Mr. Chair, I am pleased to be here today to contribute to the committee's study on the federal government's role in the protection and management of Canada's freshwater resources.
I would like to acknowledge that this meeting is taking place on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
I am accompanied by James McKenzie and Milan Duvnjak, who are both principals in our office.
Today I will focus on three areas where we have recommended improvements to freshwater management. These areas are maintaining a relevant knowledge base on freshwater resources, enforcing laws and regulations to protect freshwater resources, and enhancing collaboration. My statement is based on three audit reports: our 2022 report on protecting aquatic species at risk, our 2021 report on scientific activities in certain watersheds and our 2019 report on protecting fish from mining effluent.
I will begin by talking about maintaining a relevant knowledge base on freshwater resources.
Such a base includes research and monitoring of water quality, volume, and status. It also includes research and monitoring for risks associated with water bodies, such as excess nutrients and algae blooms, as well as the effectiveness of measures to protect freshwater resources.
In our audit on the protection of aquatic species at risk, we found that Fisheries and Oceans Canada had undertaken research on aquatic species, but had focused its knowledge acquisition activities on species of commercial value. This has left significant gaps in its knowledge of other species and has had a direct impact on their protection.
Knowledge development is critical to assessing the status of species and developing strategies to protect aquatic species. Many of Canada's fully extinct species 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 Ontario and the prairie region, which are 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.