150+ Canadians Day 125: Maude Barlow

Maude Barlow contributes to peace through her advocacy work on the right to clean water.  #Canada150

Maude Barlow is the national chairperson of the Council of Canadians and the co-founder of the Blue Planet Project, a group working internationally for the right to clean water.

She was Senior Advisor on Water to the President of the United Nations General Assembly in 2008-2009 and a leader in the campaign to have water recognized as a human right by the United Nations.

She has received many honourary doctorates and written or co-written over a dozen books, including Blue Future: Protecting Water for People and the Planet Forever, and Boiling Point: Government Neglect, Corporate Abuse and Canada’s Water Crisis.

 “The life of an activist is a good life because you get up in the morning caring about more than just yourself or how to make money. A life of activism gives hope, which is a moral imperative in this work and in this world. It gives us energy and it gives us direction. You meet the nicest people, you help transform ideas and systems and you commit to leaving the earth in at least as whole a condition as you inherited it.”

Maude Barlow, addressing Trent University after receiving an honorary Doctor of Laws in 2009.


Got a name in mind? Contribute to the list! Send us your suggested names on the Contact Us page.

Want to get 150+ Canadians straight to your inbox? Subscribe here.