Oct 2019
Why some First Nations still don’t have clean drinking water — despite Trudeau’s promise
Global News
October 03, 2019
During the 2015 election campaign, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau promised to eliminate all long-term water advisories on First Nations by March 2021.
Many Indigenous communities have gone for years and years without clean drinking water — living, as one woman put it, “in Third-World conditions in a First-World country.”
With 17 months left on the clock, Trudeau’s government has nearly halved the number of long-term advisories — those in place for a year or longer — from 105 down to 56, according to government data.
Although it looks unlikely that all advisories will be lifted by March 2021 (less than half of the advisories have been lifted over the course of almost four years), it is still in progress as its original timeline was clearly stated to be "within five years".
Nov 2018
October 2018: Three long-term drinking water advisories lifted and one added on public systems on reserve
Government News Release
November 01, 2018
The federal government remains steadfast and on track in its commitment to ending all long-term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserve by March 2021.
There were 105 long-term drinking water advisories on public drinking water systems on reserve in November 2015. As of October 31, 2018, 74 of these advisories have been resolved and 36 have been added. Working in collaboration with First Nations, the Government of Canada has committed to ending all long-term advisories on public systems on reserves by March 2021.
Dec 2015
Liberals to fund water plant for Neskantaga First Nation in 2016
CBC News
December 29, 2015
Neskantaga First Nation, in northwestern Ontario, finally has a written commitment from the federal government to build a new water treatment plant in the remote community, which has been without safe tap water for 20 years.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett made a promise to fund the water treatment plant at a meeting earlier this month with Neskantaga Chief Wayne Moonias.