Thank you very much, Chair. It's great to be here.

I'm joined by James Mack, the ADM for water, land and resource stewardship.

Good afternoon. I'd like to acknowledge that I'm on the territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin nation. I'm Fin Donnelly, B.C.'s first Parliamentary Secretary for Watershed Restoration with the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, and I'm the MLA for Coquitlam-Burke Mountain.

Thank you for the opportunity to address the committee as a representative of British Columbia and to discuss a matter that lies at the heart of my life's work: fresh water and the protection, restoration and stewardship of watersheds.

Growing up on the banks of B.C.'s longest river, the mighty Fraser, I developed an intrinsic connection to its waters. It led me to swimming the 1,400-kilometre length of the river twice, first in 1995 and again in 2000, before my political life, to draw attention to its declining health and to encourage communities to better steward the river. The experience not only strengthened my resolve to safeguard our waterways, but it inspired me to found the Rivershed Society of B.C. in 1996, with a focus on the importance of water to British Columbians.

My work led me to politics, first in local government, then as a member of Parliament and now as an MLA in British Columbia. It's become apparent that British Columbians share my view that clean, fresh, abundant water is critical for our province's success. Healthy watersheds are foundational to the social, environmental and economic systems supporting B.C. Water powers our economy and is critical in supporting our food, fish and drinking water.

B.C.'s watershed sector contributes over $5 billion to the province's GDP and supports 75,000 jobs. Watersheds play an essential role in constructing homes needed to support jobs and workers. Access to water sources determines where our communities can flourish and thrive. All animals, especially wild salmon, rely on clean, cold, abundant fresh water to survive.

Water is one of our greatest allies in the face of climate change. Healthy watersheds function as resilient buffers that reduce and even prevent the impacts and costs related to floods, droughts and wildfires. The severity of last summer's droughts and wildfires in B.C., and the potential for drought and wildfire this summer demonstrate the need for early investment in watershed resiliency, restoration, rebuilding and infrastructure initiatives.

That's why B.C. has taken action to codevelop its first-ever watershed security strategy with first nations and establish a $100-million watershed security fund to support work needed to improve outcomes for our watersheds. Codevelopment of the strategy has occurred predominantly through the B.C.-First Nations Water Table, but ongoing relationships have been made with first nations leadership, modern-day treaty nations and existing government-to-government tables.

As seen through B.C. and Canada's joint efforts on the cofunded B.C. salmon restoration and innovation fund, B.C. and the Government of Canada both recognize the importance of keeping watersheds healthy for people, local economies and ecosystems.

Since 2019, our governments have provided $285 million in support of projects to protect wild salmon. We have made important progress together, but without continued efforts to improve watershed security, our watersheds are at risk from drought, floods, fires, climate change, urban development and industrial uses. B.C.'s watershed security strategy is responsive to these pressures and will shape the future of watersheds and watershed management, but more support for this work is needed to achieve our shared goals.

The current $100-million watershed security fund must grow to meet the scale of water challenges facing British Columbia. Current estimates suggest that a minimum of $1 billion is required to support strategic investments in infrastructure, recovery and watershed resilience. Federal funding is needed to support the investment work and work already being led by the province and first nations. A commitment of a federal contribution over 10 years is another opportunity for Canada and B.C. to work together through the watershed security strategy to support sustained, strategic, transformational action in B.C.

In closing, I ask that this committee recommend that the federal government join British Columbia in investing in initiatives like the watershed security strategy and fund, to lay the groundwork for a more resilient and prosperous future.

Thank you again for inviting me here on this important study.