Canada has formally requested an International Joint Commission review of the Devils Lake project and efforts are underway to have Prime Minister Paul Martin use his meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush to trigger the examination. Canada's reference to the independent body that resolves trans-border water issues comes as bulldozers are now at work to create an outlet for the North Dakota lake, which Manitoba fears will send dirty, polluted water into the province's waterways via the Red River. The official diplomatic request to refer the dispute to the IJC came earlier this month and marks a turning point for Canada, which had resisted calls to have the IJC solve the matter that has been percolating for years. "We feel it is essential to get this matter referred to the IJC, not only for the integrity of Manitoba's waters but also for Canada's treaty with the U.S. to protect waters along the border,'' said Premier Gary Doer, who has repeatedly urged that the panel investigate the project. However, the IJC will only begin its work if there is a joint request, meaning the United States must also agree to refer the matter to the panel established by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. That requirement has led to a push for the Devils Lake dispute to be put on the agenda for Martin's meeting with Bush in Washington on Friday. For now, the Americans have not yet provided the OK needed for the IJC to review the project, which North Dakota says is needed to alleviate Devils Lake flooding. "We are looking at the Canadian request for the IJC referral," said Beth Poisson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa. "We do not have a formal view on it yet but we are reviewing it.'' American officials say that while Devils Lake is a possible agenda item for the Bush-Martin meeting, it is unlikely the White House would immediately give the approval needed to trigger an IJC review. However, an earlier American position favoured an IJC review, a position that U.S. officials say Canada did not agree to when it was raised years ago. Raised the issue Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham has consistently raised the Devils Lake issue with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and will "continue to impress upon them" the importance of having the IJC resolve the dispute, said his spokeswoman Isabelle Savard. "I definitely support it," said Treasury Board President Reg Alcock, Manitoba's senior federal minister. "I think Bill Graham has followed this for some time and he has an appreciation for what the problem is and is prepared to raise this in a way which is appropriate for international relations." Last month, Manitoba withdrew all co-operation with North Dakota on water issues. 'Positive step' Last week, Doer wrote to the prime minister to again call for an IJC review. "I urge you to make every effort to secure the president's agreement to an IJC reference and to U.S. federal action to stop further work on the North Dakota project, until the IJC presents its findings," Doer wrote. "Joining action on an IJC Devils Lake reference would mark a positive step forward in Canada-U.S. relations and an important accomplishment of your April 29-30 meeting." Manitoba's efforts to stop the outlet, which would funnel water from the lake into the Red River watershed, has been backed by the states of Minnesota and Missouri, and groups such as the National Wildlife Federation say the outlet will bring foreign plants and fish, excess pollution and higher mercury levels into the Red River system. "We are heartened and encouraged if the IJC is in fact going to be seized of this issue," said NDP MP Pat Martin (Winnipeg Centre), who has repeatedly raised the issue in the House of Commons. "We would view that as real progress to have the IJC visit this serious issue. It is the only avenue of recourse we have available to us." But Martin said he is worried that it may be too late to stop the project and urged the prime minister to make the outlet a top priority for his White House visit.
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