Alberta First Nation suing federal government over right to clean drinking water
EDMONTON — An Alberta First Nation has revived a lawsuit it launched 10 years ago in an effort to get the federal government to recognize its human right to clean, safe water.
The Ermineskin Cree Nation says Ottawa’s proposed legislation on First Nations drinking water fails to recognize that people on reserves have the same right to trust what comes out of their tap as every Canadian.
“People can’t even bathe in it,” Chief Joel Mykat said in an interview.
“We have tried to work with Canada over the past decade but things have only gotten worse … Bill C-61 fails to recognize that we have (the) right to safe drinking water.”