Cites his suggestion that Canada should reduce environmental controls on developments, safe drinking water supply
ONTARIO—The Anishinabek Nation has issued a firm and sorrowful song to the halls of power: water is life, and this sacred truth must no longer be subject to the push and pull of partisan tides.
In a searing statement, Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige condemned Ontario and Alberta for attempting to block Bill C-61, a federal act that would safeguard source water, drinking water, wastewater, and related infrastructure on First Nation lands.
“We are shocked,” the Grand Council Chief wrote. “Water is life and we will always defend our First Nation rights while ensuring that legislation aligns with the principles of reconciliation, sovereignty, and respect for our Anishinabek communities.”
The bill, carved over years of dialogue and co-drafted in good faith with First Nations, was nearing the finish line before Parliament was prorogued. Only the Senate’s reading remained. Now, in the face of provincial opposition, its future hangs in suspension like mist above a river at dawn.
The Anishinabek Nation is calling for its immediate reintroduction in its current form. “This Government can reintroduce Bill C-61 and have this legislation enacted at the same speed as Bill 5 – Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act,” said Chief Debassige, drawing a stark contrast between the speed of industry-friendly laws and the stalling of a bill that affirms a basic human right.
The Grand Council Chief’s words struck with the weight of centuries behind them—not just disappointment, but a kind of bone-deep weariness with governments who speak of reconciliation while quietly reaching for the scissors.
Anishinabek First Nations had recently met with Premier Doug Ford, who expressed support for ensuring clean drinking water in all First Nations. Yet in what the Nation calls a betrayal of that commitment, Ontario’s Environment Minister Todd McCarthy reportedly called for the dismantling of federal environmental policies that “undermine competitiveness and delay project development”—specifically naming Bill C-61.
“It is our belief that Minister Todd McCarthy is running rogue,” said Chief Debassige. “By his actions, words and behaviour, he has done real damage between the First Nations in Ontario and the Government of Ontario.”
She went further still, calling for his removal from Cabinet, naming his “ignorance and lack of knowledge” about the bill’s creation and the Federal Court Order mandating it as a dangerous liability. “This behaviour, idealism, overreach and insult is not conducive to the building of a relationship,” she wrote.
The situation no longer allows for more measured or conciliatory language. Chief Debassige’s words are thunderclouds over the Great Lakes. They are the voice of a Nation that has waited too long, and watched too many boil-water advisories stretch into years, watched too many promises turn to dust.
“It’s time to end this nonsense,” the Grand Council Chief stated plainly. “We call upon Ontario and Alberta to begin to work constructively with all First Nations and the Government of Canada.”
Clean water, she reminded all levels of government, is not a luxury, a political favour, or a line item to be bargained with. It is life itself. It is the pulse of the Earth, the breath of the trees, the inheritance of children not yet born. And it affects every living being on the planet.
“We urge all Members of Parliament, Provincial and Territorial Legislatures to support Bill C-61 and to prioritize dialogue, collaboration and respect,” she wrote. “The decades-old call from our communities for clean, safe drinking water must be prioritized if reconciliation is to survive Prime Minister Mark Carney’s quest to stickhandle the financial shocks to the Canadian economy from Trump’s trade war.”
The Anishinabek Nation has shifted from requesting action to asserting their position. Emphasizing their long-standing role as stewards of the land and water, they are calling on all levels of government to recognize and uphold the fundamental principle that water is life.
