Lheidl T’enneh Chief Dolleen Logan says a long-awaited legislation that would improve water quality on First Nations including theirs has been a long time coming.
On Monday, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu introduced Bill C-61 in the House of Commons which if passed, would help protect source water, drinking water, wastewater as well as the infrastructure around it.
Logan told MyPGNow.com this was an election promise from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that was first championed in 2015.
“This is huge for our nation to see a light at the end of the tunnel. It has taken a long time because I remember Trudeau (Justin) announcing when he was first running (as Prime Minister) that was his first priority. So, it has taken this long for anything to move through.”
Logan adds that the Lheidli T’enneh has been purchasing bottled water for its on-reserve members for over two decades because they have been on the boil water advisory. She mentioned residents have not been allowed to cook, bathe, or drink from their current supply.
The bill comes over a year after Ottawa repealed the Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act, which was introduced in 2013 by the previous Conservative government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
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