From droughts to defence: Canada’s water tech wake-up call
Oliver Anderson
The Hill Times, October 2025
Water security is national security. Let’s not wait for the next drought, the next border dispute, or the next global crisis to prove the point.
Picture this: It’s 2030. A Canadian naval vessel docks in a drought-stricken ally’s port, not just with humanitarian aid, but also with compact desalination units, AI-enabled sensors that detect contamination in real time, and smart irrigation systems that coax crops from arid soil.
This isn’t science fiction. Canada’s military already deploys portable reverse-osmosis water filtration systems to disaster zones that can turn fetid bogs into safe drinking water. But that’s just a taste of the future Canada can lead if we act boldly on water tech today.
To its credit, the federal government appears attuned to the shifting tides of a water-scarce world. During the last election campaign, Prime Minister Mark Carney tacitly acknowledged mounting pressures from United States President Donald Trump over shared water resources. The announcement of a National Water Security Strategy and a $100-million water security technology fund were welcome signals that Ottawa recognizes water is no longer just a resource, but a strategic asset, a defence imperative, and an economic engine.
These three dimensions—sovereignty, security, and industrial strength—give depth and clarity to this country’s renewed focus on water. Despite holding 20 per cent of the world’s freshwater, Canada has been slow to treat it as a strategic resource, vulnerable to continental competition. In 2024, the U.S. director of national intelligence classified global water scarcity as a national security risk. NATO followed suit, identifying water infrastructure as a strategic vulnerability. Canada must respond in lockstep.
The risks are real. This year, Trump cut off Tijuana’s access to the Colorado River, affecting nearly two million residents, in retaliation for Mexico’s water debt. Accusations of “water theft” and threats of further cutoffs have escalated tensions. Canada cannot be naive. A national water security framework would help us anticipate cross-border disputes, maintain control over our freshwater assets, and assert our sovereignty amid foreign pressures and environmental instability.
Water is also increasingly a driver of global conflict. Droughtdriven crop failures have fueled civil unrest in Sudan, the Middle East, and beyond. Compact water purification systems, AI-enabled monitoring, and atmospheric water extraction technologies are already being piloted by our allies. These innovations can prevent the kind of logistical nightmares that led to 12 per cent of marine casualties during the Iraq War due to vulnerable water and fuel supply lines. In these regions—and in future theatres of conflict—Canadian water tech can be a force multiplier.
Canadian firms are already stepping up. Ottawa-based BluMetric Environmental is designing portable purification units for soldiers in forward positions. Cann Forecast is using AI and machine learning to optimize water systems. These technologies can be tested on Canadian Forces bases, deployed on naval vessels, and shared with NATO allies, strengthening this country’s credibility as it ramps up defence spending toward the two-per-cent GDP target.
But we’re behind the eight ball. In the U.S., both Republicans and Democrats have acted: the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the bipartisan 2025 Energy-Water Bill have mobilized tens of billions of dollars in support for water technologies. Canada, by contrast, has no dedicated water tech incentives. Our innovators rely on narrowly-defined low-carbon investment tax credits that don’t explicitly address water security.
Thankfully, philanthropic and private investors are already moving. A recent survey of 300 senior business leaders showed near-unanimous agreement that water will be fundamental to economic security and sustainable development. The global water market is expected to nearly double over the next decade. While government support has been key to catalyzing the investments in Canada leading to our No. 2 placement on the Global Cleantech Innovation Index, we remain woefully behind in the field of water tech. Federal and provincial governments urgently need to explore philanthropic leveraging opportunities to link both water tech and watershed protection priorities.
Thankfully, Canada’s water tech sector is brimming with untapped potential. That missing bit of leadership from a National Water Security Strategy will go a long way to build a pipeline of talent. And, having just created a new federal Canada Water Agency, the federal government is ideally situated to leverage the promised $100-million water tech fund to catalyze private investment.
Water security is national security. Let’s not wait for the next drought, the next border dispute, or the next global crisis to prove the point. Let’s invest in water tech and secure our most precious resource, drop by drop.
Oliver Anderson is vice-president of communications and growth at AquaAction, a charity dedicated to building a water secure future. He previously served as the director of communications to the federal minister of environment and climate change. Soula Chronopoulos, President of AquaAction sits on the Forum for Leadership on Water.