Order Fixing October 15, 2024 as the Day on Which the Provisions of the Canada Water Agency Act and Certain Provisions of the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023 Come into Force: SI/2024-49

Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 158, Number 22

Registration
SI/2024-49 October 23, 2024

FALL ECONOMIC STATEMENT IMPLEMENTATION ACT, 2023

Order Fixing October 15, 2024 as the Day on Which the Provisions of the Canada Water Agency Act and Certain Provisions of the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023 Come into Force

P.C. 2024-1073 October 10, 2024

Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of the Environment, under section 216 of the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023, chapter 15 of the Statutes of Canada, 2024, fixes October 15, 2024 as the day on which the provisions of the Canada Water Agency Act, as enacted by section 209 of the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023, and sections 210 to 215 of that Act come into force.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order.)

Proposal

This Order in Council, made under section 216 of the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023, fixes October 15, 2024, as the day on which the provisions of the Canada Water Agency Act, as enacted by section 209 of the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023, and sections 210 to 215 of that Act come into force.

Objective

The objective of this Order in Council is to bring the Canada Water Agency Act into force and make consequential amendments to other acts.

Background

The Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023 received royal assent on June 20, 2024. Sections 209 and 210 to 215 of that Act set out the provisions of the Canada Water Agency Act and make consequential amendments to the Access to Information Act, the Financial Administration Act, the Privacy Act and the Public Service Superannuation Act. These sections come into force on a day(s) to be fixed by order of the Governor in Council.

The Government of Canada has committed to establishing a Canada Water Agency. Budgets 2022 and 2023 provided funding for a Canada Water Agency, and Budget 2023 committed to introducing legislation to establish the Canada Water Agency as a standalone entity.

The Canada Water Agency was initially created in June 2023 as a branch within the Department of the Environment. The Canada Water Agency’s mandate is to improve freshwater management in Canada by providing leadership; contributing to effective collaboration federally; improving coordination and collaboration with provinces, territories and Indigenous Peoples to proactively address national and regional transboundary freshwater challenges and opportunities.

The Canada Water Agency is advancing a review of the Canada Water Act to reflect Canada’s freshwater reality. It is also responsible for key elements of the strengthened Freshwater Action Plan, which delivers regionally responsive initiatives in the Great Lakes, Lake Winnipeg, Lake of the Woods, the St. Lawrence River, the Fraser River, the Wolastoq/Saint John River, the Mackenzie River, and Lake Simcoe.

Implications

Once the Canada Water Agency Act comes into force, the Canada Water Agency Branch will no longer exist within the Department of the Environment. The role of the Canada Water Agency under the Act is to assist the Minister of the Environment in exercising or performing the Minister’s powers, duties, and functions in relation to fresh water under any Act of Parliament, including the Department of the Environment Act and the Canada Water Act. The mandate of the Agency remains the same as when it was a branch within the Department of the Environment.

The Canada Water Agency is listed under Schedule I.1 and Schedule IV of the Financial Administration Act, making it part of the core public service and subject to applicable laws, policies and directives.

Both the Canada Water Agency and the Department of the Environment have a mandate to support the Minister of the Environment in relation to fresh water. The Canada Water Agency will work closely with the Department of the Environment to ensure ongoing collaboration and coordination in areas of shared interest.

Consultation

Between 2020 and 2023, the Department of the Environment led comprehensive public, stakeholder and partner engagement on freshwater priorities and the creation of the Canada Water Agency. This included engagement with

• more than 2 700 Canadians via national and regional workshops, surveys and submissions.
• representatives or advocates for over 750 Indigenous communities — including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis — throughout Canada.
• all provinces and territories.

Contact

Laura Cervoni
Acting Director
Freshwater Policy
Canada Water Agency
Department of the Environment
Telephone: 819‑743‑4087
Email: Laura.Cervoni@ec.gc.ca