Thank you.
Kwe. Good afternoon. Bonjour.
Before I begin, I would like to note that we are meeting on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin people.
My name is Nelson Barbosa. I am the director general of the community infrastructure branch within Indigenous Services Canada.
Thank you for inviting me to appear before the committee today.
The responsibility of managing drinking water in first nations is shared between first nations communities and Indigenous Services Canada. Indigenous Services Canada provides support for the delivery of safe, clean drinking water through its first nation water and waste-water enhancement program. The department provides advice and financial support to first nations to upgrade, repair, replace and operate first nations water and waste-water systems in order to meet established water and waste-water standards.
From 2016 onward, by 2024 Canada will have committed over $5.6 billion to build, repair, manage and maintain water systems on reserve. Between 2016 and June of this year, more than $3.45 billion of targeted funding was invested to support 1,213 water and waste-water projects, of which 541 are now complete and 672 are ongoing. These projects will serve 471,000 people in 591 first nation communities.
First nation communities are responsible for the planning, procurement, design, construction, commissioning and day-to-day operation and maintenance of their water and waste-water systems. Although ISC financially supports first nations to upgrade, repair and replace their water systems, ISC programs and policies play a minimal role with respect to freshwater management and protection.
However, they intersect as they relate to source water protection on reserve. Source water protection measures are an integral component of a multi-barrier approach toward the management of safe drinking water. The department's mandate focuses on improving the health and quality of life of first nations on reserve, and the department's focus has been on helping communities provide better water and waste-water services to their residents.
In terms of waste water, the department also provides funding and support to first nations to construct, operate and manage waste-water treatment systems on reserve. The key federal regulations overseeing the release of treated waste water are the “wastewater systems effluent regulations”, or WSER. These regulations are administered and enforced by Environment and Climate Change Canada under the authorities of the Fisheries Act, which prohibit the deposit of deleterious substances in fish-bearing waters.
The department is actively engaged in activities that contribute to Canada's achievement of United Nations sustainable development goal number 3 of good health and well-being, and goal number 6 of clean water and sanitation. Continued work to resolve all long-term drinking water advisories directly contributes to goal number 6, which aims to ensure that all Canadians have access to clean drinking water. In turn, this also contributes to the overall betterment of health and well-being in first nations communities.
To accomplish both goals, the department works closely with first nation partners on the operation and maintenance of their water systems. By providing adequate long-term funding and technical support, the department is actively ensuring that first nations' drinking water systems meet established standards. To report on Canada's progress in achieving these commitments, the department works closely with its partners at ECCC.
In terms of collaboration with other federal agencies, the department also works closely with Health Canada, which is responsible for the guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality. These guidelines were developed in partnership with the provinces and territories through the federal-provincial-territorial committee on drinking water and are used by most jurisdictions as the basis for establishing drinking water quality requirements in order to protect the health of people residing in Canada.
Currently there are no federal regulations governing drinking water or waste water on reserve. The Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act, which came into force in 2013, was repealed in June 2022 due to first nations' concerns. Significant efforts are now under way to replace this act. Since the summer of 2022, the department has met with more than 140 first nations and first nations organizations to share information with, listen to and work with first nation partners to explore how to address their needs and priorities in the new proposed drinking water and waste-water legislation. The department continues to work directly with rights holders, including modern treaty and self-governing first nations, through their own representative institutions and first nations organizations, as well as the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Advisory Committee on Safe Drinking Water. These efforts aim to ensure that the new proposed legislation will be responsive to first nations' priorities in terms of drinking water.
ISC remains committed to ensuring sustainable access to clean drinking water and effectively treating waste water in order to build a sustainable foundation for water now and into the future.
I look forward to our dialogue and questions.
Meegwetch. Nakurmiik. Qujannamiik. Merci. Thank you.