Opening Statement to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development

Freshwater Study

21 March 2024

Jerry V. DeMarco
Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development

Mr. Chair, I am pleased to be here today to contribute to the committee’s study of the federal government’s role in protecting and managing Canada’s freshwater resources. I would like to acknowledge that this hearing is taking place on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people. I am accompanied by James McKenzie and Milan Duvnjak, who are principals in our office.

I will focus my remarks on 3 areas where we have recommended improvements regarding freshwater management. These are maintaining a relevant knowledge base of freshwater resources, enforcing laws and regulations protecting Canada’s freshwater resources, and fostering collaboration. My remarks today are based on 3 audit reports: our 2022 report on protecting aquatic species at risk, our 2021 report on scientific activities in selected water basins, and our 2019 report on protecting fish from mining effluent.

Let’s begin with maintaining a relevant knowledge base of freshwater resources, which includes researching and monitoring water quality and quantity and the status of freshwater species. It also includes researching and monitoring the risks to water bodies, such as excess nutrients and algal blooms, and the effectiveness of measures protecting freshwater resources.

In our audit of protecting aquatic species at risk, we found that while Fisheries and Oceans Canada undertook research on aquatic species, the department focused its knowledge-building on species of commercial value. This left important gaps in its knowledge of other species and directly affected their protection.

Knowledge-building is essential to assess the species’ status and to inform strategies to protect aquatic species. Several of Canada’s species that have been permanently lost to extinction were found in freshwater.

This brings me to my second area of focus: enforcing laws and regulations protecting Canada’s freshwater resources. The Fisheries Act and the Species at Risk Act provide the legal basis for protecting and conserving fish, fish habitat, and aquatic species at risk. However, laws and regulations are not sufficient on their own. They need to be administered and enforced fairly, predictably, and consistently.

In our audit of protecting aquatic species at risk, we found that Fisheries and Oceans Canada did not have enough staff to enforce compliance. This was particularly evident in the Ontario and Prairie region which is responsible for managing most of the freshwater species at risk.

In our audit of protecting fish from mining effluent, we found that Environment and Climate Change Canada reported high compliance with effluent limits by metal mines. However, the department’s reporting was not comprehensive, because it did not have complete information for roughly a third of the mines. We also found that non‑metal mines, such as potash, coal, and oil sands mines, were inspected less frequently than metal mines. In our view, regularly inspecting non‑metal mines is important because these mines are not authorized to release any effluent that is harmful to fish or their habitat.

Finally, I’d like to discuss fostering collaboration. In our audit of scientific activities in selected water basins, we found that Environment and Climate Change Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada were moving in the right direction in terms of collaborating on scientific activities. However, we found that their work could have a greater impact on improving water quality if they further coordinated their scientific efforts. The departments would also benefit from making better use of existing watershed science coordination committees and by establishing a national science coordination steering committee to address freshwater concerns.

In conclusion, Canada is still facing water quality issues caused by excess nutrients and industrial pollution. As well, it has a long list of aquatic species at risk that rely on healthy freshwater ecosystems. The federal government plays an essential role in protecting and managing Canada’s freshwater resources.

Mr. Chair, this concludes my opening remarks. We would be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have. Thank you.