My core proposition is that the iterative process of legal evolution in policy-making in this country, financially, politically, socially and legally, is not capable of adapting to the challenges. While I'm receptive to and cognizant of the massive amount of advocacy led by the first nations across the country, in that case, NAN, to get to addressing a long-term drinking water advisory versus a short-term drinking advisory.... In my nation where I live, we ship in water and we drive in water.
My core concern remains that at the interface....
This is my admonition to the committee, the government and to Canadians and to the world writ large. We have to understand that these circumstances of contestation—and to the earlier point about jurisdictional challenges and problems—and points of contestation are actually the opportunities for, say, SARM, the Province of Saskatchewan, the treaty nations there and many others, like farmers producing food security, to come to a conclusion that offers a solution.
My point is that this government and all orders of government inspired by the federal government need to proactively invest in it, cut out the funding delays and cut out some of the legal challenges.
At the energy-water nexus, I would encourage the committee to consider black swan events. What is coming is going to be stuff we didn't anticipate. It's likely going to be synergistic. It's probably going to be related to things like climate change and emergent disease.
I go back to the COVID issue. COVID proved to me that Canada could have solved the first nations' drinking water crises, because billions of dollars got pushed, laws changed, bureaucracies at every level—federal, provincial, municipal, territorial, everybody—got in line and did something for the good of this country.
In my view, we're going to have events like that again, so I strongly suggest that we proactively create some mechanism—perhaps in NAN, for example, and in that territory—and find some synergy. Find it in Saskatchewan. Find it on the fisheries issue. Find it in Quebec with the civil code and multiple legal orders aligned.
With the consent of the committee, I'll put in some written submissions on the particulars of that question, because it is a robust one.
Mahsi cho. Thank you for the time.