OUR NATIVES ARE CANADIAN TOO!

Why is water still a problem on native reserves?
Aren't these people Canadians and deserve the same
quality of life as the rest of us?
We have refuges from other countries living off our tax
dollars that I would prefer being spent on our native people.

Water still a problem on 76 reserves
Last Updated Mon, 20 Feb 2006 14:35:32 EST
CBC News
Seventy-six First Nations communities remain under
an advisory to boil drinking water, according to new
information from Health Canada.
That's despite the fact the federal Department of Indian
and Northern Affairs has spent almost $2 billion to
upgrade systems in the past five years.
Whose pockets has this money lined?
CBC News filed access-to-information requests to
obtain water audits on reserves in 2001, and
compared that data with current information.
Among the findings:
Drinking water in two-thirds of First Nations communities
remains "at risk," compared to three-quarters of all
such communities in 2001.
Sixty-two per cent of water-system operators serving
native communities aren't properly certified.
Seventy-six reserves are still under boil-water
advisories and have been in that position for years.
People have to rely on bottled water for drinking,
cooking and brushing their teeth, and some
residents say the water is too dirty even for bathing.

There are still no laws or regulatory standards similar
to those in non-native communities, when it comes
to drinking water for the about 325,000 residents
of Canada's First Nations reserves, Gelinas,
who works in the auditor general's office, pointed out.
link:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/02/20/aboriginal-water060220.html

Mr Harper we need to address this problem
immediately.