Council of Canadians condemns Harper's
sponsorship of water privatization conference
by Council of Canadians
The Council of Canadians is condemning the Harper
government for its sponsorship of an international conference of water
corporations that are seeking to privatize the resource.
The organization and representatives of Quebec-based allies unfurled
an 8-metre long blue banner with the message "Public Water is a
Human Right" at the front doors of the Palais des Congrès,
where the World Water Congress is taking place. Delegates to the
Congress were invited to sign the banner.
"It is shameful that Environment
Canada is co-sponsoring the World Water Congress," says Council
of Canadians Director of Campaigns and Communications Brent Patterson.
"The World Water Congress is a conference of large, unaccountable
water corporations like Suez Environnement and Veolia Water, as well
as the Oil Sands Developers Group. The focus of their meeting in
Montreal this week is on how to profit from water scarcity and private
water services."
"This sponsorship calls into question
Prime Minister Harper's sincerity about protecting water," says
Council of Canadians National Water Campaigner Meera Karunananthan.
"The government should come clean about the amount of money it is
giving the World Water Congress."
"The federal government also currently
compels municipalities to explore P3s under the Building Canada Fund,"
notes Council of Canadians Ontario/Quebec Regional Organizer Mark
Calzavara. "Harper should stop trying to force communities to
'partner' with corporations. Instead, the federal government should
create a national water infrastructure fund and ensure clean water is
delivered as a public service."
"The Prime Minister and the privateers
at the World Water Congress would like to be able to sell water for
profit to the highest bidder, but public water is a human right,"
adds Karunananthan. "The Harper government still seems oblivious
to the realities of increasing water scarcity and climate change. It's
clear most Canadians and Quebeckers support the right to water, so the
question is why doesn't Harper?"
