Canada Water Agency's 2025-2026 Departmental Plan: At a glance
A departmental plan describes a department’s priorities, plans and associated costs for the upcoming three fiscal years.
Key priorities
The Canada Water Agency’s top priorities for 2025-26 are as follows:
- Lead the implementation of the strengthened Freshwater Action Plan (FWAP) to manage, restore, and protect fresh water in Canada, including through the Freshwater Ecosystem Initiatives (FEIs) and the EcoAction program.
- Lead meaningful engagement across Government of Canada departments and agencies with freshwater-related responsibilities to develop integrated and effective policy approaches to freshwater challenges and opportunities.
- Lead periodic reviews of federal freshwater policy frameworks and strategies with other federal departments and agencies to ensure Canada’s approach to freshwater management is strategic and fit-for-purpose in the context of current and future freshwater challenges and opportunities.
- Collaborate with provincial and territorial governments, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis partners, international organizations and other countries, and stakeholders to address freshwater challenges.
- Lead the development of a National Freshwater Data Strategy (NFDS) to establish guidelines and principles for how freshwater information should be organized, stored, and shared in Canada.
Highlights
In 2025-26, total planned spending (including internal services) for the Canada Water Agency is $84,831,831 and total planned full-time equivalent staff (including internal services) is 223. For complete information on the Canada Water Agency’s total planned spending and human resources, read the Planned spending and human resources section of the full plan.
The following provides a summary of the department’s planned achievements for 2025-26 according to its approved Departmental Results Framework. A Departmental Results Framework consists of a department’s core responsibilities, the results it plans to achieve, and the performance indicators that measure progress toward these results.
Core responsibility: Freshwater Stewardship
Planned spending: $72,675,393
Planned human resources: 165
Departmental results:
- Canada has healthy freshwater ecosystems
- Partners and stakeholders are meaningfully engaged in freshwater stewardship
Strengthening federal freshwater leadership to ensure Canada meets its growing freshwater challenges is a priority for the federal government. Fresh water sustains life and is an irreplaceable natural resource. It is fundamental to the Canadian economy, communities, human health and well-being, and the environment. It is an integral part of Canada’s national identity and Indigenous cultures and sacred traditions. However, climate change, land-use change, pollution, and other factors are driving significant changes in freshwater quality and quantity in Canada. The Government of Canada is taking action to address these interlinked freshwater challenges, including establishing the Canada Water Agency and making major investments in a strengthened Freshwater Action Plan. Effective, large-scale freshwater stewardship requires shared goals, coordinated responses and funding, and collaborative decision-making. Through national and regionally responsive actions, convening and collaborating with freshwater partners and stakeholders, and policy leadership, the Canada Water Agency is working to ensure the country’s nationally significant freshwater ecosystems are clean and sustainably managed.
More information about Freshwater Stewardship can be found in the full plan.