Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to participate in this debate on the important matter of the diversion of the Devils Lake waters into Canadian waters. Specifically, the Devils Lake waters will flow through a 22 kilometre canal into the Sheyenne River, a tributary of the Red River that in turn flows into Lake Winnipeg.
I am pleased to address this issue as a Quebecker. Why? Because this important issue that we are debating today and this precedent that is being established today, may have considerable impact, not only for western Canada but also for Quebec, given that this current conflict could alter how we manage our boundary waters in Canada. In principle, this issue was resolved by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, which guaranteed that no action was to be taken without verifying whether or not these actions—with regard to the diversion of boundary waters—had an environmental impact on existing ecosystems.
Devils Lake is in North Dakota and has seen a considerable increase in its levels in recent years. From one year to the next, the citizens who live in the areas bordering the lake have noted higher water levels. In recent years, the inhabitants of waterfront lands on Devils Lake have seen water levels rise, and this has forced a number of families to move. A solution was thus proposed in the United States, namely to create a 22-kilometre outlet, a $28 million project designed to divert the water from Devils Lake to the Cheyenne River, a tributary of the Red River, which is largely dependent on Lake Winnipeg. This $28 million project would connect, by means of the outlet, the waters of Devils Lake and Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba.
At the time, we had a schedule. It should be recalled that this is not a new file. In July 2005, the state of Dakota had indicated its intention to open this big outlet in order to lower the Devils Lake water levels for the safety of citizens living close to this lake, which is actually quite big. There was major opposition from Canada to the plan. The federal government had received the support of numerous provinces on this file. They included Ontario and Quebec, which unhesitatingly decided to support the Government of Canada in its opposition to the opening of this outlet, quite simply because the environmental and economic impacts would have been considerable for Manitoba. Consequently, the Government of Quebec and the Government of Ontario did not hesitate to support the federal government—a government which at the time was Liberal—in the face of the wishes of the government of Dakota and the state's governor to open this outlet.
Finally, the outlet was re-opened a few weeks ago, at the cost of environmental protection and economic benefits. Why? When we know about the composition of Devils Lake in North Dakota, we very quickly understand that we must oppose such a project if no mitigation measures are clearly put in place to avoid a number of phenomena.
What are these mitigation measures that we must put in place? Of course there is the installation of a rock filter and a gravel filter. Why put such filters in place? Quite simply because we have reason to believe that the Devils Lake ecosystem, in Dakota, may give rise to a strong contamination of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba.
First, Devils Lake is highly polluted. Second, the saline level of Devils Lake is four times the current level of the Red River. Third, Devils Lake contains invasive species. In recent years, we have gathered information about these invasive species and the damage they could do to our ecosystems. I invite you to read a report by Canada's Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development about the threat posed by these species, which are microscopic in some cases but can still have a negative impact on our lake ecosystems.
What is happening in Devils Lake and could happen in Lake Winnipeg is exactly what could happen to ecosystems of the St. Lawrence with a massive influx of saline from the ocean. Salinity would increase. Opening this outlet is like letting large ships from sea areas come into fresh water and release invasive species with their ballast water.
The risks to Lake Winnipeg are exactly the same as the risks to the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes system: greater salinization and more invasive species. This will also have a huge impact on ecosystems. It is completely unacceptable.
It is especially unacceptable because, in 2003, the Government of Manitoba implemented an action plan to restore drinking water quality to 1970 levels. All Manitoba's efforts over the last four years to improve water quality would be in vain because the government of North Dakota has decided to turn out the tap at this outlet. That is unacceptable.
This week, the Minister of Water Stewardship of Manitoba appeared before the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. She came to talk about how the Government of Manitoba has put in place an action plan to restore the Lake Winnipeg ecosystem, which is contaminated.
This minister came to convince us, for example, that we should no longer allow phosphorus and phosphates to be used in dishwashing liquids because they could compromise Lake Winnipeg’s ecosystem.
In view of the decision made by the Government of Manitoba to introduce a rigorous plan to improve the quality of the water in Lake Winnipeg, it is hard to see how we parliamentarians could fail to react strongly to the decision to open the outlet and allow water from Devils Lake to drain into Lake Winnipeg.
There was also a report a few years ago detailing the importance of reducing the level of nitrates in Lake Winnipeg by at least 10%. Now the government on the other side of the border is making decisions without regard for the agreement signed in August 2005 between Canada and the United States to institute mitigation measures that would limit nitrates.
The Americans promised to install a stone and gravel filter to limit contamination. It was a $15 million filter that could easily have been quickly installed. Unfortunately, though, the government did something else. By 2004, the previous government had clearly indicated that it wanted this project submitted for study by the International Joint Commission. That is what should have happened.
The 1909 treaty is very clear: when a proposed project could have an environmental impact on a bordering country, there has to be an assessment. It is obvious, however, that the people on the other side of the border are not going to do this assessment, despite the decision handed down a few years ago by the supreme court of Dakota saying that this project might contaminate Canadian waters.
Nevertheless, this ruling by the Dakota supreme court did not specify anything and did not call on the government of Dakota to call off the project. Today, we are having a very hard time understanding why the U.S. authorities have refused to apply the agreement signed in good faith in August 2005, government to government, in which Dakota promised to implement mitigation measures, and promised to install the filter to reduce the risks of contaminating the Sheyenne River, the Red River and finally, Lake Winnipeg.
We are having a very hard time understanding why our government is not now taking a clear stand to defend our ecosystems and the ecosystem of Lake Winnipeg.
If relations between George Bush and the Prime Minister are so important, if discussions are going so smoothly between the two governments, then why has the Prime Minister not managed to convince his U.S. counterparts to stop this project?
This project will not just have an environmental impact. That is not what we are talking about. In the Lake Winnipeg area, annual economic spinoffs to the tune of $20 million come from fishing activities and the fishing industry. Not only is there a possibility of compromising our ecosystem, but we might also be compromising an industry that brings in $20 million a year to the surrounding communities. This is unacceptable.
We believe that the Prime Minister has to be a little tougher. He does not need to reserve being tough for negotiating on the world stage, at the G-8, in order to lower the requirements for fighting climate change. He also needs to be tough when it comes to protecting the waters of Lake Winnipeg. If we open the doors today to this $28 million project, it is not just Lake Winnipeg that will be compromised. The need for water in the south is growing every day.
Every day, our neighbours to the south want to take advantage of Canada's water resources. If this diversion plan goes through today, then what will it be for the Great Lakes tomorrow?
Will they try to use our water resources from our St. Lawrence-Great Lakes waterways for the benefit of American interests?
If the International Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 has a legal effect, if the International Joint Commission has any meaning, now would be the time for it to speak up. It is not true that the International Joint Commission is merely a window for future negotiations or treaties that do not apply. This is, I think, the first important case in which the International Joint Commission could be called to make a decision.
North Dakota, however, refuses to allow this project to be submitted to the International Joint Commission. Manitoba and Canada have been putting pressure on this project since 1999. Canada has wanted to stop this project since 1999. In 2001, North Dakota began a wide invitation to tender to complete this project. In 2004, as I already mentioned, Canada began to ask that the project be referred to the International Joint Commission, despite the firm “no” clearly expressed by the state of North Dakota. In May 2005, the Prime Minister of Canada stood up and told George Bush that there was no way this project would be completed. As we all know, the project was completed in June 2006.
No matter what political party we belong to, we must all stand together to try to stop this project. This project would set a dangerous precedent, a precedent that would affect not only western Canada, but could also affect Ontario due to the hydrological resources of the Great Lakes. This could even have repercussions for Quebec in a few years. I strongly oppose this project.