Formal Negotiations between Canada and the United States to
modernize the Columbia River Treaty began in May 2018. The Canadian
and US delegations have met 6 times, in Washington DC (twice),
Nelson BC, Vancouver BC, Victoria BC, and Portland OR. This article
describes the current Treaty, the factors leading to the current
negotiations, and the stated modernization objectives of Canada and
the United States.
History of the Treaty
The Columbia River Treaty was ratified on September 16, 1964.
Ratification was the culmination of a 20-year process that was
initiated by a joint Canada-US reference to the International Joint
Commission (IJC) established under the Boundary Waters Treaty. The
IJC was asked to consider whether coordinated development of the
water resources of the Columbia River basin would yield greater
benefits to each of the two countries than they could achieve
through unilateral development. The IJC's 1959 report concluded
that coordinated development
