Canada’s many lakes and rivers are an important source of , , and .

With over two million lakes and rivers and 20 per cent of the world’s freshwater, Canada has an incredible abundance of aquatic natural resources. Canadians share a deep historical connection to freshwater; we rely on it for transportation, for resources, for employment, for food and for recreation — swimming, boating, fishing or simply admiring the scenery of a natural lake or wild river.

Unfortunately, many of Canada’s freshwaters are no longer the pristine ecosystems they once were. At CWF, we are working to encourage a better balance between the needs of our society and of the ecosystems that sustain us.