Let me try a brief response. I think the statement made by the three NAFTA parties in 1993 is quite clear. I think that stands on its merit. Further to that, we have then amended our International Boundary Waters Treaty Act to address this very issue by prohibiting bulk water removals.
I want to go back to Mr. Menzies' question just briefly to say that in the time that I've been involved in this issue, since 2001, there have been no proposals for any bulk water removals or any projects that would address that issue. In fact, since that time, greater protections have evolved. The Provinces of Ontario and Quebec entered into an agreement with the eight Great Lakes states to amend the Great Lakes charter annex to, again, protect water in its basin. So not only do we have a federal level of protections, but we also have at the level of provinces and states in the United States a similar approach to protect water in their basins.
Frankly speaking, Mr. Chairman, the biggest threats to our waters these days are not because of removals. The threats that we're facing are in water quality and invasive species. You may have seen even this week the major problem we have in the Great Lakes with hemorrhagic fever affecting all species of fish. This is not the first. In fact, there are 180 or more invasive species in the Great Lakes and in the St. Lawrence River that pose much greater risks to our water resources and the ecosystems and communities that depend on it.
Water quality remains a huge issue. We're reviewing the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The biggest threat, and there again it's no surprise, is municipal sewage treatment and a lack of full treatment that's affecting water quality.