Ottawa is taking another crack at solving one of its longest-standing political bugbears.
What happened: Canada’s Indigenous services minister tabled Bill C-37 yesterday, the latest piece of federal legislation meant to solve the First Nations drinking water crisis. It aims to ensure “First Nations have legally enforceable protections for safe drinking water.”
The bill claims it will do this by closing regulatory gaps, building a funding framework, and establishing a First Nations‑led water commission allowing for self-governance.
Why it matters: The drinking water crisis has been a persistent issue for three decades now. Justin Trudeau promised to end all long-term drinking water advisories in First Nations communities by 2021. Since 2015, 156 have been lifted, but 38 still remain across 36 communities — and official stats may actually underestimate the scope of the problem.
In 2013, the Harper government passed the Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act, a big nothing that authorized the creation of new legislation, but didn’t actually come with any proposed regulations or funding — it was repealed in 2022.
In 2023, Trudeau’s government introduced a bill similar to this new one, but it faced backlash from provincial governments in Ontario and Alberta, which alleged it would hamper resource development. The bill died when Parliament was prorogued in January of last year.
Zoom out: At a meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance last week, the Assembly of First Nations said it would cost about $778 million in sustained funding to solve the 38 advisories, and $44.2 billion total to address all water and wastewater related issues.—QH
