Environment committee  There is no perfect system in the world. There is no country that is perfect when it comes to water management. Every system has deficiencies. Last year, we published a report that showed the systematic injustice, essentially, and inequity behind the levies of the United States, which is your neighbouring country.

Environment committee  There are problems. Of course, you have to do much more to get where you want to be and where you deserve to be, but I don't think this should stop your nation from getting more active on the international stage. The establishment of a Canada water agency is a historic moment in this country and a step forward to where you deserve to be, but there's a lot of work to be done.

Environment committee  It is. This is due to the fact that many of those who set policies don't understand the political economy of water. In many countries, water is used not only for producing food but also employment. Unless you understand this critical role of water, you cannot set policies that address some of the other problems and solve the threats to the farmers themselves.

Environment committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Honourable committee members, allow me at the outset to express my profound gratitude, as the director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, to the people and Government of Canada for nearly three decades of supporting us.