Environment committee  My quick answer is that the federal government has a very distinct and strong role in dealing with water because it cross-cuts all of the many issues we talked about. The Canada water agency is one way to organize. I believe the way the federal government has organized itself on water is insufficient for the challenges ahead, so I am supportive of organizing themselves to be successful, which means dealing with water as it shows up as a local problem.

Environment committee  That's a big question for the one or two minutes remaining, but I'm going to summarize it by saying that the way you implement UNDRIP is that you build relationships and trust in an ongoing relationship. The federal government has a role because you need the necessary science and information, and the kinds of processes in which you have not just one decision, one big mind and one big development, but you have many decisions over time.

Environment committee  That's a great question. I know conservation authorities well, since I grew up in the Ontario area and studied them in quite a bit of detail. What they represent in terms of value is local capacity. That manifests very differently in different parts of the country. I think you're right to recognize that this is how you get to water solutions.

Environment committee  Thank you so much, Ms. Collins. That's a fabulous question. I'm going to just summarize in three simple points. Investing locally creates solutions, innovation and gets you a payback in the range of seven to one, to 10 to one. They've demonstrated that in numerous places. I draw the attention of this fine committee to the healthy watersheds initiative as one example.

Environment committee  I've heard a few. I've listened to a number of the former presentations, and I hear a theme wherein we get this sort of tension, and some folks think that we just need government to get out of the way. I think that it is an inaccurate approach, because, when we talk about water, it requires collaboration.

Environment committee  Thank you very much. Water will define the century and the decades ahead. By that, I mean water and how we manage and govern it will decide whether we are a wealthy and prosperous nation or slump into mediocrity and missed opportunity. As we all know—and you know the facts better than I, after many months of submissions and testimonies—the simple fact is that the climate crisis is a water crisis.