Maude Barlow and Paul Moist read the Blue Summit Declaration
The Canwest News Service reports that, “All levels of government should act now to protect Canada’s water resources as they continue to come under threat by privatization and the bottled-water industry, public advocacy groups said Sunday.
“A declaration backed by the Council of Canadians and the Canadian Union of Public Employees stressed the need for a national water policy that, among other things, ‘recognizes water as a human right and a public trust.’ It also called for investments to be made in watershed planning and management and guidelines for the protection of water quantity and quality in the country.”
“The declaration asked governments to establish national enforceable guidelines for drinking water, work with First Nations communities to stop water shortages and sanitation problems on reserves, and exclude water as a commodity from the North American Free Trade Agreement and future agreements.”
“‘Our elected leaders manage water resources on our behalf as a public trust,’ added Council of Canadians national chairwoman Maude Barlow in a statement. ‘But although our country has abundant natural resources, Canada is actually facing freshwater shortages. It’s clear that we need more than talk – we need a concrete commitment from governments that our water will be protected for future generations.'”
“The groups said the timing of the declaration highlights the need for Canada to emerge as a leader at the upcoming climate-change talks in Copenhagen. The declaration has been supported by 12 national organizations.”
The full article is at http://www.kelowna.com/2009/11/29/protect-water-as-a-human-right-group-says/.
