Currently, more than 130 boil water advisories are typically in effect in First Nations communities across Canada. The Government of Canada has committed significant resources towards improving the state of drinking water treatment in Indigenous communities. Canada currently lacks a national water strategy to address both emerging issues and threats to water safety, in a cohesive manner. In developing a Canadian water strategy, Indigenous voices must be heard in order to address the urgent issues facing these communities across Canada. Key areas needed for an Indigenous national water strategy are noted, involving issues of: legislation, jurisdiction and regulation; funding; technical components; and policy and governance as key areas that an Indigenous water strategy could address. A bottom-up participatory strategy that addresses community-specific needs, historical context and urgency is reported herein as being needed in order to address the water crises in Indigenous communities across Canada.
