WWF brings one of the world's leading water experts to Parliament Hill

On November 16th, WWF-Canada and the All Party International Conservation Caucus of Canada will be hosting a discussion and reception on Parliament Hill, to talk about the growing concern over the state of the planet’s freshwater resources and ecosystems. Some of Canada’s top water scientists and policy experts will be attending, and helping to answer some tough questions from Members of Parliament, Senators, and key government officials on what government, industry, individuals, and groups like WWF will need to do to address mounting water crises across Canada and around the world.

© Greg Stott
The event will include short addresses from a number of speakers including Dr. Keith Martin, MP for the Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca riding and chair of the All Party International Conservation Caucus; Gerald Butts, President and CEO of WWF-Canada; Shari Austin, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship with RBC, and hey, I may even hop up on stage and say a few words myself!
Of course, the highlight of the evening will be Sandra Postel’s keynote address. Sandra is one of water world’s most respected authorities. Her books – Pillar of Sand: Can the Irrigation Miracle Last? and Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity – are must-reads. Her latest book, Rivers for Life: Managing Water for People and Nature, was co-authoured with my pal Brain Richter of The Nature Conservancy and has had a huge influence on my work, on our freshwater program here at WWF-Canada, and on water science and policy globally.
In her “spare” time, Sandra is the Director of the Global Water Policy Project, and was recently named the First Freshwater Fellow for the National Geographic Society. At the reception, Sandra will bring her global perspective on the world’s water crisis to bear on Canada’s freshwater future, providing insights into the challenges and opportunities we face as a nation in an increasingly thirsty and warming world.
To hear about some of Sandra’s water work, check out her RBC Blue Water Project video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axrhP42Jikc
Here she discusses the growing concern over dropping water levels in the largest reservoir in the United States, Lake Mead. The decline in water levels in Lake Mead should serve as a wake-up call to all of us, a reminder that the world’s fresh water is finite, and that only through dramatic improvements in water stewardship will we be able to navigate our way to a sustainable water future.
We’re hoping that the Parliament Hill event will be the first of many discussions that WWF will facilitate between government and key water experts over the coming years, so that we can work together to help shape a new era of water policy in Canada with a shared goal of protecting and restoring our freshwater resources and ecosystems. Look for blog update from us next week, where we’ll share our post-event thoughts and photos and video clips from the event.
If you would like to know more information about the event, please contact Emily Giles, Freshwater Program Coordinator, at egiles@wwfcanada.org.