All Indigenous communities whose water supply is under federal jurisdiction will have access to safe drinking water in the long term and will be compensated for the years in which they have been deprived of it.
Ottawa and the three Indigenous communities piloting a class action lawsuit against the federal government announced Friday that they had reached a multi-billion dollar agreement in principle to permanently resolve this untenable situation for affected First Nations.
The agreement notably provides for a commitment of at least $ 6 billion to ensure access to drinking water for 258 communities comprising 142,000 people. Compensation of 1.5 billion is added to this sum as compensation for the wrongs they suffered as a result of being deprived of water.
“This Agreement-in-Principle is an important symbol of Canada’s recognition of the wrongs committed against First Nations who have been denied access to clean and reliable drinking water. […] It is a victory for our peoples. We deserve to have clean water like all other Canadians, ”said Chief Doreen Spence of Tataskweyak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba, one of three communities leading the national class action lawsuit.
Her colleague Emily Whetung, from Curve Lake First Nation in southern Ontario, was proud to have achieved this settlement as the litigant: “We made a difference. We have reached an agreement that includes a commitment to provide quality water in quantity, which most Canadians take for granted. ”
Like his two predecessors during the virtual press conference to announce the agreement, the leader of the third community behind the action, Wayne Moonias of Neskantaga in northern Ontario, was not short of discuss what it means not to have clean water: “People are afraid to take baths, to take showers because of what it does to their bodies. It has to change […] Some have to walk only a mile or two to access clean water. ”
Avoiding tap water is a way of life: don’t put your toothbrush in it, don’t rinse your mouth, make sure you have enough bottled water to get you through the long weekend Emily Whetung added. “People were getting sick from the water. I have been sick and my family has been sick. ”
The three chefs spoke of common distressing situations: several suffered from distressing rashes while taking a shower or bath; the prohibitive cost of bottled water has forced many to pay top dollar for bathing children, sometimes even adults.
“We have often wondered in our community why it took so long to give us something. We are still on a boil water advisory. Even today, our water treatment plant is not completed, ”said Chief Moonias.
Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller repeatedly expressed contrition during the press conference: “There is no credible excuse for a country like Canada for taking so long,” he admitted.
“The reality is that the government has not been in support so today we are moving to historical compensation and we assume our responsibility, with legal mechanisms, if necessary, if we fail in our responsibility . ”
An additional $ 400 million will go to the economic and cultural revival of the First Nations and a First Nations advisory committee on safe drinking water will be set up. At the same time, the Trudeau government reiterates its commitment to lift all the boil water advisories that have long served to mask the reality of the lack of access to drinking water in these communities.
It is the First Nations themselves who will now have the power to develop their own regulations and initiatives regarding safe drinking water and the agreement therefore provides for a modernization of Canadian legislation regarding First Nations drinking water. .
The objective is to build or repair water supply and wastewater treatment infrastructure and to ensure its effective long-term management and maintenance so that this situation – described as unacceptable in a rich country like the Canada by both Minister Miller and the Chiefs – be corrected once and for all.