Blog
Latest news about the Safe Drinking Water Team
It says inadequate access to clean drinking water continues to pose a major health threat which continues to impede the advancement of Indigenous rights in Canada, "one of the world's most water-rich countries." The report also says Canada is a top G7 greenhouse gas emitter, and says it is the world's top financier of fossil fuel producers. "Canada is contributing to the climate crisis taking a growing toll on human rights around the globe," the report says.
A Thompson Rivers University law professor and her former students are at the centre of a legal battle with the Canadian government over redacted information detailing its involvement in alleged human rights abuses in Guatemala. After six years — during which time students who worked on the case have since graduated — online hearings are now underway.
Where would we be without water to drink, to wash and cook with, and to keep us healthy and alive? Water is essential. But as we mark another World Water Day, many First Nations communities in Canada still don’t have access to safe water. Five years ago today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a commitment of $1.8 billion over five years to address the water crisis so First Nations wouldn’t need to boil water to make it drinkable, rely on bottled water, or evacuate their communities because their water is unsafe to use.
Discrimination against First Nations people is a "legal fact" in Canada when it comes to safe drinking water, says a new report by Human Rights Watch.
The international, independent human rights organization released its report in Toronto on Tuesday calling for "urgent steps" by the federal and provincial government to resolve more than 100 boil-water advisories in First Nations across Canada.
