A new bill proposed by the federal government to set drinking water standards for Indigenous peoples has been met with mixed reactions.
Indigenous Services Minister Patti Hajdu introduced Bill C-61 in the House of Commons on Monday. The proposed legislation aims to protect freshwater sources, create minimum national standards for drinking water and wastewater in First Nations, and provide sustainable funding to maintain water quality.
Chief Chris Moonias of Neskantaga First Nation, a remote fly-in community about 450 kilometers north of Thunder Bay, Ont., told CBC News that the bill would help other communities because of what his community has experienced. He said he hopes he can protect it.
Neskantaga is Canada’s longest-running First Nation with a drinking water advisory in place for 28 years and will continue to do so.
“My hope is that once a boil water advisory comes out, it will be addressed immediately instead of waiting 28 years,” Moonias said.
But Moonias said he feels the bill is being kept in secrecy.
He said he had not had a chance to review the bill before it was introduced. He said he hoped the government would send officials to Neskantaga to speak to its 300 members.
“They just do whatever they want to do,” Moonias said. “It’s colonialism at its finest.”
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu has announced long-awaited legislation to improve water quality in Indigenous communities.
The bill comes more than a year after Ottawa repealed the Safe Drinking Water for Indigenous Peoples Act, introduced in 2013 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s previous Conservative government.
Indigenous peoples called for the law to be repealed, citing lack of sustainable funding, violations of indigenous rights, and lack of consultation.
Ottawa was required to introduce new legislation under the terms of an $8 billion drinking water class action lawsuit settlement against First Nations.
The agreement includes $1.5 billion in compensation to indigenous peoples and their members who were deprived of clean drinking water, as well as $6 billion to build and maintain water infrastructure.
The government worked with the Assembly of First Nations to develop the bill and held a number of consultations, but said it would not publish the list of countries consulted.
More resources, input required
Northwest Angle 33 is a small community located approximately 65 km southwest of Kenora, Ontario. Less than 200 people.
The community, which gets its water from Lake of the Woods, only had its long-term boil water advisory lifted last June.
“It’s been really exciting,” said Lili Cioui, who has worked as a water utility for Northwest Angle 33 for the past 10 years.
“I didn’t have to buy water. It’s nice to have water straight from the tap and I definitely don’t have to worry about it.”
But Sioui said not everyone in the community celebrated. She said a small number of members were still not receiving drinking water.
“There are still some households that don’t have access to good quality drinking water, or no water at all,” she says.
Sioui said he hopes the government’s proposed legislation will lead to more resources for Indigenous peoples.
She said it’s difficult to recruit local residents to work as water providers because many people go to work in municipalities where they earn higher wages.
“It’s really sad that it always comes back to money,” Sioui said.
High expectations for the bill submission
Sioui was the only full-time water treatment operator at Northwest Angle 33 until the district recently hired a new trainee.
Both Siui and her chief, Darlene Kamugan, said they want to ensure drinking water standards are developed with First Nations and not imposed on them.
“Everything the government does impacts our lives and we need to have a say in what is being developed,” Kamgan said.
Ottawa said it will work with all First Nations to implement the standards. The federal government says communities will be able to choose whether to follow state or federal regulations.
Since 2015, Ottawa has lifted 143 drinking water advisories in First Nations. He has 28 recommendations remaining in 26 communities.
Moonias said he still holds out hope that his community will one day have clean drinking water coming out of its taps, but he’s confident that won’t happen with the area’s existing treatment facilities.
Although the factory was renovated in 2018, Moonias said local residents still have no drinking water in their homes.
“The problem is that it doesn’t meet the purpose for which it was designed,” he says. “I don’t meet my abilities.”
Moonias said he will soon request the government for a completely new water treatment plant and distribution system.
“I think the boil water advisory will reach 30 years,” he said.