Overview
On February 25, 2021, the Auditor General tabled a Report in Parliament entitled, “Access to Safe Drinking Water in First Nations Communities – Indigenous Services Canada” (the Report).
The central question considered by the Auditor General is whether Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) provided adequate support to First Nations communities to ensure that they have access to safe drinking water. The Auditor General found that “Indigenous Services Canada did not provide the support necessary to ensure that First Nations communities have ongoing access to safe drinking water” and further found that ISC is “not on track to meet its target to remove all long-term drinking water advisories on public water systems on First Nations reserves by 31 March 2021.”
Background
Access to safe drinking water is a long-standing issue in many First Nations communities. The Auditor General had previously issued reports on this issue in 2005 and in 2011. In 2015, the government promised to address this long-standing issue and committed to eliminating all long-term drinking water advisories on public water systems on First Nations reserves by 31 March 2021. As of 30 November 2020, ISC estimated it had spent $1.79 billion to improve water and wastewater systems in First Nations communities.
As part of the federal government’s economic update in November 2020, almost $1.5 billion in additional funding, starting in the 2020–21 fiscal year, was announced. The announcement included an additional $114 million per year starting in the 2026–27 fiscal year for the operation and maintenance of water and wastewater systems.
As of 1 November 2020, 60 long-term drinking water advisories were still in effect. Of the 60, almost half (28) had been in place for more than a decade.
ISC estimates that by March 31, 2021, they will eliminate 32 of the remaining 60 long-term drinking water advisories. The department expects that most of the other 28 advisories can be resolved by September 2021.
Findings
The key findings and conclusions of the Auditor General were:
- Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) did not provide the support necessary to ensure that First Nations communities have ongoing access to safe drinking water, Drinking water advisories remained a constant for many communities, with almost half of the existing advisories in place for more than a decade.
- While ISC has made progress in eliminating long-term drinking water advisories, it is not on track to meet its target to eliminate all long-term drinking water advisories on public water systems on First Nations reserves by 31 March 2021.
- Although interim measures provided affected communities with temporary access to safe drinking water, some long-term solutions were not expected to be completed for several years.
- ISC has not amended the formula for funding the operations and maintenance of First Nations’ water systems since it was first developed 30 years ago. In addition, a salary gap contributed to problems in retaining qualified water system operators.
- No regulatory regime is currently in place for managing drinking water in First Nations communities. (ISC is, however, working with First Nations to develop a new legislative framework with the goal of supporting the development of a regulatory regime).
The most important finding made in the Report may be the following:
3.24 Implementing sustainable solutions requires continued partnership between the department and First Nations. Until these solutions are implemented, First Nations communities will continue to experience challenges in accessing safe drinking water – a basic human necessity.
For our full summary of the the Auditor General’s key findings and recommendations click here.