Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about the transboundary water protections in the NWT, specifically in regard to the large area encompassing the Mackenzie River watershed. The Mackenzie River watershed is one of the largest river basins in North America. It spans across six provinces and territories; contains tens of thousands of lakes, rivers, and deltas; and covers nearly 20 percent of our country. This watershed is the world's most pristine freshwater ecosystem.
Mr. Speaker, given the rich biodiversity inhabiting this region, it's paramount that the ecological integrity remains intact. Thankfully, that sentiment is mutual across all affected jurisdictions, as evidenced by the creation of the interjurisdictional transboundary water agreement between the governments of Canada, the NWT, Yukon, Alberta, BC, and Saskatchewan. Following inception of the master agreement, there was a creation of the Mackenzie River Basin Board, along with the various bilateral agreements signed between these six jurisdictions.
Admittedly, Mr. Speaker, these actions are indeed positive steps in the right direction. However, I believe they have not gone far enough to effectively safeguard this watershed. For example, despite better interjurisdictional coordination and collaboration from these agreements, the basin continues to experience pressures from a number of threats.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight some functional weaknesses pertaining to the basin board. For example, due to a lack of baseline data in the Mackenzie River basin, there are limitations in the board's ability to track long-term changes in environmental conditions. Moreover, the board has been operating on a yearly budget of $280,000, which has not increased since 1997. This funding's limitation has resulted in delays in annual reports and original research being short-handed. The board has few or no procedures on dispute resolution.
Mr. Speaker, it is clear that this transboundary agreement is lacking and is in need of serious updates. I credit the GNWT above all other jurisdictions because of its willingness to partner with Indigenous governments in land management of the Mackenzie River basin. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted