13. Coordinating Water Policies: Necessary, But Not Sufficient

Responsibility for water is divided between the federal, provincial and territorial governments in Canada, and each government has pursued its own path. The resulting water policy landscape is highly fragmented. Issues exist that may warrant regional or national policy coordination. Examples relate to climate change adaptation, water exports and ecosystem protection, to name a few. Previous efforts to coordinate water policy in Canada have largely resulted in failure. This appears to leave Canada in a trailing position relative to numerous countries around the world that have pursued a more coordinated approach to water policy. Paradoxically, however, the failure of previous water policy coordination efforts creates an opportunity. A strong national policy that compartmentalizes water and isolates it from related social, environmental and economic concerns may be counterproductive in an increasingly inter-connected world where water has become material to a host of new actors. In this chapter, I argue that the most viable way to establish a more coordinated, strategic approach to water policy in Canada may be to shift attention to the ways in which water matters to other actors and sectors whose support is needed to achieve water policy objectives.