Green Daily

Every since the War of 1812 - which, as all of us Canadians learn in school, we won - those of us living in the Great White North have been suspicious of American designs on our vast quantities of often frozen but still valuable natural resources.

Now, as much of the southern and western US experiences serious drought, some people are wondering if our southern neighbours might be casting covetous eyes on all those crystal-clear lakes and rivers. To forestall that possibility, an opposition Member of Parliament has tabled a bill designed to "guarantee Canada's freshwater sovereignty in a world of growing water scarcity that increases the threat of future water exports."

The bill would essentially forbid the selling of Canadian fresh water, and is a political statement that won't be passed. However, it does reflect growing uncertainty not just in Canada but around the world about future shortages of clean, fresh water.

The United States ranked last out of 29 countries in an OECD survey of per capital water use, with Canada coming in a close second.