Mr. Speaker, there are many Canadians who would say that Canada's fresh water is our most important natural resource. That is why my department expends so many resources on science and research and provides technical and funding support to tens of thousands of Canadians to protect our water systems.
We have programs in the Atlantic coastal area, the Atlantic coastal action program, St. Lawrence vision 2000, Great Lakes 2000, the northern rivers ecosystem and the Georgian basin ecosystem initiatives.
The federal government is also working with the provinces to negotiate a national accord which will prohibit the removal of bulk water and the first step toward developing a fresh water strategy.
Canadians everywhere are concerned about water and are becoming involved in this very important issue.