Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu is expected to table much-anticipated legislation to improve water quality in First Nations communities today. Hajdu rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA – Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu has tabled much-anticipated legislation to improve water quality in First Nations communities.
Hajdu previously said the legislation she was working on is the closest the federal government has come to co-developing law with First Nations.
But some First Nations chiefs are disputing that assertion.
It’s been more than a year since the federal government repealed legislation on drinking water for First Nations dating back to Stephen Harper’s Conservative government.
The legislation tabled today also comes two years after a Federal Court ruling approved a massive $8-billion settlement related to drinking water advisories.
Hajdu is scheduled to hold a press conference about the bill on Parliament Hill this afternoon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2023.
