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OTTAWA — The Liberal government’s new First Nations water bill will “advance the critical work of addressing long-term drinking water advisories,” Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty said on Tuesday, shortly after the legislation was introduced in the House of Commons.
The minister said the new bill was written so that it will “stand the test of time.”
The legislation, Bill C-37, says the federal government will “further the progressive realization, for individuals on First Nation lands, of the human right to safe drinking water, as protected by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.”
This isn’t the first time the federal Liberals have put forth clean water legislation. The previous bill affirmed the “human right of every individual on First Nations land to have access to clean and safe drinking water in accordance with this Act.”
That bill, the now-defunct C-61, was introduced in 2023 by the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but it died when Parliament was prorogued last year.
Trudeau’s Indigenous services minister, Patty Hajdu, introduced the 2023 bill in response to a lawsuit against the government that was settled in 2021.
The text of that bill went beyond the terms of the settlement. It included an option for source water protection and recognition that First Nations have a human right to clean drinking water.
C-61 was opposed by the provinces of Alberta and Ontario, which warned that it would undermine resource development. The Trudeau-era bill was drafted with input from First Nations and nearly became law after weeks of study and debate before it died on the order paper.
In January 2025 — months before the last federal election — Hajdu said she hoped whoever is “in government next time picks this up” and called C-61 “incredibly thoughtful legislation that was co-drafted with First Nations people.”
At that time the Conservatives still had a comfortable lead in the polls and were expected to form the next government, but the Liberals were returned for a fourth mandate, this time under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Gull-Masty promised last summer that a new bill would affirm First Nations’ human right to clean drinking water. She initially promised to introduce the legislation in the fall, but failed to do so.
Some First Nations leaders said they have not been consulted on the new legislation.
Several First Nations groups are expected to comment on the legislation after it’s tabled in the House of Commons.
The House of Commons is expected to rise by the end of this week for the summer break, which means the legislation likely won’t be debated or voted on until the fall.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2026.
– with files from Kyle Duggan
Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press
