(Ottawa) The Council of Canadians congratulates the International Joint Commission on the Great Lakes (IJC) on its report released today essentially calling for a ban on the bulk export of water. The Council will also release today a new legal opinion that echoes the need for the Federal Government to act immediately to ban bulk water exports.

"Without a doubt this is a wake up call to the Canadian Government that it must act now and ban bulk exports of water before they start," says Maude Barlow, The Council's Volunteer National Chairperson. "The government asked for the IJC’s opinion and now they have a duty to protect Canadian water and not to try to unload their responsibilities onto the provinces." The Federal Government is presently trying to get the provinces to sign on to a voluntary accord; a measure that some provinces have rejected outright.

The IJC report may underestimate the impact of trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement. The new legal opinion released today by The Council stresses the dangers of water exports under NAFTA. "In simple terms, the national treatment and proportional sharing rules of NAFTA would make it virtually impossible for Canada to restrict water exports once underway" said Steven Shrybman, author of the legal opinion. Shrybman is the Executive Director of West Coast Environmental Law, and a leading expert on the impact of Trade Deals on the environment.

"Over the past year there have been a number of export schemes proposed. There are presently two NAFTA challenges over laws designed to protect water. The longer that the government delays, the harder it will be to do the right thing." said Barlow. The IJC also recognised that water exports don’t help those in need and emphasised the environmental dangers of removing vast quantities of water from the Great Lakes. "We must be extremely cautious when evaluating the risks of commodifying our most precious gift from nature, and the very basis of life itself" Barlow concluded.

The Council of Canadians is Canada’s largest national public interest group with 100,000 members nation-wide. The Council has been involved in the fight to protect Canada’s water from trade deals for over 10 years.

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