'People are talking about water': An interview with the Council of Canadians' Susan Howatt: CP Summer 2007

Canadian Perspectives Summer 2007

'People are talking about water': An interview with the Council of Canadians' Susan Howatt

With the threat of bulk water exports making the news a lot these days, Canadian Perspectives sat down with Susan Howatt, the Council of Canadians’ National Water Campaigner, to talk about current threats to Canada’s water and what we can do to make a difference.

Why are bulk water exports such a hot issue right now?

Well, the global water crisis is undeniable. The United Nations predicts that if present trends continue, there will be shortages all over the world. Former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed has publicly mused that the United States will be “coming after fresh water aggressively within three to five years.” Paul Celucci, the former U.S. ambassador to Canada, stated in January 2006 that it was “odd” that water was not traded as a commodity in the same manner as lumber, oil and natural gas. People are talking about water, because there’s no denying any more that there’s a global crisis.

Why do bulk water exports represent a threat to Canada’s water?

Water is finite, and bulk water exports represent a permanent removal of water from the ecosystem. The majority of our water supply is in the north and it would require massive engineering projects to deliver it to the southern population. The Great Lakes levels are dropping due to climate change, and this is significant given that only 1 per cent of the water is renewable.

The trade implications for bulk water exports are very real. The national treatment and proportional sharing clauses in NAFTA ensure that once you start shipping water across the border, any level of government is powerless to stop corporations from demanding access. And the Security and Prosperity Partnership represents a further race to the bottom in terms of the environmental regulations that govern Canada’s water.

What should the government do to protect Canada’s water?

The real solution lies in developing a national water policy that enshrines the right to water and closes the door forever to bulk water exports. The current federal water policy was drafted 20 years ago, and predates both the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and NAFTA. The Council of Canadians and many of our allies are working hard to convince Ottawa to declare water a human right and close the door to corporate control and commodification of Canada’s water.

Follow the links to learn more about bulk water exports, the Security and Prosperity Partnership, and what you can do to protect Canada’s water, or call us at 1-800-387-7177.

– by Ariel Troster

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