Boil-Water Advisories and Federal (In)Action: The Politics of Potable Water in Pikangikum First Nation
Abstract
Abstract
In 2000, water systems failed in both Walkerton, Ontario, and Pikangikum First Nation. After deaths in Walkerton, the Ontario provincial government responded with an inquiry and increased regulation. Although the Walkerton Inquiry was tasked only with reviewing provincial water regulation, it none the less exposed longstanding systemic problems with the provision of safe drinking water on reserves in Northern Ontario. This led the federal government to develop a series of new protocols for the management of water on reserves. These protocols have failed abjectly, however, a fact illustrated by events in Pikangikum, where the water problem, 17 years later, remains unsolved. The difference in the standard of care provided in Walkerton and Pikangikum reflects colonialism, racism, and a fundamental failure of the federal government to live up to its constitutional responsibilities.
Résumé
En 2000, le dysfonctionnement des réseaux d’approvisionnement en eau a causé des décès à Walkerton, en Ontario, et dans la réserve de la nation autochtone des Pikangikum. Le gouvernement provincial de l’Ontario a réagi aux décès de Walkerton en ouvrant une enquête et en resserrant la règlementation. Bien que l’enquête sur Walkerton ait été chargée uniquement de réviser la règlementation ontarienne sur l’approvisionnement en eau, elle a quand même mis au jour les problèmes systémiques qui affectent depuis longtemps l’alimentation en eau potable des réserves du nord de l’Ontario. Cela a conduit le gouvernement fédéral à mettre au point une série de nouveaux protocoles de gestion de l’eau dans les réserves. Ces protocoles se sont avérés de lamentables échecs, toutefois, comme le montrent les évènements de Pikangikum, où le problème de l’eau, 17 ans plus tard, demeure irrésolu. La différence entre le degré d’attention accordé à Walkerton et à Pikangikum est une preuve du colonialisme, du racisme et de l’incapacité foncière du gouvernement fédéral à assumer ses responsabilités constitutionnelles.
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Journal of Canadian Studies
Volume 51 • Number 2 • Spring 2017
Pages: 289 - 310
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Copyright © 2017 University of Toronto Press. All rights reserved.
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Published online: 19 December 2017
Published in print: Spring 2017
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