MEDIA STATEMENT: Canada Water Agency Cuts a Devastating Pile-On to Trump’s Water Rollbacks: Council of Canadians
U.S. administration already seeking to slash Great Lakes funding by 90%
OTTAWA — The Council of Canadians is denouncing planned cuts to critical freshwater protections and calling on Mark Carney to reverse course and strengthen enforcement and remediation efforts.
“At a time when Donald Trump is completely undermining protection of the Great Lakes and the Columbia River basin, Mark Carney’s plan to mirror these cuts is devastating,” said Dru Jay, Executive Director of the Council of Canadians. “This is decisively a time when Canada needs to be stepping up its protection of water, not proposing more cuts.”
Text messages obtained by journalists show the federal government is aware that the proposed reductions would severely undermine Canada’s capacity to protect and remediate vital water systems. [1]
The Trump administration’s approach has included slashing spending on Great Lakes protection and remediation by 90% [2] and dismantling water protection regulations.[3]
The Council of Canadians has previously called for the Canada Water Agency to be strengthened and given real regulatory powers.[4]
The Council of Canadians is available for comment and can connect journalists with water experts.
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Media Contact:
Eagleclaw Thom
Communications Officer
Council of Canadians
media@canadians.org
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html
[4] https://canadians.org/analysis/canada-water-agency-all-carrot-no-stick/
