Fifty federal politicians attending an emergency debate Thursday night voted unanimously in favour of a motion calling on Ottawa to pressure the United States and North Dakota to close the controversial Devils Lake outlet, which began operating Monday.

Manitoba opposes the use of the outlet, which diverts water from Devils Lake into the Sheyenne River, a tributary of the Red River that flows north into Manitoba to Lake Winnipeg.

MPs passed a motion to have the House of Commons "call on the government to continue to employ every means possible to have the flow of water from Devils Lake into the Canadian water system stopped immediately."

The outlet diverts water from Devils Lake into the Sheyenne River, a tributary of the Red River, which flows north into Lake Winnipeg.

Winnipeg North MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis, who called for the debate, says the result demonstrates to U.S. politicians that Canada is taking the Devils Lake matter seriously.

"I think it gives [Premier] Gary Doer a little bit of help in his fight, and I think that it gives the minister of the environment and the minister of foreign affairs some ammunition to go straight to [U.S. President] George Bush and [N.D.] Gov. [John] Hoeven to say, 'Look, we've got to find a way to get that filter in place and turn off the taps until that happens,'" she said.

After making a similar appeal to Conservatives during Friday's question period, Wasylycia-Leis was told by MP Deepak Obhrai, parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs, that the federal government is working with U.S. authorities to discuss the matter.

Environment Minister John Baird added that he's also working with Manitoba "to get this issue turned around."

Better filter needed: officials

In 2005, Canada and the United States agreed to install an advanced filter on the outlet to filter pollutants and organisms in the water, but that has not yet happened.  A rudimentary rock and gravel barrier is in place to filter out fish, fish eggs and plants.

Wasylycia-Leis said North Dakota must install a better filter on the outlet — closing it while the work is done — or stop using it altogether.  To do otherwise shows a blatant disregard for international water agreements, she said.

Wasylycia-Leis said the debate was necessary, even though a similar debate two years ago seemed to result in an agreement from North Dakota.

"We thought the problem was solved then. I think we've dropped the ball. I think the present government didn't offer as much oversight as it should have.

"Now they've got to make a commitment to start immediately, to stand up to the United States and actually ask for something that's fairly reasonable," she said.

Province fighting outlet in court

North Dakota spent $28 million US on the 23-kilometre outlet, designed to ease chronic flooding of homes and businesses around Devils Lake, which has experienced unusually high levels over the past decade. The outlet has been used only once before this year: for 10 days in 2005.

Manitoba officials say the water from Devils Lake contains organisms and sulphates that could damage the province's waterways and fishery.

Their concerns were heightened last summer, when the North Dakota health department changed the permit that allows the outlet's operation to increase the maximum sulphate level allowed in the water and extend the time the outlet can be open each year.

The province and several environmental groups appealed the permit change, but lost in a U.S. district court in April.

They're now taking the case to the North Dakota Supreme Court.

A spokesperson for Hoeven maintains the outlet is a reasonable means of diverting some water to protect life and limb.