When generations of colonial violence and rights violations have created an infrastructure gap of roughly $ 376.1 billion, building a ‘Canada Strong’ would start by building adequate infrastructure for clean drinking water for First Nations.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was born from the stories of residential school survivors and is a commitment to ensure that the public commemoration of the legacy of residential schools remains a key part of the process of reconciliation. Over ten years ago, the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission shared the truths of survivors and the Indian Residential School System: that residential schools were a part of a genocide executed by Canada with the goal of eliminating Indigenous peoples by dispossessing them of their lands, territories and resources. Without truth, there can be no reconciliation.
The truth is that the harms of colonialism are not confined to Canada’s past. This truth was confirmed in June 2026 when the International Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal ruled that Canada’s current policies constitute an ongoing genocide, rooted in the residential school system and sustained through current actions. Under Carney’s leadership, this Liberal government has ceased funding for organizations that support residential school survivors and prevent Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2-Spirit+ people. And just before the House of Commons rose in June, the Liberal government tabled Bill C-37, the First Nations Water Act, in response to a class action lawsuit settlement in which the judge ruled Canada had failed to ensure First Nations had access to potable water and compelled the federal government to table new legislation to uphold First Nations’ access to clean water. But through Bill C-37, the Liberals did the exact opposite, violating a previous commitment to recognize the human right to clean drinking water.
Clean drinking water is the most fundamental human need. Without water, there is no life. How can we begin to talk about reconciliation when the Liberal government is actively advancing legislation that jeopardizes Indigenous peoples’ right to life?
Bill C-37 will not improve access to clean drinking water for First Nations; it will escalate the existing and tragic realities that face First Nations across Turtle Island. In fact, Bill C-37 limits First Nations’ jurisdiction over water to on-reserve lands only, violating Section 35 Treaty rights over traditional lands and territories. The fatal consequences of source water contamination are already a tragic reality for Grassy Narrows First Nation, where upstream industrial pollution from the Dryden Paper Mill has caused generations of fatal mercury poisoning.
Prime Minister Carney’s vision of a “Canada Strong” is being pursued on the backs of Indigenous peoples’ right to life.
Children have sores and rashes on their faces from water contamination.
60% of households in Mikisew Cree First Nation have been affected by rising cancer rates caused by Alberta’s tar sands operations that pollute their waters.
And youth from Grassy Narrows have literally had their joy stripped as a result of mercury poisoning in their waters, leading to high youth suicide rates and neuromuscular disorders.
These realities are an emergency that requires immediate and urgent action. And Carney’s response has only been to laugh in the face of Chrissy Issacs, a Grassy Narrows woman suffering from mercury poisoning, and continue to push through so-called “nation-building” projects which will only deteriorate already inhumane realities. When generations of colonial violence and rights violations have created an infrastructure gap of roughly $376.1 billion, building a “Canada Strong” would start by building adequate infrastructure for clean drinking water for First Nations.
Residential schools were implemented to pursue the eradication of Indigenous peoples, intending to gain control of our lands and resources. And the Canadian government is still pursuing Indigenous land dispossession to gain control of our lands today, just under the name of progress and nation-building. The truth is that stripping away Indigenous peoples’ right to life in the name of nation-building is only contributing to Canada’s genocide against Indigenous peoples
Prime Minister Carney is only the latest in a long line of Prime Ministers who refuse to respect the dignity and human rights of Indigenous peoples. And as Indigenous people, we deserve better from the Government of Canada. We are deserving of respect. We are deserving of basic rights that support life itself. We have the right to clean water. If Canada wants to truly walk the path of reconciliation, then we must start by ensuring everyone is given access to clean water.
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On October 1, 2026, NDP Indigenous Affairs and Environment Critic Leah Gazan Issued the Following Statement:
On September 30, 2026 MP Leah Gazan issued the following statement for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: