Until the federal government addresses several underlying deficiencies with the water systems and implements regulatory standards, First Nations communities in Canada will continue to not have reliable access to clean drinking water, according to the auditor general.
In a new report issued Thursday, auditor general Karen Hogan found that Indigenous Services Canada “did not provide adequate support to First Nations communities,” to ensure they have access to safe drinking water.
In order to ensure that once all outstanding drinking water advisories are lifted, history doesn’t repeat itself, the federal government needs to make long-term water system improvements, commit to sufficient funding for operations and maintenance, and put regulations in place, her report reads.
Without these long-term measures, these communities will not have the same drinking water protections as the rest of the country, the report finds, after examining the state of the federal government’s commitment to eliminate all drinking water advisories in First Nations communities across Canada by March 2021.
The audit covered the period between November 2015 and November 2020. In December 2020, the federal Liberal government admitted that its promise to lift all outstanding water advisories would be broken, with “at least” 22 existing drinking water advisories set to remain in effect past the promised deadline. Hogan told reporters Thursday that during their work, it became clear the Liberal promise would not be kept.
