A federal judge has sided with two First Nations in Manitoba and one in Ontario that sued the Canadian government over its duty to provide them with safe housing and clean drinking water, in separate rulings delivered Friday.
The federal government has had a duty to ensure Shamattawa First Nation, and other First Nations who opt into the northern Manitoba First Nation’s class-action, were provided access to drinking water safe for human use over the claim period, Justice Paul Favel said in a decision.
Shamattawa launched the class-action, which was certified in 2023, on behalf of all First Nations members countrywide whose communities were subject to a drinking water advisory in effect on or after June 20, 2020.
Reserve and traditional lands are different things
If the lake or river is one their traditional lands but not on their reserve, they wouldn’t be able to build the infrastructure that gets the water from the river to the reserve where they live unless they truck it in every day.