Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for being here.
We are the health committee, and I can't think of any issue that is more critical to our health as humans than access to clean water. I don't want to be melodramatic about it, but water is the essence of life. I don't think we live three or four days if we don't have access to water, and so I think that of all the issues that come before this committee, this is one of the most important.
What's on my mind in studying this legislation is the gravity of the subject and its importance as a health issue. What does this bill propose to do? Is this the highest level of action we can take? This bill essentially just calls on the minister to conduct a review of drinking water standards in OECD member countries, and if appropriate, to make recommendations for amendments to national guidelines respecting drinking water.
Mr. Leonard, if I heard you correctly, you said that this bill is at best a distraction or waste of time, and at worst it may place burdens on first nations. Given that we all know that the state of clean drinking water in the indigenous communities across this country is deplorable—there are a massive number of boil water advisories—do we really need to be passing legislation to look at the OECD countries? Would we be better off putting resources into addressing the mechanical needs on the ground? Are we that confused about what those mechanical needs are?