On April 13th, the Chiefs Steering Committee on Technical Services met with the United Nations Rapporteur on Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation, Dr. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo. The Committee presented their concerns regarding the impacts of Bill C-61, the Canada Water Agency, the Canada Water Act, and the Indigenous Services Act 2019. The Chiefs re-stated that Canada fails to acknowledge our Inherent and Treaty rights, offer any meaningful consultation, or commit to needs based funding or support. The Indigenous Services Act 2019 will mean a complete devolution of infrastructure on reserves without addressing the current infrastructure gap – estimated to be $342 Billion across Canada while putting all the liability on the Nations.
The Special Rapporteur will share his preliminary findings at a hybrid press conference on Friday, April 19, at 11.30 am (EST) at Lord Elgin Hotel, 100 Elgin St, Ottawa. You can follow the update through our social media platforms. We will share these findings with the Indigenous Services Minister, the Honourable Patty Hajdu at our meeting on April 22nd, 2024. All First Nation Chiefs from the Alberta region are invited to join this meeting, more details to come shortly.
The Special Rapporteur will present his final report on the visit, including findings and recommendations, to the Human Rights Council in September 2024.
Learn more about our concerns and stay up to date as Treaty Chiefs come together to influence changes and improvements to Bill C-61. https://tsag.net/transfer-of-services/
Pictured left to right: Chief Trevor John, Kehewin Cree Nation; Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, UN Special Rapporteur. Also in attendance virtually was Chief Rupert Meneen, Tallcree First Nation; Chief George Arcand, Alexander First Nation; and Chief Troy Knowlton, Piikani Nation.
#ProtectOurWater #TreatyChiefsSteeringCommittee #Indigenousrights #Waterprotectors #IndigenousWaterRights #Treaty678FirstNations