In late May 2026, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development released Sustaining Canada’s Freshwater for Today and Tomorrow, a wide-ranging report on the future of freshwater management and protection in Canada.
Following the testimony delivered by President Soula Chronopoulos to the parliamentary committee, AquaAction was delighted to see 8 recommendations for the Government directly reflecting her advice on how to accelerate a water technology ecosystem.
The report represents a seminal work for the Government of Canada and comes at an essential time.
As freshwater systems face growing pressure from climate change, aging infrastructure, pollution, floods, droughts, groundwater depletion, and wastewater challenges, the water crisis demands federal action.
The report does a 360 tour of issues affecting effective federal governance, resulting in 88 recommendations for the federal government to follow.
In the context of an upcoming national water security strategy, the recommendations serve as guideposts that the federal government can take for healthy water in Canada.
While Canada has made important investments in the clean economy, preparing for a low-emission economy is not enough if Canada is not also preparing for a water-constrained economy. Without focused support for water technologies, the country risks losing the start-ups, intellectual property, jobs, and solutions needed to respond to it.
In a dedicated section addressing Canada’s water technology sector, the report asks: what if Canada already has many of the ideas needed to protect freshwater, but has not yet built the right conditions for those ideas to scale?
Chronopoulos’ testimony directly led to recommendations 68 to 74 that bring attention to an often under-recognized part of freshwater protection: the need to support the people and organizations turning water challenges into deployable solutions.
That recognition is key to position Canada’s water technology sector as part of freshwater security, economic development, and national competitiveness.
In this context, the recommendations speak to the operating conditions that determine whether Canadian water technologies can be tested, adopted, and scaled. They also recognize the role of accelerators and enablers, including AquaAction, in helping innovators navigate from idea to market.
“Ten years from now, I want Canadian technology in watersheds on every continent. I want the world to look to Canada not just for our water, but for what we did with it,” says Soula Chronopoulos.
Together, these recommendations describe a clearer path for Canada’s water technology sector. They fall under four priorities: developing and testing water technologies, moving solutions from idea to adoption, strengthening Canada’s competitiveness, and coordinating freshwater with innovation policy.
The Committee’s Recommendations 68 to 74 state:
Recommendation 68
That the National Research Council explore establishing research and development facilities specifically focused on the development and testing of water technology products and services.
Recommendation 69
That the Government of Canada better support the commercialization of clean technology to monitor and improve water quality.
Recommendation 70
That the Government of Canada provide more direct support to water technology accelerators, including matching funds for provincial investments in water start-ups, and in the form of grants and low-interest repayable loans, to water technology enablers and accelerators such as AquaAction, McGill’s Dobson Center for Entrepreneurship, Ontario’s MaRS Discovery District, and ForeSight.
Recommendation 71
That the Government of Canada work with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to expand the scope of the Green Municipal Fund to include funding for water technology pilot projects at the municipal level.
Recommendation 72
That the Government of Canada extend the new Clean Technology Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit to encourage water technology investment, as was done by the United States Department of Commerce.
Recommendation 73
That Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada compile a comprehensive inventory of United States federal and state government programs available to support that country’s water technology sector, including grants, low-cost repayable loans, tax credits, and “buy American” policies, in order to assess Canada’s relative competitiveness.
Recommendation 74
That the Government of Canada ensure coordination between Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s clean technology programs and the Canada Water Agency’s efforts in freshwater protection.
For AquaAction and Soula Chronopoulos, contributing to these recommendations marks an important moment of national recognition. More importantly, it helps advance a larger objective: ensuring that Canadian water technology can play a meaningful role in protecting freshwater today and tomorrow.
Click here for the full report.