APTN National News
OTTAWA-The federal Liberals are calling on the Conservative to follow the recommendations of their own report and invest billions of dollars to upgrade water and waste-water systems on First Nations reserves.
The Liberals say they will not support planned safe drinking water legislation, which the government plans to reintroduce, unless the Conservatives also step in with major funding to erase the massive water infrastructure gap that exists on reserves across the country.
A government commissioned study, released in June, found that the federal government needed to spend a total of $4.7 billion over the next decade to keep water and waste-water systems up to standard and meet the needs of growing First Nations population.
The study, by firm Neegan Burnside, said the federal government needed to immediately invest about $1.2 billion to raise reserve-based water and sewage systems to standards set by Aboriginal Affairs.
The study concluded that it was not “credible” to implement a new “regulatory regime” unless the government also provided funding to allow First Nations to meet the new rules.
“Liberals will not support any legislation on safe drinking water that is introduced without an implementation plan for additional resourcing that fully addresses the deficiencies identified by (the study),” wrote Liberal Aboriginal affairs critic Carolyn Bennett, in a letter to Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan.
The letter, which was written ton “behalf of Liberal leader Bob Rae,” also said the government needed to get full buy-in from First Nations before introducing safe drinking water legislation.
“The government must collaborate with First Nations and obtain their free, prior and informed consent on the range of regulatory options regarding safe drinking water…before the reintroduction of legislation,” wrote Bennett.
Duncan has said the government plans to reintroduce legislation that died when the Conservative government fell before the last election. The legislation aims to create new water regulations on reserves.
No new major funding initiatives were linked to the legislation in its previous incarnation.
The year-long, cross-country study found 1,800 reserve homes have no water service and 1,777 homes have no sewage service at all.
Of those with water service, the study found that 39 per cent of 807 reserve systems inspected were classified as posing a “high risk,” meaning they posed a threat to health and safety. These high risk systems serve about 25 per cent of the on-reserve population, the study said.
The study also found that of the 532 sewage systems inspected, 14 per cent were found to be seriously deficient.
A total of 571 First Nations were included in the study which began in September 2009.
At time of the study’s release, Assembly of First Nations national Chief Shawn Atleo called the report’s findings “shocking” and said it was time for Ottawa to deal with the dire water situation facing First Nations.
Duncan’s office could not immediately comment on the letter.
