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House Hansard - 149

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
January 30, 2023 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 149 - Jan/30/23
Mr. Terry Duguid (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.)
  • Jan/30/23 6:34:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's question and I appreciated as well the question she put to the minister on October 20 and I appreciated his response. I think the hon. member will agree that a clean and safe freshwater supply in Canada and freshwater systems from coast to coast to coast are essential to the well-being of Canadians and to the health and sustainability of the environment and the economy. Fresh water sustains life on earth. It supplies drinking water, grows food and supports ecosystems. From droughts to floods to deteriorating water quality, freshwater challenges are intensifying in this country due, in large part, to climate change. There are serious and costly impacts for Canadians and the environment. As part of the Government of Canada's commitment to protecting fresh water, budget 2022 provided $88.1 million over five years in new funding for Environment and Climate Change Canada, which includes $19.6 million in the 2022-23 budget to sustain the freshwater action plan and this is up for renewal. However, our funding efforts will now include cleanup efforts in the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, Lake Winnipeg, Lake of the Woods, the Fraser River in my colleague's home province, the Saint John River, the Mackenzie River and Lake Simcoe; $43.5 million, starting in 2022-23, to create the new Canada water agency, which I will advise the hon. member, will be stood up soon, in the coming weeks; and $25 million over five years starting in 2022-23 for the Experimental Lakes Area in northern Ontario, to support freshwater science and research. Members will recall the Harper government tried to shutter that incredible global water resource, but our government is now funding it. Also, to the hon. member's point, we will be modernizing the Canada Water Act. As she mentioned, for 51 years it has been in place, almost unchanged, and indigenous communities and climate change will be front and centre in our considerations. In June 2021, Environment and Climate Change Canada published a “what we heard” report. We consulted from coast to coast to coast, we received some 2,700 submissions. We heard strong support for the enhanced availability of data to support decision-making at all levels and cutting-edge science to tackle freshwater challenges, including climate change impacts. In addition to public engagement, the Government of Canada has also engaged with the provinces, territories and indigenous peoples. The Canada water agency is an institution for our time. It will bring people together on the watershed and the landscapes of this country to better protect and manage our fresh water, which we are so blessed to have. Twenty per cent of the world's fresh water is in this beautiful country of ours.
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Context: House Hansard - 149 - Jan/30/23
Mr. Terry Duguid
  • Jan/30/23 6:39:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would agree with many of the hon. member's points. The hon. member and I go back a long way, as she has alluded to. Again, I take many of her points and ultimately we will see much of that reflected when the Canada water agency is established. Just in closing, creating the Canada water agency presents a unique opportunity for Canada to work with provinces, territories, indigenous peoples, local authorities, scientists and others to strengthen collaboration and find the best ways to keep our water safe, clean and well managed. As I have said already, in my intervention today, we will be seeing some good news in the coming weeks.
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