Answer
Hi Madison,
Thank you SO much for your activism around Lake Winnipeg and our NEED to address your concerns.
As a Green, and as part of your Lake WPG Monitoring Network I will work to:
-renew the Lake Winnipeg Basin Program in Budget 2022.
-commit to using LWCBMN data to target federal dollars to phosphorus hotspots.
– establish and fund an Indigenous-led task force to ensure meaningful inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge in all future reporting and public policy processes for Lake Winnipeg.
Protecting Lake WPG and all our watersheds is a primary focus for me and has been for many years in my work with Hog Watch MB starting in the 90’s examining the role industrial hog production plays in eutrophication of our waterways.
You have my support for these important initiatives. Do I have yours?
Think Green, Vote Janine!
Kind regards,
Janine
Question
Dear Janine Gibson,
Thank you for your willingness to serve Canada and the interests of its citizens as a member of Parliament.
The Lake Winnipeg Foundation (LWF) is an environmental charity that advocates for change and coordinates action to improve the health of Lake Winnipeg.
The Lake Winnipeg Indigenous Collective (LWIC) brings together First Nations from around the lake to seek healthy and equitable solutions for our waters and our people from the diverse communities who have a relationship with our sacred great lake.
Together, LWF and LWIC have released a plan for federal action to improve the health of Lake Winnipeg: Five Things the Federal Government Must Do for Lake Winnipeg.
LWF and LWIC members want to know what immediate actions federal parties and candidates will take to achieve measurable results for Lake Winnipeg. Please respond to the following three questions by Thursday, Sept. 9.
We’ll be sharing your responses online so that voters throughout Manitoba and beyond can make an informed decision when they cast their ballots.
1) Since 2008, the federal government has made dedicated financial investments for Lake Winnipeg. These investments have enabled phosphorus-reduction initiatives, as well as research and monitoring to improve water quality in Lake Winnipeg. The current federal funding commitment, Phase 3 of the Lake Winnipeg Basin Program, will end in March 2022.
Will you and your party renew the Lake Winnipeg Basin Program in Budget 2022? If not, please explain why you and your party aren’t making this commitment.
2) Too often, the scale of Lake Winnipeg’s watershed serves as an excuse for inaction or as an explanation for ineffective efforts. In reality, efforts have simply lacked relevant evidence to ensure their success. The Lake Winnipeg Community-Based Monitoring Network (LWCBMN) is a collaborative, long-term monitoring program designed specifically to target phosphorus hotspots to ensure phosphorus-reduction projects funded by the federal government generate results.
Will you and your party commit to using LWCBMN data to target federal dollars to phosphorus hotspots? If not, please explain why you and your party aren’t making this commitment.
3) Indigenous peoples have, over hundreds of generations, developed Indigenous Knowledge specific to Lake Winnipeg. As with written knowledge systems, rigorous and well-maintained processes are critical to generate, verify, and share Indigenous Knowledge. Knowledge holders’ ceremonies and protocols require many years of practice and strict adherence to maintain the integrity of Indigenous Knowledge. Just as scientists require resources to gather and synthesize the data that inform policy and management, so too do knowledge holders. Yet there remains a severe lack of balance in supports provided to Indigenous systems of knowledge.
Will you and your party establish and fund an Indigenous-led task force to ensure meaningful inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge in all future reporting and public policy processes for Lake Winnipeg? If not, please explain why you and your party aren’t making this commitment.
Lake Winnipeg Foundation
Madison Yogis (she/her)
Communications Assistant