Pressures on Canada's freshwater supply could undermine the country's "long-term security and prosperity" if left unaddressed, according to an internal government memo. The document, prepared for Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin by the Canada Water Agency, stresses the need 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. "Canadians will need more water to grow our cities and our economy, but it is unclear whether Canada is water secure for the long term," the memo says.
The Canadian Press obtained the 12-page memo under the Access to Information Act, and portions were withheld under a provision that shields government advice or recommendations. The memo updated the minister on development of a national water security strategy, which Dabrusin identified as "a mission critical priority" in her reply to a call from Prime Minister Mark Carney for key portfolio objectives. A public consultation ran from Sept. 9 through Oct. 25, and the water agency engaged directly with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners, since water stewardship is a shared responsibility in Canada.S1
The memo underscores the scale of the problem. Although Canada holds 20 per cent of the world's surface fresh water, only one-third of it is salt-free and replaced annually through precipitation. Most of the country's renewable surface fresh water drains northward, away from the most populated regions and economic centres within 300 kilometres of the Canada-United States border. Groundwater aquifers, Canada's largest freshwater resource, are unmapped in some parts of the country, even though almost one in three Canadians rely on groundwater for clean water.S1
Climate change is affecting where and when fresh water is available, the memo warns, and some parts of Canada are facing or could soon face restricted or depleting supplies, including in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin. Water quality is also a concern: in the 2021 to 2023 period, 49 per cent of 165 monitoring sites in southern Canadian rivers were rated excellent or good, while 51 per cent were rated fair to poor. Although progress is being made to restore large lake systems, protecting them from major stressors remains challenging.S1
