Overview
- The government introduced Bill C-37 on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, and announced an additional $4.6 billion for water and wastewater on First Nations lands.
- The bill creates a national regulatory framework that affirms First Nations jurisdiction on reserve, sets minimum drinking-water and wastewater standards, and enables First Nations to administer and enforce their own water laws.
- The legislation replaces explicit statutory wording that recognized a human right to water with a promise to "further the progressive realization" of that international right, a shift Ottawa says lowers the risk of legal challenge.
- Many First Nations leaders and legal experts say they were not consulted on the revised text and warn the softer rights language and lack of a new deadline to end long-term boil-water advisories weaken enforceable accountability.
- Parliament will not study the bill before summer recess, with public consultations planned for the summer and formal committee review expected when the House returns in the fall.