Prime Minister Nelly Furtado and Mayor Christian Jukic: A Country Without Thirst
Prime Minister Nelly Furtado: Christian, every Canadian should have clean drinking water. No family should ever wonder where their next glass of water is coming from.
Mayor Christian Jukic: That’s why we need a national water innovation strategy. The oceans surround us. With next-generation desalination powered by solar, hydroelectricity, and other renewable energy, we can transform seawater into affordable fresh water while reducing energy use and environmental impacts. Researchers are also exploring advances such as forward osmosis, membrane distillation, and improved membrane materials that could make desalination more efficient in the future.
Nelly: Imagine Canada’s engineers building desalination systems that help not only our coastal communities but also drought-stricken nations around the world.
Christian: Exactly. And we should pair desalination with water recycling, rainwater harvesting, and modern reservoirs. A resilient water system doesn’t rely on one technology alone.
Nelly: A country without thirst isn’t just about engineering. It’s about compassion. Safe drinking water is a foundation for health, education, and opportunity.
Christian: Every school, every hospital, every airport, every train station, every bus terminal—there should always be clean water available. Public water fountains should become as common as streetlights.
Nelly: When a child fills a bottle for free instead of buying expensive bottled water, everyone wins—the family, the environment, and future generations.
Christian: Let Canada become known not only for its lakes but for sharing knowledge. If we can help invent cleaner, lower-energy desalination systems, we can export hope along with technology.
Nelly: Then let’s make it our promise: a Canada where no one goes thirsty, and a world where clean water becomes more accessible to every community.
Christian: A country without thirst begins with one simple belief: water is life, and innovation should serve everyone.