The Politics of Water Policy Development in Canada

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to take stock of Canada’s water policy processes and to identify some general trends in Canadian water policy-making. To this end, it argues that water policy development in Canada has a pluralist character involving multiple organized interests, but is typically dominated by established, region-specific water user groups. The dominance of user groups is largely the product of economic, historical, and institutional factors which have given water users considerable political power and influence over Canada’s water policy decision-makers. The other organized interests typically involved in water policy development – environmentalists and First Nations – have increasingly challenged and opposed the water user groups by using the courts, cultivating favourable public opinion, and using science-based arguments to promote their causes. Though environmentalists and First Nations have achieved some notable policy successes, the preponderance of power still lies with the water user groups. These arguments are explored by comparing water policy development in two distinctive Canadian regions: the southern Prairies where irrigation is the dominant water use and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence where hydro-electric generation, shipping, industrial, and other water uses must be balanced.