OPEN LETTER FOR CANADA TO PROTECT OUR WATER

An Open Letter to the Government of Canada​ Protect Canada’s Water — Protect Our Health

As Canadians deeply concerned about our nation’s growing water crisis, we, the undersigned organizations and individuals, call on the Government of Canada to act now. 

We urge the federal government to work with provinces, territories, Indigenous governments, municipalities, and public health authorities to strengthen drinking water protection across Canada through stronger source-water protection, better transparency, evidence-based water quality assessment, and enforceable standards that respect each order of government’s constitutional authority and responsibilities. 

Drinking water is not only an environmental issue; it is also a public health, infrastructure, and energy issue, and it requires coordinated leadership across multiple portfolios and jurisdictions. The goal is clear: Canadians should be able to trust that the water coming from their taps is safe, that it is backed by effective monitoring and enforcement, and that governments are acting transparently to protect public health.

Water Is Life 

Despite decades of research and public concern, too many communities continue to face contaminated water. Scientists have identified numerous pesticides in Canadian water sources, aging infrastructure continues to pose risks, and First Nations communities such as Neskantaga and Grassy Narrows have endured long-term boil-water advisories for far too long. The federal government has a clear responsibility to address these failures, especially where Indigenous water systems are concerned. 

Canadians deserve science-based policies that protect public health. Health Canada should be vigilant and update guidance on contaminants such as PFAS, including a national drinking-water objective, while jurisdictions strengthen monitoring, implementation, and public reporting.

The Evidence Is Clear

A growing body of international science shows that synthetic chemicals such as pesticides, PFAS, industrial emissions and wastes, and other persistent pollutants are harming ecosystems and human health. Canada should continue to align its drinking-water protections with the best available science, using a precautionary approach, strong methods for evidence-based water quality assessment, and robust source-water protection for impacted waterways and ecosystems, including those affected by permafrost melt and climate change. 

This must also apply to planned nation-building projects, including municipal drinking-water infrastructure projects. These investments should not simply expand capacity; they must also reduce risk, protect source water, and modernize hazardous legacy systems, including the prompt removal and replacement of asbestos-cement pipelines, for those which have been abandoned in place as well as those which remain in use. Failure to act is a public health issue that affects all Canadians, whether they live in rural, remote, or urban communities. 

The lesson is simple: prevention is far cheaper than cleanup. Strong source-water protection, reliable monitoring, transparent reporting, and timely infrastructure replacement will save lives, reduce long-term public costs, and protect future generations.

Our Call to Action 

We urge the Government of Canada to:

• Work with provinces, territories, Indigenous governments, municipalities, and public health authorities to strengthen enforceable drinking-water protections across Canada, using the appropriate legislative and regulatory tools available to each order of government. 
• Make source-water protection a central pillar of drinking-water safety planning, especially for impacted waterways and ecosystems facing climate-driven change, including permafrost melt. 
• Strengthen evidence-based water quality assessment methods, monitoring programs, and public reporting so that decisions are transparent, comparable, and grounded in science.
• Strengthen federal action on toxic substances, including PFAS and other harmful contaminants.
• Ensure transparency, accountability, and public access to up-to-date and historical water-quality data in all jurisdictions.
• Invest in infrastructure, monitoring, and Indigenous-led water governance where federal responsibility is clear and urgent.
• Prioritize nation-building water infrastructure projects that protect public health, including the prompt removal and replacement of asbestos-cement pipelines and other hazardous legacy systems.

Clean water is a fundamental human right. It transcends politics, geography, and ideology. It is a responsibility shared by all levels of government — and a duty that must be met with urgency. 

We stand together — environmental advocates, scientists, healthcare professionals, community leaders, and citizens — united in calling for leadership that matches the scale of this crisis. 

Safe drinking water cannot wait. The time for action is now.

Signed,

Sign

Please note that all concerned individuals are invited to sign.

We encourage communities and organizations to also share with their members.