Press Release
March 17, 2011
Ottawa - The Council of Canadians is calling on the Harper government to prioritize water in the upcoming budget, which will be delivered on March 22 – World Water Day.
The organization is calling for more than $7 billion in spending this year on priorities areas, such as a National Public Water Fund for municipal water and wastewater infrastructure, for clean drinking water in First Nations communities, the cleaning up of Canada’s waterways and Great Lakes, and increased water quality and quantity monitoring.
“It’s time for the federal government to step up their commitment to restoring the Great Lakes,” says Council of Canadians national water campaigner Emma Lui, “The Obama administration had originally proposed $475 million for Great Lakes clean up, even the Republican party supported $225 million for the Restoration Initiative. In the last budget, the Harper Government allocated a mere $8 million to protect the Great Lakes. The federal government needs to increase funding significantly in order to protect the Great Lakes as a commons, public trust and protected bioregion.”
The Council of Canadians chapter on water in the 2011 Alternative Federal Budget highlights these spending priorities:
The Council of Canadians will available for comment on the upcoming federal budget and evaluating the Flaherty budget on the basis of these Alternative Federal Budget demands.
The Council of Canadians chapter on water can be read here.
The Alternative Federal Budget 2011 can be read here.
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For More Information:
Dylan Penner, Media Officer, Council of Canadians, 613-795-8685, dpenner@canadians.org,. Twitter: @CouncilofCDNs