Maude Barlow is the national chairperson of the Council of Canadians, Canada's largest citizen's advocacy organization, and the founder of the Blue Planet Project, which works to stop the commodification of the world's water. She is the recipient of numerous educational awards and has received honorary doctorates from four Canadian universities for her social justice work. In 2008/2009, she served as Senior Advisor on Water to the 63rd President of the United Nations General Assembly.