Despite provincial opposition, federal minister planning to table First Nations water bill

The federal minister of Indigenous services says her government plans to reintroduce legislation to ensure First Nations' rights to clean drinking water — despite calls from Alberta and Ontario for it to scrap the bill altogether.

Two provincial environment ministers sent a letter to their federal counterpart this week calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney's government to abandon legislation they see as undermining competitiveness and delaying project development.

"Prime Minister Mark Carney has made a commitment to do things differently," Alberta's Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz and her Ontario counterpart Todd McCarthy wrote in a June 30 letter to federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin.

"We are hopeful that this new federal government will move away from policies and legislation that undermine competitiveness, delay project development and disproportionately harm specific provinces and territories without any quantifiable benefits to the natural environment."

One of the bills they singled out is C-61, legislation introduced in the last Parliament that sought to ensure First Nations have access to clean drinking water and can protect fresh water sources on their territories.

That bill faced a lengthy committee process but was not passed into law before Parliament was prorogued.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty said everyone in Canada should have access to clean water.

"That's why our new government has committed to introduce and pass legislation that affirms First Nations have a human right to clean drinking water. To be clear, we intend to introduce this legislation this fall to advance this important commitment," said Livi McElrea.

"Provinces, territories, and the federal government have a shared responsibility of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples — we call on all Parliamentarians, Provinces, and Territories to support this critical legislation to ensure that First Nations have access to clean drinking water."

Indigenous Services Canada data shows 37 long-term drinking water advisories are still in place across the country — most of them in Ontario.