reasons as to why Canada should not sell its water, and they can be found in this
essay. Water can be described as a human right or a commodity. Canada can either sell it or
defend it. By joining with international organizations such as the UN in declaring water a
human right, Canada can take part in making sure it is protected, cleaned and readied for use
by people who are in need, and not sold to make profit, but shared to sustain life
It has been said that water will be "the oil of the 21st century," and that it will cause wars
between nations. Whatever happens with regard to global water, Canada will be a major
player and the power will pretty much be in out hands.
Bibliography
Environment Canada: "Canada has no intention of negotiating bulk water exports." (13 April 2007) February 6, 2008. <>.
Environment Canada: "The Management of Water." 8 February 2008. <>.
Water, Water Everywhere, But Not a Drop to Drink.
Walkerton: Lessons learned in comparison with waterborne outbreaks in the developed world
Study warns of friction with U.S. over resource
Pollution, climate change affect Canada's fresh water
Environment Canada
Canada Could Be Thirsty
