Chiefs from Treaty First Nations in Alberta met last month with the minister of Indigenous Services Canada to reiterate their concerns with the First Nations Clean Water Act.
The meeting was held one week after government lawyers argued in court that their client has no legal obligation to provide First Nations with drinkable water.
The act, known also as Bill C-61, completed its second reading on June 5, and is in the process of being studied by the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs.
The legislation, according to Indigenous Services Canada, establishes “minimum national standards for the delivery of drinking water and wastewater services on First Nation lands,” and commits the feds to make “best efforts to provide adequate and sustainable funding [emphasis added]” to uphold these standards.
Upon the bill’s December 2023 introduction, the chiefs of 47 First Nations from Treaties …