We’re learning more about the Federal government’s new safe-drinking water strategy for First Nations.
On Friday the federal government announced that the Safe Drinking Water Act for First Nations had come into force.
The parliamentary secretary for Aboriginal Affairs, Mark Strahl, says it will take at least a few years to phase in.
He says he knows many bands may not yet be up to speed, and that’s why they’ll spend the next few years assisting them with development and implementation of the guidelines.
The act is designed to bring First Nations water standards into line with the rest of Canada.
While the goal may be lofty many bands have complained that they lack the resources to do so, and wonder why Ottawa hasn’t attached any specific funding to the act.
Strahl denies the government isn’t giving them enough money to do the job:
“Well the funding is not part of this act but the government will continue to make important and strategic investments in infrastructure for monitoring and capacity and like I said before, between 2006 and 2014 we will have invested about three billion dollars in managing water and wastewater and public health-related activities.”
He stresses consultations will continue to take place.
Strahl says it’s too early to say what the government will do to bands that don’t adhere to the guidelines.
“I don’t think there’s any provisions right now for penalties or things of that nature.”
Many First Nations have also worried Ottawa is trying to off-load responsibility for drinking water to them.
As far as liability goes Strahl says the legislation does address that:
“So the legislation and the regulations that we do develop will clarify the roles of all parties including 3rd-parties such as private companies that may come along to operate water and waste-water systems.”
He says problems will be looked at on a case-by-case basis:
“So if there’s an e-coli outbreak in a municipality there, there obviously are people that uh, there is liability there and I think a similar structure would be created.”
The government’s press release contains two letters of support for the legislation from the Atlantic Policy Congress.
Strahl said he didn’t know if any bands from Saskatchewan had voiced their support for the legislation.