World
water day
March 22
Why do twenty-six First Nations communities STILL have long term Drinking Water Advisories?
Proudly supported by the Small Change Fund
Canada must uphold the human right to water which guarantees access to safe drinking water for all.
Twenty-six First Nations communities in Canada do not have access to safe drinking water. They have Drinking Water Advisories in place and cannot drink tap water unless it has been boiled first to sterilize it.
Some of these communities have been forced to boil all their drinking water for almost thirty years! Entire generations have grown up without access to safe tap water.
During the 2015 federal election, Prime Minister Trudeau promised to eliminate DWAs within five years. Some progress was made but for the last three years, there has been very little improvement. It is clear that the federal government has lost any sense of urgency for solving this problem.
Can you imagine any non-indigenous community in Canada being forced to endure such conditions for decades? Neither can we. This World Water Day, join us in renewing public attention on this important issue and help us pressure the federal government to finally solve it.
Learn more and take action on the right to water for Indigenous peoples here.
It’s time for our elected leaders to finally eliminate the remaining drinking water advisories.
Add your thoughts to the letter below telling Prime Minister Trudeau to fix this problem now. Please share it with friends and family- many people are not aware that whole communities still have to boil all their drinking water.
World Water Day Teachers Kit
Fill out the form below to receive your free World Water Day Teachers Kit.
the problem
In Canada, the federal government has a special responsibility to make sure that people living on First Nations reserves have clean water to drink.
The treaties that we signed with First Nations long ago still bind us and they must be honoured.
Our First Nations treaty partners have not benefitted nearly as much as we have. We are all responsible for ensuring our governments respect and abide by the treaties.
For decades, the federal government has failed to provide enough money to build and operate the necessary water treatment equipment on many reserves.
In 2015, Prime Minister Trudeau pledged to solve this issue within five years.
But just three years ago as that deadline loomed, the Parliamentary Budget Officer warned that there remained important shortfalls in federal funding for the maintenance of existing water treatment equipment and for the training required to operate it.
We have to do better.
It’s time for our elected leaders to finally eliminate the remaining drinking water advisories.
This is what needs to be done:
- Address underlying issues such as inadequate infrastructure, funding, and capacity through long-term commitments and collaborative approaches to end long-term drinking water advisories.
- Ensure equitable access to safe and reliable drinking water through investments in infrastructure, capacity-building, and community-led initiatives that prioritize Indigenous knowledge and values.
- Develop sustainable solutions that address the root causes of long-term drinking water advisories, including adequate funding, regulatory changes, and community-led initiatives that promote local ownership and control.
- Adopt a collaborative and community-led approach that centers Indigenous knowledge, values, and perspectives in the development and implementation of long-term solutions to address long-term drinking water advisories.
So far, thousands of water drops and more than 47,000 emails have been delivered to the prime minister’s office
Young activists can use this printable Water drop to draw, write, and colour their own message.
Send us your water drop!
Tag us on Instagram @CanadiansOrg, or upload your water drop here.
Long-term drinking water advisories with public systems on reserves
First Nation Reserves with long-term drinking water advisories
Support our work!
SMALL CHANGE FUND program
Our fourth annual Water Drop program, launched on World Water Day, will provide teaching materials to hundreds of teachers across the country to educate students about the human right to water and the crisis of clean water in First Nations communities.
In 2024, the Council plans to accomplish the following:
- The Council will update and expand our educational and art materials that will be used by thousands of school children in classrooms across Canada.
- The children will use colouring pages and write letters to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging him to end the remaining drinking water advisories in First Nations communities.
- We will connect in solidarity with five First Nations communities with drinking water advisories to include their community knowledge and experiences in educational materials and calls to action.
In order to accomplish this ambitious goal, we are pleased to announce that the Council of Canadians has entered into a limited time partnership with Small Change Fund. With your support, we make this our greatest World Water Day program ever.
Small Change Fund is a national registered charity that supports environmental issues across Canada. This partnership will allow the Council of Canadians to create the largest and most effective World Water Day program ever.
Through our partnership with Small Change Fund, when you donate to the Council of Canadians’ 2024 World Water Day program, you’ll receive a charitable tax receipt. Your donation directly supports our work, but the processing through Small Change Fund ensures you can claim the tax benefit for donations of $10 or more made from now until June 30.
We’re aiming to raise $45,000 to fund the distribution of teaching materials, participation of First Nations community members including honoraria and travel expenses, and our staff time needed to make this program happen.
World Water Day is more than just one day for us! It is the celebratory launch of our annual program to develop materials to educate our children on the importance of clean drinking water.
But this is only possible with your support. Please, make a donation now to our World Water Day program.
Thank you for supporting the human right to water for all!
