AFN responds to Federal Announcement on First Nation Water and Wastewater Systems
January 15, 2013
(Ottawa, ON) – The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) continues its call for the federal government to work urgently with First Nations on a concrete action plan that will deliver safe drinking water and improved wastewater systems to First Nation communities.
On Sunday, the government announced that it will invest $330.8 million over two years in First Nation water and wastewater systems on reserve – funding that was previously announced in Budget 2012 last March. While this funding will help alleviate some of the pressures of the water quality problems for First Nations, it does not adequately address the full scope of the issue, including funding for First Nations infrastructures, training, operations and maintenance.
As of December 2012, there were 117 First Nations communities with Drinking Water Advisories. In July 2011, the National Engineering Assessment, a government-commissioned study on the condition of Canada’s First Nation water and wastewater systems found that 73% of water systems were in the high and medium risk categories. The report also identified the need for $4.7 billion over the next ten years.
Former Auditor General Sheila Fraser indicated that the state of safe drinking water in First Nation communities worsened during her ten-year term and called for the Government of Canada to work with First Nations to address the issue in a timely manner.
The AFN is committed to working in partnership with the federal government based on standards brought forward in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to ensure safe and healthy First Nation communities. Access to water and sanitation is a basic human right. First Nations must be fully engaged in a way that recognizes our rights and responsibilities to ensure the safety of our people.
The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada. Follow us on Twitter @AFN_Updates and @AFN_Comms.
For more information please contact:
Jenna Young, AFN Communications Officer, 613-241-6789, ext. 401; 613-314-8157 or jyoung@afn.ca
Alain Garon, AFN Bilingual Communications Officer, 613-241-6789, ext 382; 613-292-0857 or agaron@afn.ca
