Groundwater is fundamental to Canada’s water security, economic resilience, ecosystem health, and reconciliation with Indigenous Nations, yet it remains only implicitly addressed in the current Canada Water Act (CWA). As Canada undertakes modernization of the CWA (via the Canada Water Agency), there is an opportunity to explicitly integrate groundwater into the legislative framework to guide federal–provincial cooperation in freshwater management. This presentation provides key aspects from a review of the CWA by volunteers of the IAH Canada to identify amendments that would enable more effective, coordinated, and inclusive groundwater governance, while respecting constitutional jurisdictions. The review builds on IAH Canada’s 2024 submission to Parliament and subsequent engagement with federal departments. Key recommendations from the review include explicitly defining groundwater and clarifying ‘water’ to include groundwater, including groundwater or aquifer in the current definitions of “Boundary waters” and “International waters”, clarifying federal roles in groundwater monitoring and assessment, enabling the development of national groundwater sustainability indicators, strengthening provisions for groundwater quality management, and establishing annual reporting to Parliament on the status of groundwater, in consultation with the provinces, territories and Indigenous Nations. The work also highlights how improved groundwater governance can provide opportunities for data collection, recognizing Indigenous perspectives and priorities, and ultimately supporting Canada’s implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. By situating groundwater within the core objectives of the CWA, these proposed amendments aim to provide a stronger legislative foundation for sustainable groundwater management in Canada.