Promoting Federal Water Policy
Public policy is more robust when the voices of civil society are at the table, and OLW supports a growing Network of nonprofit water organizations with much to contribute. We catalyze shared learning opportunities through workshops and webinars that amplify lessons from watershed-based work and enable the freshwater community to unite its voice and influence federal water policy. As an OLW member you can:
- add your organizational voice alongside others advocating for healthy waters across Canada;
- meet and collaborate with other like-minded organizations;
- access thoughtful analysis, strategies, and tactics to help your organization push for federal leadership on fresh water;
- sign on to submissions to the government, press outlets, and more.
Our goal is to scale up the Network’s impact by being a conduit for civil society to influence federal water policy and leadership.
Canadian Coalition for Healthy Waters
OLW participates by acting as Secretariat on the Steering Committee of the Canadian Coalition for Healthy Waters (CCHW), a non-partisan coalition which advocates for federal government leadership and policy to support the health of fresh water—including all inland waters—across Canada. From rivers to aquifers, wetlands to estuaries, and lakes to glaciers, water is fundamental to the health, economic prosperity, social well-being and resilience of communities across Canada, and to the healthy functioning of the planet’s ecosystems. Drawing on five foundational pillars, the CCHW is currently advocating for three actions from the federal government:
- strengthen the Canada Water Agency;
- renew the over 50-year-old Canada Water Act;
- create an additional $1 Billion Canada Water Fund to invest in the health of our waters.
For more information or to join the Canadian Coalition for Healthy Waters please visit the website.