Mr. Speaker, the Great Lakes are home to 45% of Canada's industrial capacity and 25% of Canada's agricultural capacity, providing for $180 billion in annual Canada-U.S. trade.
The Great Lakes basin includes eight of the twenty largest Canadian cities and 9.2 million Canadian inhabitants.
Water level fluctuations in the Great Lakes result from environmental factors such as precipitation, runoff from the drainage basin, inflow from upstream lakes and rivers and outflow to downstream lakes and rivers, as well as human factors, such as dredging, diversions and consumption.
This year lake levels are low once again, which is a cause for alarm for Canadians whose lives depend on these bodies of water for employment and recreation.
I call upon the government to take action in the fight against unnecessary water loss in the Great Lakes due to human involvement. It is essential that we maintain this valuable resource for Canadians today and for Canadians tomorrow.