Environment committee  I think I agree with that. I'll continue in French for the sake of clarity. The fact that water is a scarce resource in Europe means that it has to deal with these issues long before North America does. However, once the issue or the risk is known, it tends to turn up here prett

Environment committee  I think that depends on what's being regulated. I think it also depends on how jurisdiction is shared between the feds and the provinces. There are some things where regulatory rigour is good as long as the regulations are submitted to all the stakeholders they impact and are a

Environment committee  I won't take a position on the project itself. Typically, what watershed organizations do is not take positions on issues but listen to the stakeholders on the ground. If the Canada Water Agency is given that role, it may be interesting to discuss those issues. A platform could

Environment committee  That's a very important question. Quebec has a model that's been in place for 20 years. The strategic planning and stakeholder mobilization mandate is well established with watershed organizations. That model may not exist in other provinces, though, and the federal government co

Environment committee  We sent each watershed organization $65,000 to do integrated water resource management, to carry out the process. However, the amount needed to implement the master plan for water is much higher. The Government of Quebec put $500 million on the table for the plan, and we'll hear

Environment committee  I don't want to comment on funding for those two areas specifically, but one thing we know for sure is that they, like others, have less funding than they need to adequately address water management issues for those two bodies of water. I think the cross-border aspect is interes

Environment committee  Thank you for the question. The Ottawa River is a good example, but it could easily apply to other Canadian provinces as well. Integrated water management at the watershed level must be based on the geographical unit of the watershed involved. The Canada water agency could be a

Environment committee  You realize the need for that right away when you try to solve one of the problems on the ground. Take land development, for example, which is under Quebec's ministry of municipal affairs and housing. This is a key factor in most of the water-related problems in Quebec and elsewh

Environment committee  I think that Quebec's model, in which the watershed organization gets government funding for its mandate to foster collaboration, is a good thing. Implementing measures has to be done a different way, though. I think the Canada Water Agency should serve to bring everyone together

Environment committee  I'll give you an example that has just been made public, including in the media. In the Mille‑Îles river area, the Conseil des bassins versants des Mille‑Îles is working on a stream in the Oka area. The stream is used extensively by apple growers for their water supply. Since peo

Environment committee  In terms of federal jurisdiction over transportation, the regulations concerning navigation immediately come to mind. They date back to when shipping was the main mode of transportation. These regulations don't apply well to an environment where we're trying to adapt quickly to t

Environment committee  Thank you for the question. We made headway with the farming community a little later in relation to water management. We need social innovation in terms of how we involve the farming community. We also need technical and financial support. Quebec's watershed organizations must

Environment committee  Good afternoon. My name is Mathieu Madison. I'm president of the board of directors for the Regroupement des organismes de bassins versants du Québec. Our group includes 40 not‑for‑profit organizations from across Quebec that practice regional water governance. I want to talk t