Thanks for the question.
It's a really complicated landscape. Obviously, the waters are shared. It requires a more integrated approach, and all jurisdictions are needed: federal, provincial, regional and indigenous nations and people.
There are a few examples where this is taking place. At a really large level, an example that many point to is the Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Waters Master Agreement. It's a really long title. Multiple governments have come together to determine what might happen in the Mackenzie River.
At different scales, governance can occur differently. We also see local examples in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, which is something I think Deborah Curran could also speak to really well, and probably in a more intimate manner than I can. The Cowichan Valley example is one in which indigenous nations, in addition to other jurisdictions, come together to determine the governance of that water body by making decisions together in ongoing tables.
To bring it back to the federal government, there's an opportunity here in the federal approach to water management. The federal government is the perfect jurisdiction to have a high-level overview and to bring together multiple jurisdictions as part of a federal government approach to water governance by creating the space and resources for governance tables that include all jurisdictions.
I think it's a wonderful opportunity for the government to recommend in its report that the Government of Canada bring together governance tables like this at multiple scales. I know that's complicated, because every scale would need its own bespoke approach, but bringing together governance tables that include first nations governments—provincial, territorial and regional—is an opportunity that the federal government can take in supporting water health across the country.