Freshwater Initiative

Principles, Objectives and Goals

One purpose of this work is to elaborate the framework and guiding principles for DFO in fresh waters.

Three DFO initiatives are relevant for this purpose:

• DFO Vision
• DFO Sustainable Development Strategy
• DFO Ocean Management Strategy.

There is also a major federal government-wide initiative, currently in public consultation, which will provide overall objectives, principles and strategies for the federal government in fresh waters:

• The Federal Freshwater Strategy

Environment Canada is preparing the Federal Freshwater Strategy, as the lead federal co-ordinating agency in fresh waters. DFO is supportive and is participating in the development of the strategy.

DFO Vision

The department has developed a new vision:

• Safe, healthy, productive waters and aquatic ecosystems, for the benefit of present and future generations, by maintaining the highest possible standards of:
  • Service to Canadians
  • Marine Safety And Environmental Protection
  • Scientific Excellence
  • Conservation and Sustainable Resource Use

In pursuit of this vision, the department is committed to the following five long-term goals:

• Managing and protecting fisheries resources. Conservation is the priority. The goal is to conserve Canada's fisheries resources to ensure that they are used sustainably in a self-reliant fishery. In pursuit of this goal in fresh waters, the important roles of the provinces and territories must be recognized. Fisheries management must also be conducted in a manner consistent with Aboriginal and treaty rights. Effective regulatory enforcement and management of harvesting capacity are essential to the long-term objective of sustainable conservation. As well, it is essential that effective international arrangements be in place that will safeguard resources under international treaties.
• Protecting the marine and freshwater environment. The department's goal is to protect marine and freshwater environments and, thus, to support sustainable fisheries. To achieve this goal, DFO must take an approach that includes working with provinces and territories to manage and protect freshwater fish habitat, and to reduce the effect of pollution on marine ecosystems.
• Understanding the oceans and aquatic resources. The department's goal is to improve, apply and communicate to all Canadians knowledge about Canada's oceans and its marine and freshwater fisheries resources. This knowledge will support the activities of clients, partners and DFO's operational branches.
• Maintaining marine safety. The department's goal is to continually improve safety in Canada's waterways by reducing the number and severity of collisions and groundings, helping people in distress and in danger, and preventing loss of life and damage to property.
• Facilitating maritime commerce and ocean development. The department's goal is to provide the policy, regulatory framework and operational services that support commercially sustainable maritime industries. DFO also provides the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade with scientific and technical support.

Sustainable Development - A Framework for Action

The department tabled its sustainable development strategy, Sustainable Development - A Framework for Action, in December 1997, providing the goals, objectives, and outputs that will be used to manage this agenda.

The Framework for Action is guided by the following principles:

• integrated approach
• continuous improvement
• shared stewardship
• ecosystem approach
• precautionary approach
• pollution prevention

For DFO, these principles are reflected in the business lines and its daily activities. Consequently, the sustainable development goals identified in the Framework for Action closely follow and support the goals of the overall DFO business agenda.

The Framework identifies clear goals that address the social, economic, and environmental challenges involved in implementing the department's initial sustainable development strategy.

In this context, six goals set the foundation for DFO's sustainable development strategy, divided into two groups. The first two goals are related to DFO's physical operations and internal decision-making, while the remaining four goals are related to DFO business lines:

• Goal 1- Greening our operational activities - Integrating sustainable development principles into daily operational activities.
• Goal 2 - Making green-smart decisions - Integrating sustainable development objectives and outputs into daily decision-making activities.
• Goal 3 - Understanding our oceans and aquatic ecosystems - Acquiring, applying and communicating knowledge on Canada's oceans, and freshwater resources.
• Goal 4 - Managing and protecting our fisheries resources and maritime environment resources - Managing, protecting and allocating living aquatic resources that support self-reliant fisheries; and achieving an integrated, coherent approach to the protection of the marine environment and freshwater fish habitat.
• Goal 5 - Maintaining maritime safety - Improving safety in the marine and freshwater environment; and responding to marine environmental protection requirements.
• Goal 6 - Facilitating maritime trade, commerce and ocean development - Supporting maritime industries while expanding maritime trade, including trade in fish and fish products, in a sustainable manner.

Oceans Agenda

With the coming into force in 1997 of the Oceans Act, the responsibility to lead the development and implementation of Canada's Oceans Strategy rests with the Minister and the Department. This is a formidable challenge. An oceans strategy is needed to replace the current fragmented approach to ocean governance with a co-ordinated framework to improve understanding of and protect the integrity of the ocean ecosystem, to optimize the potential of the oceans, and to engage the public in the sustainable use of coastal resources.

The Oceans Strategy will set the stage for many oceans activities involving not only DFO, but also other federal institutions involved with the oceans. Oceans activities and their management must be premised on co-operation among stakeholders and governments. The discussion document Toward Canada's Oceans Strategy proposes the principles of:

• sustainable development;
• integrated management of activities in estuarine, coastal and marine waters, and;
• the precautionary approach.

Federal Freshwater Strategy

Environment Canada (DOE), the lead federal co-ordinating agency in fresh waters, has embarked upon the development of a Federal Freshwater Strategy. The Strategy is being prepared with the collaboration of central agencies and 11 federal departments, including DFO, with responsibilities related to fresh water. The July 1998 discussion document "Towards a Federal Freshwater Strategy" identifies two priority topics of fundamental interest to DFO - fish habitat management and the Navigable Waters Protection Act.

The DOE discussion document on the Strategy proposes the following national objective, based on a vision of sustainable water management, which would be a shared responsibility of all orders of government, the private sector, communities, and individual Canadians:

"To ensure clean, productive, and secure freshwater resources and ecosystems, providing social, economic, and environmental benefits for present and future generations of Canadians."

This objective would be supported by three goals of sustainable use, clean and healthy ecosystems, and security and optimal benefits. The discussion document also proposes a number of principles that should guide the collective efforts of the federal government towards these goals. These include:

• recognizing the real value of water
• shared responsibility
• partnership approach
• ecosystem approach
• precautionary approach
• beneficiary and polluter pays

Five strategies are proposed as the means for the Government of Canada to contribute to the attainment of the national freshwater goals. These strategies reflect the core role and responsibilities of the federal government, and the new realities of governance. They build on the original strategies set out in the 1987 Federal Water Policy. Specifically, the discussion document proposes:

• Partnership with the Provinces and Territories - Constitutionally, fresh water is a shared responsibility, and Canadians are looking at all levels of government to work together to conserve and protect our freshwater resources. While considerable progress has been made in strengthening the inter-governmental partnership, there is a need to ensure that all levels are working towards a common result, making use of its collective but increasingly scarce resources towards that end.
• Science and Technology - The federal government will focus its science on national priorities such as the effect of toxic chemicals and climate change on aquatic systems as well as statutory obligations including support for international treaties and agreements, fisheries, migratory waterfowl, and navigation.
• Public Participation and Community Action - Sustainable water management is beyond the ability of any single order of government. It must be built on a foundation of community commitment and action with individuals, industry, non-governmental organizations and governments working together. The government will continue to work with communities to identify new and innovative approaches to governance that provide an effective role for all community interests.
• Legislation and Regulation - The federal government will work with its provincial and territorial partners to ensure that the legislative and regulatory regime for water management in Canada is effective and efficient.
• Market Instruments - The federal government continues to support the implementation of economic instruments to promote sustainable water use. Examples include user charges or fees, full cost pricing, and tradable permits.

The preceding goals and strategies are meant to engage Canadians and their governments in a dialogue on federal freshwater policy for Canada. It is the beginning of a process to update the current policy to reflect the evolution of freshwater issues and to ensure Canada's readiness for the challenges of the new millennium.

Freshwater Initiative: Principles, Objectives and Goals

DFO freshwater activities adhere to and advance the vision and long term goals as stated in the departmental planning framework.

The principle of shared stewardship is a cornerstone to the achievement of DFO's objectives in fresh waters. Partnerships with provinces and territories, other federal agencies and with other groups are essential. They are especially important where provinces, territories and other federal departments have formal delegated arrangements for the management and protection of freshwater resources. Co-operation and collaboration are important tools in achieving freshwater goals: to be effective, they do require agreed upon standards.

The principles of the DFO sustainable development strategy are reflected in the daily activities of the organization. It is also appropriate that DFO freshwater activities build on the sustainable development principles of: shared stewardship, integrated management, an ecosystems approach, continuous improvement, the precautionary approach, and pollution prevention.

Consistency with Toward Canada's Oceans Strategy principles of sustainable development, integrated management and the precautionary approach is perhaps less obvious. However, this consistency is important for the integration of approaches for fresh and marine waters e.g. the integrated resource management of anadromous species.

The objective, principles and strategies outlined in the discussion document Towards a Federal Freshwater Strategy have been prepared for all federal activities in fresh waters. This work complements the Federal Freshwater Strategy: accordingly, the national principles, goals and strategies are relevant.

Of particular relevance are the principles of partnership approaches, shared responsibility, the ecosystem approach and the precautionary principle. Also relevant are the national strategies for partnership with provinces and territories, science and technology, public participation and community action, legislation, and regulation and market instruments.