The Canada Water Agency's Mandate

To improve freshwater management in Canada by providing leadership, effective collaboration federally, and improved coordination and collaboration with provinces, territories, and Indigenous peoples to proactively address national and regional transboundary freshwater challenges and opportunities.

Our vision

Fresh water in Canada is safe, clean and well managed for today and the future. 

Our mission

To deliver this mandate by leading with excellence in the management and stewardship of fresh water in Canada for the environmental, social, economic, and spiritual wellbeing of Canada and future generations of Canadians through:  

• fostering creativity and whole-of-government approaches with federal departments and agencies  
• building partnerships, enhancing trust and participating in reconciliation with First Nations, Métis and Inuit partners  
• advancing meaningful and respectful collaboration with provinces and territories and binational, non-governmental and private sector partners
• using science and data to achieve and report on measurable results  

Our values

The Canada Water Agency embraces the core values and ethics of the federal public sector:  

• respect for democracy  
• respect for people  
• integrity
• stewardship 
• excellence     

In early 2024, Canada Water Agency employees worked together to identify what they are committed to:  

• a caring culture  
• honesty  
• communications  
• clarity decisiveness 
• thinking things through 
• continuous improvement   

Raison d’être

The Canada Water Agency:

• improves federal collaboration on fresh water in Canada and develops and coordinates whole-of-government approaches for freshwater stewardship
• advances the protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems, as informed by science and Indigenous knowledges
• proactively collaborates on freshwater opportunities and challenges

This will be achieved by building relationships and working closely with partners (e.g. other federal departments and agencies, provinces, territories, and Indigenous peoples) and stakeholders (e.g. municipalities, non-governmental organizations, academia, industries, and the public)  to carry out these responsibilities.  

In Budget 2023, the Government of Canada committed to introducing legislation in 2023 to fully establish the Canada Water Agency as a stand-alone entity, outside of Environment and Climate Change Canada. This legislation was tabled on November 30, 2023 and received royal assent on June 20, 2024. It can be found here:

• Bill C-59 (44-1) - An Act to implement certain provisions of the fall economic statement tabled in Parliament on November 21, 2023 and certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 28, 2023
• Canada Water Agency Act

The Agency Headquarters are located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with regional offices across Canada. Our presence across Canada helps us better understand and respond to freshwater challenges and opportunities in each region.

What we do

The Canada Water Agency delivers on key elements of the strengthened Freshwater Action Plan to:

• improve freshwater outcomes
• restore, protect, and manage waterbodies of national significance
• improve freshwater quality

The Freshwater Action Plan builds on proven approaches to deliver regionally responsive Freshwater Ecosystem Initiatives in waterbodies of national significance:

• the Great Lakes
• Lake Winnipeg
• Lake of the Woods
• St. Lawrence River
• Wolastoq/Saint John River
• Fraser River
• Mackenzie River
• Lake Simcoe

Additionally, the Canada Water Agency:

• provides policy leadership and develops whole-of-government approaches to freshwater challenges and opportunities
• makes it easier for Canadians and decision-makers to find federal freshwater resources
• promotes federal-provincial-territorial collaboration
• supports Canada-U.S. collaboration on transboundary waters
• provides opportunities and funding to support Indigenous inclusion and participation in freshwater activities
• leverages freshwater science and data to improve policy and program outcomes
• reports regularly on the state of freshwater quality, quantity, availability and use in Canada
• supports the development of the National Freshwater Data Strategy in collaboration with key partners and stakeholders, which will provide guidance for the management of freshwater data and ultimately enable decision-makers to better use data for timely and effective decision making.

The Canada Water Agency is leading preparations for a review of the Canada Water Act to reflect Canada’s freshwater reality, including climate change and the rights of Indigenous peoples. It also supports the implementation of important initiatives such as the National Adaptation Strategy

Contact us

For inquiries, email us at: water-eau@cwa-aec.gc.ca

Related links

• Organizational structure