Assembly of First Nations gathers amid water bill dispute and project concerns

The Assembly of First Nations opened its summer assembly Monday with a ceremonial water walk, pointedly highlighting the central issue dominating this week's political meetings: federal legislation that critics say undermines First Nations' rights to safe drinking water.

More than 100 people participated in the water walk at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., before hundreds of First Nations leaders gathered at the Rogers Convention Centre for three days of debate and policy discussion beginning Tuesday. The agenda includes dozens of resolutions on fast-tracked major projects, legislative reforms, and a promised meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and provincial premiers.

AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak used the ceremony to signal the week's tone. "We're going to have to push back really hard. Be ready," she told walkers. She accused federal lawmakers of playing politics with First Nations' rights by failing to pass long-awaited drinking water legislation before Justin Trudeau resigned last year.

The new federal water bill, C-37, tabled this spring under the Carney Liberals, removes explicit recognition of First Nations' human right to safe drinking water and weakens certain sections compared to the previous version. Lawyers have noted the language allows Canada to continue fighting First Nations in court. "The NDP were no help. The Liberals were no help. The Conservatives were no help. The Bloc Québécois were no help," Woodhouse Nepinak said. "Nobody was helping us and they all blamed each other."

Discussion of the water bill is expected to intersect with debate over the federal government's efforts to expedite big resource development projects, including pipelines. Woodhouse Nepinak said the government's proposed reforms "will fundamentally alter the way Canada protects or does not protect our planet," raising concerns about constitutional and international obligations to First Nations.