Placing Canada’s Water Policies in an International Context

Canada is a country rich in water resources that has mastered the management of its abundant water resources through effective policies. Similarly, effective and relatively conflict-free management of shared waters with its southern neighbor is also cited as a success story in popular discourse, with over a century of joint management since the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. This chapter undertakes a critical review of these commonly held notions in the context of evidence, particularly incorporating the challenges stemming from a limited federal role in water management and a non-existing national water policy. A key part of this evidence comes in the form of a comparative analysis of the policies adopted by other countries. There are three comparative approaches utilized in this chapter: similarity of geographic scale and economic development; similarity of economic development but not scale; and, contrast of economic development. Selection of countries for comparative analysis is based on: fit with the comparison criteria, availability of comparable data, and relative success in managing their respective circumstances. First, the chapter compares Canadian approaches with those applied in developed countries of similar geographic scale; the most comparable examples in this case are that of United States of America and Brazil. Second, a comparison is made with the policies utilized in developed countries that have demonstrated success in managing their own water resources as well as shared ones; the examples used here are Germany and the Netherlands. Third, the Canadian approach is contrasted with approaches deployed in water-scarce developing countries; the examples used in this case are Jordan and South Africa. This multi-faceted analysis is intended to contextualize Canadian successes and failures, while also charting the potential for further enhancements and modifications, learning from experiences of other countries presented in this chapter.