Public Engagement Toward a National Water Security Strategy: Strengthening Water Security in Canada, Together

Many provinces, territories, and Indigenous Peoples in Canada have developed water strategies to address key priorities in their regions. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis are leaders in water stewardship, and many Indigenous-led actions are guiding efforts to care for water in communities across Canada. Some municipalities also use strategies to articulate their water actions. Further, the Government of Canada outlined its approach to water in 1987 through publication of a federal water policy.

As a foundation for a National Water Security Strategy, we can build on a history of collaboration and established water management mechanisms in Canada. These include domestic inter-jurisdictional water boards, such as the Mackenzie River Basin Board and the Prairie Provinces Water Board; intergovernmental agreements to coordinate action in nationally significant waterbodies; collaborative water quantity monitoring;^{Footnote 14} and many others.

Several existing federal initiatives relate to water security objectives, such as:

• A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature, which outlines the federal government’s plan to protect and conserve lands and waters and connect habitats, design infrastructure projects that work with nature, and use finance tools to fund conservation in a sustainable, long-term way.^{Footnote 15}
• The National Freshwater Science Agenda, which identifies and confirms science priorities for addressing the most pressing freshwater challenges in Canada.^{Footnote 16}
• Canada's 2030 Nature Strategy, which provides a whole of society roadmap for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use and guides how Canada implements the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework.^Footnote17
• The National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure, which outlines commitments to build a safer, more secure, and more resilient country by protecting critical infrastructure sectors, including water.^{Footnote 18}
• The National Adaptation Strategy, which aims to reduce risks associated with climate change.^{Footnote 19}
• Powering Canada Strong: National Strategy for an Electrified Canadian Economy, which aims to build new infrastructure to double Canada’s electricity supply and accelerate electrification across the country.^{Footnote 20}
• The National Food Security Strategy, which outlines initiatives to address structural causes of food insecurity that are affecting Canadians across the country.^{Footnote 21}
• Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All, which strives to build trust, protect Canadians, and create opportunities related to artificial intelligence.^{Footnote 22}
• Bill C-37 aims to meet the needs of First Nations by making sure that First Nations have legally enforceable protections for safe drinking water, consistent with those provided to other communities in Canada.^{Footnote 23}

Water security is not only the responsibility of governments—it also involves action from businesses, organizations, communities, and individuals. There are countless examples: a producer planting cover crops to reduce erosion and keep water and nutrients in the soil, a factory implementing new water treatment technology, a teacher helping children learn about the water cycle, a community organization planting vegetation along the streambank, and a person reducing water use at home are all helping strengthen water security.