Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde Says Access to Clean Drinking Water a Basic Human Right

OTTAWA, Feb. 9, 2017 /CNW/ - The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde issued the following statement today regarding the David Suzuki Foundation report on First Nations drinking water in Ontario titled Glass half empty? Year 1 progress toward resolving drinking water advisories in nine First Nations in Ontario:

"Access to clean water is a basic human right that most Canadians take for granted, but one that has been too long denied to too many First Nations. A safe and secure future for our children and youth requires action to eliminate drinking water advisories for all First Nations. We continue to push for action, and monitor progress, on the federal government's commitment to eliminate drinking water advisories. The best approach to ending drinking water advisories is for Canada to work in partnership with First Nations, as required by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Ending this longstanding problem is an important measure of progress on the path to reconciliation. "

The report is available at: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/publications/reports/2017/DrinkingWaterAdvisory/

The AFN is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada.  Follow AFN on Twitter @AFN_Updates.

SOURCE Assembly of First Nations

Alain Garon, Bilingual Communications Officer, 613-241-6789 ext. 382, 613-292-0857 (cell), [email protected]