PETITION: Indigenous communities need clean water
Water is essential. So much of what we do depends entirely upon it. Whether it be making a morning coffee, bathing your children, watering your garden, or even something as simple as having a glass of water, we turn on the taps and trust that the water coming out will be safe and readily available.
Clean and safe water is not a privilege, it is so essential that it can only be considered one thing… a fundamental human right. It is hard to believe that in 2022 there are still countries in the world where access to safe and reliable water is still an issue, particularly when those countries are modern G7 nations like Canada.
We are launching CleanWaterNow.ca to address the reprehensible inaction of politicians in addressing the horrific conditions Indigenous communities are facing across this nation. There are currently 27 First Nations communities facing long-term drinking water advisories. That means that for at least a year, and in one case dating back as far as 1995, two years prior to Canada’s last residential school being shut down, these communities have been deprived of this basic human right.
This is unCanadian. This is an authentic emergency, not one of these proposed climate emergencies we are spending so much money on. And this is an issue that extends beyond politics, despite folks like Trudeau always trying to score some points and professing to have the interests of the communities at heart, the fact is they really don’t care.
We have heard firsthand examples of toxic and carcinogenic water, children unable to bathe more than once a week without their skin burning, arms blistered from washing the dishes with unsafe water, the horror stories go on and on.
Pope Francis recently visited Canada on a residential school apology tour, many people we spoke with agreed that apologies for the past are fine, but action to address the current injustices suffered by Indigenous peoples would mean so much more, so over the coming months we will be taking a hard look at the barriers and politics preventing all Canadians from accessing safe and clean drinking water while holding elected officials accountable and demanding meaningful action now.
Sign our petition demanding safe water for these communities and learn more at CleanWaterNow.ca