Thank you.
My next question is to ISC.
We have heard repeatedly, including today, a favourite Liberal buzzword, “partnership”, as in “work in partnership” with first nations. I want to bring up Tataskweyak Cree Nation, which is also in my region. They've struggled without clean drinking water for years, yet ISC, Indigenous Services Canada, wasn't even testing their water for the contaminants that were making people sick, forcing the first nation to pay out of pocket for the work that ISC refused to do. Due to Canada's failures, they launched a class action lawsuit and have spoken about their fear of government reprisals for doing this.
They're now taking their complaint to the UN, and I'm proud to support their efforts in doing so, but it didn't need to come to this. When asked about these failures, a spokesperson for ISC said, “Indigenous Services Canada...has supported the community in the repairs and upgrades to their water treatment centre to ensure water quality continues to meet approved guidelines.” The water that makes them sick continues to meet approved guidelines.
This type of disrespect is far too common. In a meeting between ISC and Tataskweyak Cree Nation in their community, an ISC official took a sip of water to demonstrate that the water was clean, seemingly ignoring the many community members who had rashes or were otherwise sick.
Does water that you won't test properly, that we know makes people sick, continue to meet approved guidelines? If yes, why is ISC maintaining that these guidelines are accurate? What good do they serve outside of public perception? We know that the first nation has been clear that the water makes them sick. Why is ISC continuing this charade?