(OTTAWA) One month after the federal government’s call for provincial governments to join a voluntary ban on bulk water exports, Canada’s fresh water is no safer from being exported abroad than before, says The Council of Canadians. The federal government invited the provinces to join in the moratorium as a temporary measure before negotiating a national accord. But few provinces seem willing to jump on board and Quebec has flatly refused.

"Unfortunately we have to say 'We told you so,'" said Maude Barlow, Chair of The Council of Canadians. "The only way to protect our water from profiteers eager to cash in on a global water crisis is for the federal government to deal with the threat as a trade issue. As long as trade agreements cover water, we can’t protect it."

"The government’s statements led Canadians to believe that provincial agreement on a national moratorium was all but guaranteed. That hasn’t turned out to be the case," said Jo Dufay, Campaigns Coordinator for the Council. "No province has since declared its support. Newfoundland, which is under corporate pressure to permit bulk water exports, seems reluctant to take a stand and Quebec has already said "no" to the proposed moratorium. The federal government must take action to ensure our water doesn’t fall into corporate hands by default and its own inaction."

The Council of Canadians, a national, non-partisan public interest group with more than 100,000 members, is calling on the federal government to ban trade in bulk water. It is part of a national coalition of organizations, representing over half a million Canadians, opposed to the privatization and commodification of Canadian water.

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