After the need for air to breathe, nothing is more vital for life than water. Since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the international framework of human rights has gained remarkable breadth and depth. In recent years, and within that framework, there is a widespread and rapidly growing consensus that the most basic level of human dignity enshrined in the ideal of human rights is not possible without a minimum quantity of clean water. However, that ideal is not being realised, and indeed has been actively resisted by the government of the citizens of Canada. This project seeks to clarify the obligations of the Canadian government with respect to the provision of clean water to its citizens at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, beginning with commitments to both the letter and intent of international law. Justifications will be respectfully demanded from the different levels of government for their current policies, and change will be demanded on behalf of those citizens of this remarkable country who are being consciously denied the minimum requirement for a decent life. Provision of water and sanitation for the citizens of Vancouver, and in particular the Downtown Eastside (DTES) will be a specific test case, and the improvement of water resources in this region will be an objective of this project.
