ENGOs frustrations with GLWQA process submitted

 

Sierra Club Ontario along with 41 groups, jointly submitted its “Comments and Recommendations In Response to Canadian and U.S. Negotiators Final Consultation On the Renegotiation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.” The GLWQA has not been renegotiated since 1987; issues such as Climate Change, Invasive Species, Pharmaceuticals, etc. must now be added to a revised Agreement. 

Unfortunately, citizen and ENGO engagement was lacking, with little opportunity for groups to comment on proposed Agreement language, and very little time allotted for final comments.

The submission by the 41 groups outlines key areas of the proposed renegotiated Agreement (based on the little information provided by the Parties).

Some key points are:

1. Overall lack transparency and clarity of the outcome - what can be expected? by whom? and when?.

2. Accountability and meaningful benchmarks by which success can be measured is missing.

3. New Annexes are welcome, but there are concerns on strength of language, implementation and accountable parties which undermine their effectiveness.

4. No lessons learned on Remedial Action Plans - same approach regardless of little success.

5. Continued relinquished powers to the International Joint Commission (IJC) as a mediating force between the Parties, ensuring the Agreement is carried out according to its intent and spirit. 

To view the submission, click here.

To read about ENGO frustrations with this issue, see Great Lakes United's blog post by Jane Elder at , “When Bad Process Happens to Good Issues”

For more information on the GLWQA renegotiation click here.