First Nations Want Say in Safe Water Regulations

Tuesday, February 08, 2011 at 15:43

 

 

First Nations leaders and Senators discussed the safety of drinking water on reserves today, focusing on a proposed bill meant to improve those conditions.

 

Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Shawn Atleo addressed the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples this morning.

 

He pointed to the 49 First Nations with high risk drinking water systems, 117 drinking water advisories and 1,000 homes in northern Manitoba without running water.

 

However, he says proposed Bill S-11 in its current form is unacceptable, saying consultations on the bill were inadequate because the bill does not reflect what Indian and Northern Affairs heard from an expert panel or First Nations.

 

He says First Nations also worry the bill in its current form would infringe upon treaty rights.

 

Senator Patrick Brazeau disagrees and says in his experience, when First Nations are unhappy with legislation, they say they weren’t properly consulted.

 

Brazeau says if passed, the legislation would give every First Nations community an opportunity to develop regulations that would reflect their own customs and traditions with respect to safe drinking water.

 

While the AFN’s legal counsel, David Nahwegahbow, agrees there is the potential for the regulatory regimes established to incorporate some elements of custom,

he says the problem is there is no provision in the statute that allows for a collaborative role, let alone free, prior and informed consent.

 

Atleo says it is important to move past disagreements and address the changes he says need to be made to the bill in order to improve drinking water conditions on reserves.