A SWOT Analysis of the Great Lakes Water Quality Protocol 2012: The Good, the Bad and the Opportunity

Since the signing of the Great Lakes Water Quality Protocol by Canada and the United States on September 7, 2012, there has been no review of it in the literature. This paper aims to fill that gap by conducting a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats (SWOT) analysis that will aid in deducing strategies to maximize the strengths and opportunities and minimize the weaknesses and threats to achieving the purpose of the Protocol. The review found that the Protocol has maintained the basic visionary infrastructure retaining the purpose and main objectives while broadening the scope to include three new Annexes; Aquatic Invasive Species, Habitat and Species and Climate change. Weaknesses include instances of ambiguous language, the separate treatment of groundwater, lack of Annex on Indigenous engagement and discrepancies between the principles and the Annexes. A key threat remains the lack of resources for the implementation of the Protocol.