Clean freshwater is a necessity for life, both human and the environment, and a critical component for a sustainable economy. As home to 20% of the world’s total freshwater resources, Canada has a global responsibility to protect these freshwater ecosystems. The rapid pace and global scale of environmental change has necessitated new strategies to study freshwater ecosystems. We need to respond with integrated interdisciplinary approaches that can study these systems at the scale required: across vast areas, at all organismal scales and in real time. The Real-Time Aquatic Ecosystem Observation Network (RAEON) provides the infrastructure and data management that Canadian researchers need to carry-out cutting-edge research that will enable us to track, understand and monitor freshwater ecosystem conditions and what causes them. This is crucial for forecasting and responding to current (e.g., habitat loss) and future (e.g., Asian carp) threats to freshwater ecosystem health and integrity, ensuring Canadians can continue to rely on the invaluable ecosystem services provided. This network will, for the first time, give leaders in government, industry and even individual Canadian households the comprehensive science-based data they need to make effective, responsive policy and management decisions. RAEON will keep Canada at the forefront of aquatic research and technology development, allowing us to be a global leader in the conservation of freshwater ecosystems.