Lake Capilano, which provides 40% of Vancouver’s drinking water/Arnold C-Wikimedia

By J. Seth Bumagat

March 26, 2025

After decades of scientists raising the alarm, the world is finally witnessing the undeniable calamity of climate-related events. From floods to droughts to wildfires, extreme weather events are manifesting at an increasingly alarming rate. Often, central to these crises is a fundamental resource, or lack thereof: water. Yet, despite the link between water and climate change, the immense pressure that is placed on our water supplies and freshwater systems is often overlooked.

Recent concerns about the Trump administration’s stated acquisitive interest in Canada’s water supply and mentions of making Canada the 51st state in part to act on that interest have only increased the urgency surrounding this issue here in Canada.

As global temperatures rise, so too does the incidence of major rainfall events and flooding. In fact, floods are one of the most frequent natural disasters in Canada, emphasizing why Canadians have a critical stake in taking proactive measures against climate change. This is especially the case considering that over 1.5 million homes are at high risk of flooding, with insured flood losses averaging $800 million annually over the past decade.

But the threat of flooding goes beyond the devastating and costly damage we see in the live coverage; it also places stress on our water supply and freshwater systems. Floods can overwhelm water sanitation systems, damage critical infrastructure in treatment plants, and contaminate water reservoirs. Similarly, floods can introduce pollutants into freshwater systems, increasing stress on the aquatic ecosystem health.

Wildfires and droughts – two other frequent natural disasters that strike Canada annually – present a complex link between water and climate change events. Per the debate that arose during the Los Angeles wildfires, large quantities of water are typically required to combat fires and respond to drought conditions. At the same time, wildfires and droughts place immense pressure on our water supplies and freshwater systems. Wildfires, like floods, can introduce pollutants into our freshwater systems from burnt materials and fire retardants, while droughts lead to lower water levels and higher concentrations of pollutants in lakes and rivers. In other words, while we need water to fight climate change, extreme weather events simultaneously place immense pressure on our freshwater systems.

When considering the complex links between climate change and water, the issues of water resilience and security arise. As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, it is imperative that we ensure our water supply systems can withstand and respond to stresses (water resilience) and that we safeguard our water supplies to ensure their abundance and safe quality (water security).

Canada is in a unique position. With one fifth of all freshwater reserves in the world, it’s easy for Canadians to take water for granted and misconceive the abundance of our freshwater. In reality, there is disparity in how much water is actually available to each Canadian. This is because 85 percent of the population live in close proximity to the Canada-United States border, yet 60 percentof all available freshwater is in northern regions. Taking this disparity into account, along with the rising frequency and severity of climate-related events, Canada has a compelling case to address its water resilience and security as an urgent policy matter.

However, the Government of Canada has yet to implement a comprehensive strategy exclusively focused on how it will address climate-related risks to water resilience and security.

Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy, which describes the Government’s blueprint for ensuring climate resilience in Canada, implies efforts to safeguard the security and resilience of Canada’s water systems but does not explicitly state water resilience or security as a specific focus. In other words, water resilience and security are broadly mentioned, hidden within general descriptions, but not explicitly stated.

The newly formed Canada Water Agency, a stand-alone agency focused on protecting and managing Canada’s freshwater resources, faces the same issue. The agency holds a large mandate primarily revolving around leading collaboration with provinces, territories, Indigenous communities, and other stakeholders to manage freshwater systems. Lacking in the mandate are specific statements describing how the agency addresses water resilience and security as distinct priorities. Indeed, the Canada Water Agency has the Freshwater Action Plan, a key program to conduct the agency’s mandate.

While we need water to fight climate change, extreme weather events simultaneously place immense pressure on our freshwater systems.

The plan includes components such as Freshwater Ecosystem Initiatives, which protect specific regional freshwater bodies like the St. Lawrence River and Lake Winnipeg. Various activities in the initiatives include collaboration among stakeholders and funding for monitoring and protection. Although, while improving climate change resilience is implied through the Freshwater Action Plan, the absence of a clearly defined focus on water resilience and security remains a significant gap.

Canada’s lack of a strategy that strictly focuses on water resilience and security places us behind many of our allied partners. For example, New Zealand, a country similar to Canada because of its water-rich status, developed the Water Availability and Security Initiative. The initiative was a half-year project to evaluate New Zealand’s water resilience and security to identify challenges and opportunities for improvement. Similarly, Australia, a country that experiences severe extreme weather events, has the National Water Initiative and the National Water Grid Fund; both exclusively addressing issues related to water resilience and security.

Canada’s lag in developing an initiative or strategy that explicitly focuses on water resilience and security reflects the broader progress it has made with national water policy. One of the key initiatives of the Canada Water Agency upon its creation in 2023 was to conduct a review of the Canada Water Act for the first time since its creation in 1970. For over half a century, this landmark legislation on water governance in Canada remained untouched. It is only now that the act will be modernized to reflect the current state of Canada’s freshwater environment.

Nonetheless, despite Canada’s lag, the country has the potential to create a well-developed water resilience and security strategy by expanding the mandate of the Canada Water Agency to include the creation and implementation of a strategy. With the agency’s status as an independent body, it can function as an intermediary between Environment and Climate Change Canada and other federal departments, agencies, and provincial and territorial governments to ensure a cohesive approach. This is similar to Australia’s National Water Grid Authority, which works with other Australian government agencies and jurisdictions to achieve the water-related goals of the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

In fact, one of the recommendations from the Water Availability and Security Initiative from New Zealand was to establish a partnership between the government and various stakeholders like Indigenous communities, businesses, and scientists. This recommendation is already reflected in the current mandate of the Canada Water Agency, emphasizing that the agency can play a key role in developing and implementing a water resilience and security strategy.

Furthermore, key aspects of Australia and New Zealand’s approaches to strategy development and implementation can help inform Canada’s strategy. In New Zealand, their initiative identified key economic sectors that rely heavily on water resources to ensure they are supported by their national strategy. This can be incorporated in the Canadian context to identify high-use and high-risk sectors that would be severely affected by water insecurity.

Furthermore, both Australia and New Zealand incorporate Indigenous knowledge into their approaches. For example, one of New Zealand’s recommendations in developing their plan was to incorporate mātauranga Māori, the traditional knowledge of the Māori people of New Zealand. Likewise in Australia, the National Water Grid Authority recognizes opportunities to incorporate First Nations knowledge into developing local water projects. A strategy in the Canadian context should also seek to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into strategy development and implementation to ensure a robust strategy contributing to reconciliation.

Each year, we witness the intensifying consequences of climate change, which may be what it takes for meaningful action. But with water resilience and security, Canada has the opportunity to correct this narrative. Through the development of a specific, clear-cut initiative, strategy, or program that focuses explicitly on water resilience and security, Canada can save its water systems from future catastrophic outcomes.

As climate change progresses, the importance of water as a resource will continue to grow. The time for Canada to act is now. It must ensure water resilience and security before there is no more water to protect; because without water, there is no Canada.

Seth Bumagat is a Master of Public Policy Candidate at McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy. He is a chemical engineer from Edmonton, Alberta with industry and academic experiences in water and oilsands tailings treatment. He aspires to address issues at the forefront of engineering, environment, and public policy.