Minister planning to table First Nations water bill despite provincial opposition

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.

Environment ministers from Alberta and Ontario sent a letter to their federal counterpart calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney's government to abandon legislation they see as undermining competitiveness and delaying project development.

One of the bills they singled out is C-61, legislation introduced in the last Parliament that sought to ensure First Nations have clean drinking water and are able to 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 says everyone in Canada should have access to clean water and the government intends to bring the bill back in the fall.

Livi McElrea says provinces and territories share responsibility for reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and the federal government is calling on all jurisdictions "to support this critical legislation."

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang