Following extensive consultation over the past two years with member groups, Great Lakes United has developed a preliminary position on the review and revision of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. This document was released publicly, and sixty-five groups from across the Great Lakes region signed on and endorsing the recommendations put forth. The full document can be found here.

This position does contain all the details for revisions to the Agreement. Over the next year we will work with our members and develop these further.

Highlights

1. 1. We support opening up the GLWQA to revitalize it, provided the governments make a commitment not to weaken provisions currently in the Agreement.

2. The governments should commit to full public involvement in any significant decisions regarding changes to the GLWQA.

3. As part of the review, the governments should ensure that a neutral, professional, detailed assessment of progress and performance under the Agreement is carried out before decisions are made on how to proceed with revitalization of the Agreement.

4. Regarding the scope of the GLWQA, we recommend that the governments adopt the recommendation of the IJC: “The Agreement’s focus should remain on water quality, but take account of a broader array of stressors that impact on it.

5. The GLWQA should be revised to include the entire St. Lawrence River.

6. New principles and approaches should be added to or expanded in the Agreement.

   • New science provisions should be added to the GLWQA.
   • A strong public role should be embedded in the Agreement.
   • The GLWQA should recognize and define the role of the Tribes, First Nations and Metis in Agreement activities.

7. The GLWQA should define the role of the provinces, states, and local governments in Agreement activities.

8. Commitments in the GLWQA should be written in a way that leads to implementation by fostering enforceability and accountability.

9. Provisions for periodic independent audits of progress generated by the Agreement should be strengthened, and government responses to those audits should be made more specific.

10. The governments should demonstrate their commitment to a revitalized GLWQA by having the Agreement approved and signed by the appropriate government officials (the prime minister and president at a minimum) and the appropriate aboriginal representatives and by making financial commitments adequate to achieve the goals of the Agreement.

Click here to read the full document.