IJC Updates Parliamentarians at Canadian Great Lakes Day on the Hill

Canadian federal elected officials and Great Lakes proponents on Parliament Hill were brought together on May 6 for the 2024 Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Day, organized by the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Taskforce. IJC Canadian Chair Merrell-Ann Phare and newly appointed US Commissioner Robert Gioia participated in Ottawa, Ontario.

The IJC joined with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Great Lakes Commission and several Canadian organizations for the event. The IJC updated Canadian members of Parliament and senators on work under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement to help Canadian and United States governments restore, protect and enhance the health of the Great Lakes. 

Event organizers presented several members of Parliament and senators with awards to recognize their commitment to protecting the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River at an evening reception, followed by a performance of “We Are Water” by students from Welland Centennial Secondary School.
 

From left to right: IJC Canadian Chair Merrell-Ann Phare, MP Terry Duguid, United States Commissioner Robert Gioia and Acting Assistant Deputy Minister for the Canada Water Agency Daniel Wolfish. Credit: Jerome Marty

Earlier in the day, the IJC and other attendees participated in two briefing sessions with Parliament, senators and staff for in-depth discussions about priorities for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin.

The IJC highlighted its work under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, including recommendations to Canadian and United States’ federal governments from the 2023 Triennial Assessment of Progress report, and collaborative work toward the development of a Great Lakes Science Plan.

The IJC regularly works to inform elected officials from around the Great Lakes basin. Examples include the 2024 Great Lakes Day in Washington, D.C., in March and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Cities Initiative Annual General Meeting in Montreal from May 15-17, among other events later this year. Informing key decision makers on both sides of the border about work on Great Lakes water quality continues to be an important part of fulfilling the IJC’s mandate to promote transboundary cooperation over our precious shared waters.