Unpacking Equity: Ending Drinking Water Advisories in First Nations Communities

Sanya Ramnauth

Everyone in Canada should have access to clean and safe drinking water. Sadly, many of Canada’s First Nations have been denied this fundamental human right. Inadequate funding over several decades has led to contaminated and undrinkable source water in over 297 First Nations across Canada. Unlike municipalities in Canada, where drinking water is protected by provincial legislation and enforceable drinking water standards, there is no binding federal standard that holds anyone accountable for the provision of clean and safe drinking water in First Nations. This leaves First Nations drinking water in a regulatory void, with unsafe drinking water that that the federal government is grappling to address.

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