By Adèle Hurley
POWI’s 2007 paper and panel discussion, On the Table: Water, Energy and North American Integration made a strong case that Canada’s freshwater resources continue to be at risk from proposals to export bulk water and that federal action is urgently needed on the matter. In the wake of the On the Table forum, POWI began to research a fundamental question: Are there options available to Canada to deter bulk water removals that are both consistent with Canada’s trade obligations, constitutionally viable, and desirable from other public policy perspectives? The Canadian Water Issues Council (CWIC) was asked to tackle the question, and subsequently developed A Model Act for Preserving Canada’s Waters, which was made available in both French and English. The paper described a model federal statute to preserve Canada’s waters from bulk removal that was “both consistent with Canada’s trade obligations and respectful of the roles of different levels of government within Canada.”
The release of the Model Act paper garnered considerable media coverage. (A lead editorial in the Globe on Feb. 10, 2008 described A Model Act as a ‘public service’ on the part of the Munk Centre and called on the Harper Government to implement its recommendations). The Model Act continues to generate discussion, debate and interest. It has been the subject of a presentation by POWI and CWIC at the Library of Parliament to elected officials and staff on Parliament Hill, been used to brief senior departmental officials and political staff from several departments including Justice, Environment, Foreign Affairs and Natural Resources Canada, and has been used as the basis for a Private Members Bill.
In 2012, while the federal government considers yet another Private Members Bill on the issue, the Model Act continues to provide a blueprint for how Canada can preserve its waters from diversions and bulk water exports.
