OTTAWA — Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu said she hopes to table a piece of legislation this fall that she says is the closest the federal government has come to co-developing law with First Nations.The proposed bill would aim to begin addressing the protection of fresh water within First Nation communities, as well as water that flows into them.“It’s an opportunity to show the country that we can do things together – even in this very Westminster parliamentary setting.
First Nations, however, have long said that the act was ineffective and dangerous, citing concerns about a lack of sustainable funding and the infringement of constitutional rights. It also allocated at least $6 billion to help support access to drinking water in First Nations communities, and the modernization of First Nations drinking water legislation.
It also states that governments should consult Indigenous peoples “in good faith” in order to obtain free, prior and informed consent before implementing legislation that could affect them. “And so the bill is looking at how we make sure that we honor the kinds of areas of priority that the litigants have identified, and that our partners at AFN have worked really closely with us on.”
It focused on boil-water advisories, rather than access to safe drinking water on reserves in general, where infrastructure is chronically underfunded.
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