This is absolutely the federal government's responsibility, and thank you for that question.
Through the chair, I've seen across history that Canada, as a government, has taken responsibility for indigenous people and Indians under the Indian Act. The Constitution speaks in section 91 to “Indians, and Lands reserved for the Indians”. This is the sole responsibility of the federal government. Therefore, this is a federal issue that needs to be resolved.
I'd like to take a moment on this.
One of the questions asked today was on the urgency of having this legislation, even if it's not perfect. I've come to terms with the fact that we can't find perfect legislation the first time. We need to legislate and enhance this basic human right now, knowing the legislation might not cover all aspects of all things for all indigenous people on all Indian reserves. If we don't start now, the consequences will be extreme. There is an election in October 2025, possibly sooner. If we don't entrench this legislation for indigenous rights to clean drinking water now, the consequences of those delays will be felt by every indigenous person living on an Indian reserve in Canada. Those consequences will be felt more by indigenous mothers, who suffer the consequences of not being able to care for their infant children in the way every other Canadian gets to.