Clean Water

Decades of neglect led to the unacceptable reality of the people who live on First Nations’ reserves not having access to safe, clean, and reliable drinking water.

We have taken strong action and invested over $4 billion in 535 water infrastructure projects, including 99 new water plants and 436 plant upgrades. As a result, Indigenous communities have been able to lift 109 long-term water advisories, which includes lifting all advisories in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada; prevent 188 short-term advisories from becoming long term ones; provide communities with funding to cover up to 100% of the costs, of maintaining their water infrastructure and ensure clean water for their communities. In every community with a long-term drinking water advisory, there is a project team and action plan in place to resolve it.

We cannot, and will not, abandon our obligation to ensure First Nations peoples on reserve have safe and clean drinking water.

A re-elected Liberal government will:

  • Make any investments necessary to eliminate all remaining advisories.
  • Make sure that resources and training are in place to prevent future ones.
  • Continue to move forward on our agreement in principle to resolve national class action litigation related to safe drinking water in First Nations communities.
  • Maintain our commitment to invest $6 billion to ensure sustainable access to clean water for First Nations.