Closed-door talks about our water worry NDP

NEWS RELEASE

TONY MARTIN, MP

************************* Tony Martin, NDP: Stop bulk water exports

SPP integration deal risks Canadian sovereignty and vital fresh water resources

SAULT STE. MARIE - Tony Martin and his NDP caucus are calling for a full parliamentary debate on the issue of the security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), concerned that Canada stands to lose millions of litres of fresh water as a result of bulk water exports.

The export of Canada’s fresh water is at risk if the Conservative government enacts proposals being discussed this week in a closed-door meeting in Calgary.

“This so-called deep integration with the United States concerns many Canadians,” Martin said. “We are calling on the Canadian government to pull out of these talks. Why would our government be looking for ways to ship our fresh water resources in bulk to the United States?”

The Council of Canadians has released a leaked memo that showed high level secret-talks would begin this week in Calgary between government and business leaders to discuss “water consumption, water transfers and artificial diversions of bulk water” with the aim of achieving “joint optimum utilization of the available water.”

“Water is our most precious resource,” said NDP Natural Resources Critic Catherine Bell. “We shouldn’t be looking to sell it off to the lowest bidder.”

The North American Future 2025 Project, an initiative being led by the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Conference Board of Canada and the Mexican Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, calls for a series of “closed-door meetings” on North American integration with government officials dealing with a number of highly contentious issues including bulk water exports, a joint security perimeter, and a continental resource pact.

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