Public Engagement Toward a National Water Security Strategy: Strengthening Water Security in Canada, Together
The Canada Water Agency is accepting feedback on the development of The National Water Security Strategy from September 9, 2026 to October 25, 2026. Use this document to help you understand the current priorities and challenges of water security in Canada. An alternate format (pdf) is available for offline viewing.
What is water security?
Water security reflects the many ways that water contributes to our environmental, social, and economic well-being. Our understanding of water security is often shaped by where we live, our cultural perspectives, and the role water plays in our daily life.
In 2013, representatives from around the world involved in the United Nations-Water Task Force on Water Security proposed a definition of water security, which you can read in the references section.Footnote 13 Over time, different definitions of water security have been developed to suit different contexts.
A National Water Security Strategy could include a definition of water security that resonates with people in Canada
Most definitions of water security include the following themes:
- Quantity: We need enough water to support ecosystem health and a range of water uses like agriculture and shipping. We also need the capacity to manage situations where there is too much or not enough water.
- Quality: We need water that is clean enough for its intended use. For example, polluted water is more costly to treat for household or economic uses, and it can become unsuitable for aquatic life.
- Interconnections: Without healthy freshwater ecosystems, we would not have water to sustain biodiversity, meet human needs or support economic activity. All these aspects are important and interdependent.
- Future generations: We are responsible for safeguarding water for those who come after us.
A possible Canadian definition for "water security" could look something like this:
Our collective capacity to safeguard and sustain freshwater ecosystems; support reliable access to an adequate supply of safe, clean water for human health and wellbeing, and economic security; and to manage water-related risks—today and for future generations.
Question 2:
How well does the definition above reflect your understanding of water security?
Please focus your response on fresh water.
[ ] Very well [ ] Somewhat well [ ] Neutral [ ] Somewhat poorly [ ] Very poorly [ ] Unsure
If the definition does not fully reflect your understanding of water security, please describe what water security means to you.
Responsibility for water is shared
Everyone has a role to play in strengthening water security. Water management in Canada is a shared responsibility among federal, provincial, territorial, and Indigenous governments.
Provincial and territorial governments
Provincial and territorial governments have primary responsibility for water within their borders. They are involved in water allocation and use, flood and drought preparedness and emergency response, drinking water and wastewater services, land use planning, and thermal and hydroelectric power development. They also have certain authorities with respect to the management of freshwater fisheries within their provincial or territorial waters. Many provinces and territories delegate certain responsibilities to municipalities, such as drinking water and wastewater services.
Indigenous governments
Indigenous Peoples have cared for water within their territories since time immemorial. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis governments play an important role in water stewardship, grounded in their knowledge systems and cultural traditions. Many modern treaties and self-government agreements establish water-related responsibilities .
First Nations, Inuit and Métis have diverse relationships with water. These relationships are integral to their cultures and reflect a mutual responsibility—water sustains people and communities, and people have a responsibility to care for and protect water. In some First Nations, women, girls and two-spirit individuals hold important roles as water keepers, reflecting responsibilities to care and protect water.
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada is involved in water-related areas such as fisheries, pollution prevention, shipping and navigation, international relations, domestic transboundary waters, and the creation and management of protected areas. The federal government is also responsible for the management of water on federal lands.
No single organization or order of government can achieve water security alone: a National Water Security Strategy should be built on partnership and collective action.
Why develop a National Water Security Strategy?
Many countries use the concept of water security as a guide for addressing the water-related challenges and opportunities they face, adapting it to their context as needed.
Most Group of Seven (G7) and Group of Twenty (G20) member economies, as well as countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, have adopted national strategies that reflect common elements of water security. Examples of priority action areas found in other countries’ water strategies include:
- Securing a safe and sustainable water supply.
- Protecting and restoring freshwater ecosystems.
- Investing in water infrastructure.
- Building a water-smart economy.
What a National Water Security Strategy could do for Canada
The Strategy would become a national roadmap for strengthening water security in Canada—helping identify shared priorities, clarify where collaboration can make a difference, and guide future action.
It would build on existing water strategies, frameworks, and activities. It would also complement strategies that focus on the regional or local scale, recognizing the importance of locally informed watershed-based approaches, and that water security priorities vary across regions.
The Strategy would include information focused on federal areas of responsibility and could include shared priorities and opportunities for action across all levels of governments and partners.