Canada Water Agency Act Comes into Force

Summary#

This Order (SI/2024-49) sets October 15, 2024 as the day the Canada Water Agency Act (as included in the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023) and certain related sections come into force. In practice, it moves the Canada Water Agency out of the Department of the Environment and makes it a standalone federal agency with its existing freshwater mandate.

What it does#

• Fixes October 15, 2024 as the day the Canada Water Agency Act and sections 210–215 of the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023 come into force.
• Changes the Canada Water Agency’s legal status so it is no longer a branch inside the Department of the Environment.
• Lists the agency under Schedule I.1 and Schedule IV of the Financial Administration Act, making it part of the core public service.
• Gives the Agency a formal role to assist the Minister of the Environment on federal freshwater matters.
• Implements consequential amendments to the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act, the Financial Administration Act, and the Public Service Superannuation Act (as noted in the Order).
• Keeps the Agency’s mandate the same: improving freshwater management and coordinating with provinces, territories and Indigenous Peoples, and carrying forward regional freshwater initiatives.

Who's affected#

• Employees and programs of the Canada Water Agency and the Department of the Environment (because the Agency is changing from a branch to a separate agency).
• Federal public service rules and payroll/benefit arrangements for staff moved to the Agency (because of the Financial Administration Act and superannuation changes).
• Provinces and territories, Indigenous communities, and organizations that work with the federal government on freshwater issues.
• Communities and stakeholders involved in freshwater projects and regional initiatives (for example work on the Great Lakes, Lake Winnipeg, the St. Lawrence, the Fraser River, the Mackenzie and others).

Why it matters#

• The change creates a clearer, standalone federal body focused on freshwater. That could lead to more focused coordination across government, with provinces, territories and Indigenous groups.
• It affects how the federal government organizes and manages freshwater programs and staff. That can change how projects are run, how decisions are coordinated, and who to contact for federal freshwater work.
• The government previously funded the Agency in Budget 2022 and Budget 2023, and the Order completes the legal step needed to make the Agency a separate entity starting on October 15, 2024.