Federal memo warns pressures on freshwater supply could affect Canada’s long-term security and prosperity

The Story

An internal federal memo prepared for Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin warns that pressures on the supply of fresh water could affect Canada’s long-term security and prosperity if they are left unaddressed.

The 12-page document, written for Dabrusin by the Canada Water Agency, says the government needs to assess how Canada protects and sustainably manages freshwater resources, including waters shared with the United States, and how it responds to global water risks.

The memo was intended to update the minister on the development of a national water security strategy, which Dabrusin identified as “a mission critical priority” after a reply to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s call for key cabinet and secretaries of state portfolio objectives.

A public consultation on developing the water security strategy ran from Sept. 9 through Oct. 25, and the Canada Water Agency engaged directly with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners as part of the process.

The memo says Canada has 20 per cent of the world’s surface fresh water, but only one-third is salt-free and replaced annually through precipitation. It adds that most of Canada’s renewable surface fresh water drains northward, away from populated regions and economic centres within 300 kilometres of the Canada–United States border.

It also states that groundwater aquifers—described as Canada’s largest freshwater resource—are unmapped in some parts of the country, even though almost one in three Canadians relies on groundwater for clean water. The memo says climate change is already affecting where and when fresh water is available.

According to the document, some parts of Canada are facing, or could soon face, restricted or depleting water supplies, including in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River basin. It says that in many settled areas, water is polluted and either cannot be used for human, animal or industrial purposes or can be used only after costly treatment.

For the 2021 to 2023 period, the memo reports that water quality at 49 per cent of 165 monitoring sites in southern Canadian rivers was rated as excellent or good, while water at 51 per cent of the sites was rated as fair to poor. It adds that protecting major lake systems from major stressors remains challenging, and that complex freshwater ecosystems such as the lower Great Lakes and Lake Winnipeg remain in fair or poor condition.

The memo says data for northern rivers and lakes and for groundwater aquifers is limited, making it difficult to assess the health of those resources. It summarizes that freshwater ecosystems across southern Canada are under stress due to factors including a rapidly changing climate, shifts in land use, population growth, pollution, overconsumption, and aging or inadequate water infrastructure.

It also says the Arctic and the North face critical issues from increased development and climate change impacts on infrastructure that is already overwhelmed. The memo further states that First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities are among the most water insecure in Canada.

On transboundary issues, the memo notes that more than 40 per cent of the Canada–United States border crosses water and that transboundary waters support drinking water, hydropower, navigation, recreation, irrigation and biodiversity in both countries, with tens of millions of people living and working along those shared waters.

While the document says Canada and the United States are parties to more than a dozen bilateral freshwater agreements, it warns that “new water-related disputes could emerge and become more frequent” as freshwater supplies shrink and demands rise in North America.

The memo also addresses public concerns about bulk exports, stating that for decades Canadians have raised concerns about the possibility of fresh water being exported in bulk and that opposition has extended to any form of bulk export of water.

The document concludes that actions to strengthen water security can create “significant development opportunities” if long-term access to sufficient supplies of water becomes a strategic advantage in a water-stressed world. It points out that more than half of Canada’s electricity comes from hydropower and says water storage and irrigation are critical for high-value crop production, including in the Prairies and interior British Columbia, as well as the greenhouse sector.

It adds that major manufacturing industries are among the largest users of water in Canada and that Canada’s digital economy will depend on a secure and sustainably managed water supply.

Portions of the memo were withheld under an access law provision that allows advice or recommendations to be shielded from release. The memo was obtained under the Access to Information Act.