Protect Water Resource, Politicians Told

Canwest News Service
Published: Monday, November 30, 2009


All levels of government should act now to protect Canada's water resources as they continue to come under threat by privatization and the bottled-water industry, public advocacy groups said yesterday. A declaration backed by the Council of Canadians and the Canadian Union of Public Employees stressed the need for a national water policy that, among other things, "recognizes water as a human right and a publ i c trust." It also called for investments to be made in watershed planning and management and guidelines for the protection of water quantity and quality in the country. The declaration asked governments to establish national enforceable guidelines for drinking water, work with First Nations communities to stop water shortages and sanitation problems on reserves, and exclude water as a commodity from the North American Free Trade Agreement and future agreements.