OTTAWA,
March 20, 2008 - Canada's Environment Minister
John Baird and Fisheries and Oceans Minister
Loyola Hearn today issued the following
statement celebrating World Water Day 2008,
which will be observed on Saturday, March
22.
"Our government
is committed to ensuring that Canada's precious
water resources are protected now and in
the future," said Minister Baird. "Our
country is richly blessed with lakes, rivers,
streams and oceans that we have a responsibility
to protect, and to ensure that our water
resources are used wisely, both economically
and ecologically."
"Protecting the
most sensitive areas of our oceans is a
priority for this Government," added
Minister Hearn. "We want future generations
of Canadians to enjoy and benefit from our
marine environment. That is why we have
created and invested in our Health of the
Oceans initiative which will, among other
things, establish four new Centres of Expertise
on corals and designate six new Marine Protected
Areas."
In just the last year
alone, the Government of Canada announced
initiatives on protecting Canada's waters
through our Action Plan on Clean Water.
These include:
Committing $48 million
to help clean up the most pressing Great
Lakes Areas of Concern;
Announcing a strict limit on phosphates
in detergents to prevent blue-green algae
growth in our lakes, rivers and streams;
Our intention to bring
in tough new regulations banning the dumping
of raw sewage, and providing real dollars
for improvement in sewage treatment across
the country;
$30 million to help clean up Lake Simcoe
in Ontario;
$18 million to help clean up Lake Winnipeg
in Manitoba;
Creation of the world's largest freshwater
marine park, the Lake Superior National
Marine Conservation Area;
$61.5 million to improve the Health of the
Oceans;
Millions to improve drinking water on First
Nations reserves, and
A restatement of our intention to prevent
any export of bulk water outside of Canada's
borders.
In addition, our Government has taken decisive
action to ensure that all First Nations
reserves have access to safe drinking water.
Budget 2008 builds on our achievements and
further invests $330 million to improve
access to safe drinking water in First Nations
communities.
World Water Day is an
opportunity for all Canadians to reflect
on the importance of clean water to us all.
All Canadians are encouraged to do their
part to protect and preserve our precious
lakes, rivers, wetlands and oceans so that
we can leave a legacy of clean water for
future generations.
Eric Richer
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
