Canada Begins Work on Its First Water Security Strategy
The National Water Security Strategy is being developed as a national approach to Canada's freshwater challenges.
The Canada Water Agency says the strategy will be developed in collaboration with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners across the country.
The agency says the strategy will address freshwater challenges and opportunities to protect ecosystems, strengthen the resilience of communities and support water-secure industries.
Public engagement for the strategy runs from September 9 through October 25, 2026. A summary of what the agency hears is to be shared later this year.
Great Lakes Receive Fresh Project Funding
The government is directing $6.6 million toward 31 partner-led projects designed to address environmental challenges affecting water quality and ecosystem health in the Great Lakes.
The projects are funded through the Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative. Its priorities include restoring water quality and ecosystem health in Great Lakes Areas of Concern, preventing toxic and nuisance algae, reducing releases of harmful chemicals, and increasing Indigenous participation in freshwater governance, stewardship and monitoring.
The Great Lakes remain a central focus of the federal Freshwater Action Plan.
Why the Great Lakes Matter to Canada
The Great Lakes are among Canada's most important freshwater resources.
The Canada Water Agency says the Great Lakes basin in Ontario supports 40% of Canada's economic activity and provides drinking water to one in four Canadians, or approximately 10 million people.
The region also supports communities, agriculture, industry, transportation, recreation and diverse ecosystems.
Protecting the lakes therefore has implications that extend beyond environmental conservation.
A Broader Federal Freshwater Strategy
The new national strategy builds on existing federal freshwater programs.
The Canada Water Agency is the federal focal point for fresh water. Its mandate includes improving freshwater management by providing federal leadership and strengthening coordination and partnerships with provinces, territories and Indigenous peoples.
The Freshwater Action Plan supports the management, restoration and protection of fresh water in Canada.
Government Funding Is Already Underway
The federal government's Freshwater Action Plan represents a broader long-term investment in freshwater protection.
Starting in 2023, the government committed $650 million over 10 years to the plan, including $420 million in new funding to protect the Great Lakes.
The Canada Water Agency says the Great Lakes funding is intended to accelerate restoration and protection work and advance environmental goals.
Indigenous and Regional Partnerships Matter
Water management in Canada involves federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners.
The Canada Water Agency is developing the strategy in collaboration with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners across the country.
Great Lakes investments include nearly $6.5 million over four years, beginning in 2024-25, for the Chiefs of Ontario and Anishinabek Nation to support First Nations' participation in Great Lakes governance, science and stewardship.
The national strategy is expected to continue this collaborative approach as the federal government gathers perspectives on Canada's water-security challenges and priorities.
What the Public Engagement Will Examine
The engagement process is intended to identify freshwater priorities, understand challenges and opportunities, and explore pathways for shared action.
Water security can involve issues affecting freshwater ecosystems, communities, economic activity and long-term environmental resilience.
The strategy is being developed as Canada faces water-related challenges including droughts, floods, pollution, wildfires, aging critical water infrastructure, groundwater stress, permafrost degradation and algal blooms.
A national approach is intended to improve federal leadership, collaboration and coordination with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners.
Great Lakes Protection Remains a Long-Term Priority
The latest funding announcement adds to the federal government's ongoing work to improve Great Lakes water quality and ecosystem health.
The government has set goals that include completing remedial actions in 12 of 14 Canadian Great Lakes Areas of Concern by 2030 and all of them by 2038.
It also aims to meet Canada's phosphorus-load reduction targets for Lake Erie by 2039.
These efforts are intended to improve ecosystem health while supporting communities that depend on the lakes.
What Happens Next?
The public engagement period for the National Water Security Strategy runs until October 25, 2026.
Feedback gathered during this period will inform the federal government's understanding of freshwater security priorities across Canada.
The strategy is still under development, meaning its eventual policies and measures will depend on further engagement and collaboration.
For Canadians, the process provides an opportunity to contribute to a national discussion about one of the country's most important natural resources.
TwikUp Insight
Canada's first National Water Security Strategy could provide a framework for coordinating federal freshwater policy and collaboration with other governments and Indigenous partners.
The immediate focus is consultation, alongside Great Lakes project funding. The agency says the strategy is intended to address freshwater challenges, protect ecosystems, strengthen community resilience and support water-secure industries.
With the Great Lakes basin supporting 40% of Canada's economic activity and providing drinking water to about 10 million Canadians, freshwater protection has environmental, economic and community significance.