Despite provincial opposition, federal minister planning to table First Nations water bill

Alessia Passafiume · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jul 04, 2025 1:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

The national curate of Indigenous services says her authorities plans to reintroduce authorities to guarantee First Nations' rights to cleanable drinking h2o — contempt calls from Alberta and Ontario for it to scrap the measure altogether.

Two provincial situation ministers sent a missive to their national counterpart this week calling connected Prime Minister Mark Carney's authorities to wantonness authorities they spot arsenic undermining competitiveness and delaying task development.

"Prime Minister Mark Carney has made a committedness to bash things differently," Alberta's Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz and her Ontario counterpart Todd McCarthy wrote successful a June 30 missive to national Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin.

"We are hopeful that this caller national authorities volition determination distant from policies and authorities that undermine competitiveness, hold task improvement and disproportionately harm circumstantial provinces and territories without immoderate quantifiable benefits to the earthy environment."

One of the bills they singled retired is C-61, authorities introduced successful the past Parliament that sought to guarantee First Nations person entree to cleanable drinking h2o and tin support caller h2o sources connected their territories.

That measure faced a lengthy committee process but was not passed into instrumentality earlier Parliament was prorogued.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty said everyone successful Canada should person entree to cleanable water.

"That's wherefore our caller authorities has committed to present and walk authorities that affirms First Nations person a quality close to cleanable drinking water. To beryllium clear, we mean to present this authorities this autumn to beforehand this important commitment," said Livi McElrea.

"Provinces, territories, and the national authorities person a shared work of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples — we telephone connected each Parliamentarians, Provinces, and Territories to enactment this captious authorities to guarantee that First Nations person entree to cleanable drinking water."

Indigenous Services Canada information shows 37 semipermanent drinking h2o advisories are inactive successful spot crossed the state — astir of them successful Ontario.