Special Rapporteur Hears About First Nations Water Rights at International Seminar

Kehewin Cree Nation Chief Okimaw Vernon Watchmaker.

By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

(ANNews) – Last week in Maskwacis, Samson Cree Nation and the International Organization of Indigenous Resource Development co-hosted the International Seminar on Treaties and Indigenous Laws, which featured presentations on upholding Treaty rights through national and international legal frameworks. 

Albert Barume, an international human rights law expert from the Democratic Republic of Congo who was appointed UN special rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples in December 2024, was in attendance via video-conferencing. 

On Jan. 24, the seminar’s final day, Kehewin Cree Nation Chief Vernon Watchmaker addressed the conference on behalf of the Chiefs Steering Committee on Technical Services, a group of chiefs from Treaties 6, 7 and 8 that has been harshly critical of the federal Liberals’ proposed Clean Water Act. 

Chief Watchmaker told Alberta Native News that his presentation focused on the “Crown’s obligation to provide clean, safe water to our nations.”

“It’s not just a favour, it’s a duty enshrined in our Treaty. Our rights to water, land, resources remain intact and they must be upheld by Canada and the province of Alberta,” Watchmaker said. 

“Our relationship with water is definitely on a different level. We have a spiritual connection. It’s not just about potable drinking water.” 

The Clean Water Act was killed when Prime Minister Justin announced his resignation and prorogued parliament on Jan. 6. 

Tallcree Tribal Government Chief Rupert Maneen, who represents Treaty 8 on the committee, previously told this newspaper that the legislation was a “dump-and-run” scheme, in which the federal government was to establish minimum standards for on-reserve water infrastructure and make “best efforts” to provide First Nations with funding to meet those standards.

But Canadian government lawyers have argued in court that they have no legal obligation to provide this funding. 

The committee has also criticized how the government drafted the legislation without direct input from Treaty First Nations, opting instead to consult with the Assembly of First Nations, a lobbying organization that isn’t itself a signatory to any Treaty, although its membership is composed of Treaty First Nations. 

Chief Watchmaker added that Trudeau’s prorogation provides an opportunity for his successor, who will be elected by the Liberal party membership on March 9, to get it right. 

“We don’t know what the makeup of the government is going to be, but it’s not going to change our position,” said Watchmaker. 

He added that it’s not just government but industry that needs to be part of the conversation. Oil sands mining and climate change-induced droughts, Watchmaker said, are “destroying our water.”

“Canada and Alberta have basically put corporate profits over the well-being of First Nations,” he said. 

He said Barume, the special rapporteur, “acknowledged our concerns,” namely the importance of Treaty rights in Canada. 

Barume committed to meeting with the steering committee at some point in the near future, said Watchmaker, although nothing is scheduled yet.

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