This enactment amends the Department of Health Act to require the Minister of Health to identify any foreign government or international agency that, in the Minister’s opinion, has standards or guidelines respecting the quality of drinking water that should be compared to those that are being developed in Canada. Every fiscal year, the Minister shall publish the results of the comparison of various aspects of those standards or guidelines.‍

Preamble

Whereas it is essential that drinking water in Canada be of the highest quality;

Whereas the Government of Canada recognizes that national guidelines respecting drinking water are required to ensure such quality;

Whereas the main responsibility of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water is to protect the quality of drinking water in Canada, including by developing and maintaining national guidelines;

And whereas the Minister of Health acknowledges the need for the national guidelines to be in keeping with the highest international standards respecting drinking water;

Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

Foreign government or international agency

5.‍1 (1) The Minister shall identify any foreign government or international agency that, in the Minister’s opinion, has standards or guidelines respecting the quality of drinking water that should be compared to the guidelines respecting the quality of drinking water that are being developed in Canada.

Ministerial review and comparison

(2) The Minister shall review the standards or guidelines respecting the quality of drinking water established by any foreign government or international agency iden­tified under subsection (1) to determine which aspects of those standards or guidelines shall be compared to the guidelines respecting the quality of drinking water that are being developed in Canada. The Minister shall then perform the appropriate comparison.

Publication

(3) The Minister shall, during each fiscal year after the fiscal year in which this section comes into force, publish the results of the comparison.