MP Slams Tories Over On-Reserve Water Standards

MP Slams Tories Over On-Reserve Water Standards

Thursday, March 23, 2006 at 14:57

Northern Saskatchewan’s Member of Parliament has some concerns with the Tory government’s on-reserve water quality improvement plan announced the other day.

Gary Merasty is criticizing Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice for announcing new standards without providing additional government funding to help reserves meet those standards.

Merasty notes that sort of funding was included in the Kelowna Accord signed by the previous Liberal regime, but he’s doubtful the Tories will come through with the funding commitments outlined in that agreement.

What really irks Merasty, though, is that Prentice’s approach “will punish reserves if they don’t make the improvements on their own”. He says that will happen through the potential clawback of existing funding.

Merasty says the Conservatives seem to be “uninformed” about how current government funding is being allocated on reserves.