Thank you, Chair.
I want to start by sharing that all of the amendments I brought forward to the committee on Bill C-61, including this one, come directly from the testimony we heard from the Six Nations of the Grand River. I'm really glad to see that both the Bloc and the NDP have put forward the same amendment.
I'll read out the amendment for the committee. It adds to clause 3, which is the rights section of the bill. It reads:
(3) It is hereby recognized and affirmed that, in accordance with the principle established by Resolution 64/292 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on July 28, 2010, which recognized access to clean and safe drinking water as a human right essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights, all members of all First Nations residing on First Nation lands are entitled to have accessible drinking water that poses no risks to their health or well-being.
What we heard very clearly from Chief Hill and in correspondence with Six Nations directly is that, in their view, if this bill does not declare the provision of water as a human right, the health and well-being of their on-reserve community members will continue to be negatively impacted. To them, it's self-evident. By putting this forward, I strongly agree that no person, plant or animal can survive without water. It seems like a really critical addition to ensure that this committee enshrines in this bill the very clear human right to water that is not already included.
Thank you.