Mr. Chair, the parliamentary secretary mentioned Lake Winnipeg and its south basin is in my riding of Selkirk—Interlake. This has been one initiative that I have been so pleased was undertaken by our government.
Over the past four years, Environment Canada has invested $18 million in research to look at things like nutrient loads and ways to control agricultural run-off and to monitor and improve municipal waste water treatment right through the entire basin. The basin consists of four provinces and four U.S. states. It has been incredible to have the participation of stakeholders throughout the Lake Winnipeg basin. They have contributed to the knowledge and the reduction of nutrient loads going into Lake Winnipeg.
I, my kids and my family love to swim in Lake Winnipeg. We have some beautiful beaches in the south basin and the last thing we want to see is algae blooms. The last thing we want to see is having high E. coli counts and beach closures because of these nutrient loads that occur from time to time. We need to work closely with stakeholders to reduce those nutrients.
The $18 million through Environment Canada and targeted through research within the department and also working along with academics throughout the basin have provided a significant benefit long term. Part of the Lake Winnipeg basin initiative also consisted of the Lake Winnipeg stewardship fund and that component was almost $4 million in funding provided to community stakeholder groups that did different types of projects. One that was particularly successful, and is still running to this day, was the one that was undertaken by the Lake Winnipeg south basin mayors and reeves. They introduced a lake-friendly program to label products that were lake friendly, essentially that they were low in phosphates and nitrates and that they were safe to use if they ever ended up in the lake through the watershed.
In watching the debate earlier today, I understand there were a number of members who already spoke to the benefits of protecting Lake Winnipeg since it acted as the reservoir for the entire southern Prairies and the northern great plains of the United States.
The parliamentary secretary is extremely familiar with Lake Winnipeg. Could she speak of her experience and her ideas and suggestions on how this program has worked and how it may continue into the future?