The Anishinabek Nation will always defend our First Nation rights while ensuring that legislation aligns with the principles of reconciliation, sovereignty, and respect for our Anishinabek communities. Water is Life and we are shocked at Ontario’s and Alberta’s opposition to Bill C-61: An Act respecting water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nation lands. We wish to express our profound disappointment with the attempt by the Province of Ontario and Province of Alberta to have Canada withdraw from introducing Bill C-61.

Bill C-61 represents a significant step forward in advancing not only reconciliation but the basic human right to clean, safe drinking water for our First Nations. Bill C-61 had been developed in partnership with First Nations and was not obstructed by provincial opposition back then. The fact of the matter with respect to Bill C-61 is the only step that was yet to be complete before the proroguing of Parliament was the Senate process. Therefore, in our view, this Government can reintroduce Bill C-61 in its current state and have this legislation enacted at the same speed as Bill 5- Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act.

Anishinabek Nation First Nations recently met with Premier Doug Ford who indicated his support in ensuring that all First Nations can have access to clean, safe drinking water. It is our belief that the Ontario Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Todd McCarthy, is running rogue and is in direct violation of the Premier of Ontario’s statements and by his actions, words and behaviour has done some real damage between the First Nations in Ontario and the Government of Ontario. He called for an urgent discussion around scrapping all federal environmental policies and legislation that “undermine competitiveness, and delay project development,” including Bill C-61. To this end, we call on the removal of Todd McCarthy from his Ministerial role as this behaviour, idealism, overreach and insult is not conducive to the building of a relationship. Furthermore, it is clear, that the Minister has zero knowledge or experience in relation to the creation of Bill C-61 and the Federal Court Order for the Federal Government to enact new legislation. This type of ignorance and lack of knowledge is incredibly dangerous.

We call upon Ontario and Alberta to end this nonsense and to begin to work constructively with all First Nations and the Government of Canada, because being united for the basic human right to clean, safe drinking water and protections for source water is the only way there can be a Canada Strong.

We urge all Members of Parliament, Provincial and Territorial Legislatures to support Bill C-61 and to prioritize dialogue, collaboration, and respect for our First Nations in advancing the basic human right to clean, safe drinking water and protections for source water. The decades old call from our communities for clean, safe drinking water must be prioritized if reconciliation is to survive Prime Minister Mark Carney’s quest to stickhandle the financial shocks to the Canadian economy from Trump’s trade war.

Miigwech,

Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige

Anishinabek Nation