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On the Defensive: Harper government backtracks on bulk water exports as Council holds "open door" meeting in Calgary
In April 2007, the Council of Canadians obtained a leaked document produced by a Washington think tank, revealing that business and government leaders in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico were actively discussing bulk water exports. We received notice that an initiative called the “North American Future 2025 Project” was being led by the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, The Conference Board of Canada and the Mexican Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas. The Project calls for a series of “closed-door meetings” on North American integration dealing with a number of highly contentious issues including bulk water exports, a joint security perimeter and a continental resource pact. According to the leaked document, a roundtable on the “Future of the North American Environment,” was planned for Friday, April 27, in Calgary, and on the agenda was “water consumption, water transfers and artificial diversions of bulk water” with the aim of achieving “joint optimum utilization of the available water.” “This is just the latest in a series of closed-door meetings that grant the business sector privileged access while shutting out the public,” said Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians. “The document is damning not just because it outlines a process that lacks transparency and accountability, but also because of what is being discussed by governments and so-called corporate stakeholders.” The document also reveals that “trilateral coordination of energy policy” and the development of “North American security architecture” are being discussed by high-level government officials from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Government denial Within days of the Council releasing the damning document, Environment Minister John Baird issued a statement saying that that the Canadian government “has no intention of entering into negotiations, behind closed doors or otherwise, regarding the issue of bulk water exports.” The Council could see that Baird’s assurances were full of holes, so we responded with a press release, saying, “Minister Baird’s claims that current legislation prohibits bulk water exports are inaccurate.” We pointed out that the provincial accords he mentioned are voluntary and can be broken at any time. And even worse, the so-called prohibition on bulk water exports contained in the 1909 International Boundary Waters Treaty Act only applies to waters that are shared with the U.S. It doesn’t apply to what the U.S. is really after – water from Canada’s North. Opening up the debate On April 25, the Council of Canadians held an “open door” meeting in Calgary that brought together environmental and labour groups with members of the public, to speak out against the secrecy of the Future 2025 Project and discuss the looming threats to Canadian water posed by North American integration. Ralph Pentland, an environmental policy consultant with over 40 years of experience working on water issues, debunked some myths about Canada’s water. “Canada and the U.S. actually have almost identical amounts of renewable water supplies,” said Pentland, at the meeting on April 25th. “The U.S. consumes less than 10 per cent of its supply. There are local and regional shortages in both countries. But there are also local and regional solutions available to solve each and every one of those problems, and both countries would be better off pursuing them,” he said. Susan Howatt, the Council of Canadians’ National Water Campaigner, stressed that bulk water exports are not a sustainable solution to water scarcity: “Water shortages are very real, and common thinking is that two-thirds of the U.S. states may run dry very soon,” said Howatt. “But artificially withdrawing water from one watershed and shipping it to another is not the answer and will not address shortages. Instead, it will ensure that those who can afford it can have all the water they want, and those who cannot will have to go without.” The Council’s meeting on April 25th had an impact: Two days later, the Conservative government pulled its representatives from the Future 2025 meeting. Sources tell us that members of the federal government were actually stopped at the Calgary airport the day of the meeting and sent back home. Is it possible that the government may be getting the message that secret discussions about bulk water exports are a bad idea? Ariel Troster is the Publications Officer at the Council of Canadians, and Editor of Canadian Perspectives.
Photo: The Council’s Jacqueline Reid and Susan Howatt delivering 45,000 petitions to environment Minister John Baird on March 22. Credit: Jamian Logue Printer-friendly version:
On the Defensive in PDF Format (231 kB) |
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updated
July 19, 2007
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Leaked documents, secret
meetings and denials from
governments. It sounds like
tabloid fare, or a plot from a
Hollywood movie. But sure
enough, this story is taking
place in Canada. And what’s the source
of all the intrigue? Plans that are underway
to export water in bulk to the
United States, in a move to promote
greater Canada-U.S. integration.
