Can Bill C-37 deliver real authority to First Nations over water?

By Aaron Walker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com As First Nations leaders challenge one of Canada’s largest proposed artificial intelligence data centres over its potential impact on fresh water, many say Ottawa’s newly introduced clean water legislation leaves a fundamental question unanswered: Who ultimately decides what happens to waters in First Nations territory? The federal government says Bill C-37, the proposed First Nations Clean Water Act, would recognize First Nations’ jurisdiction over water on First Nation lands while establishing enforceable drinking water standards, a First Nations-led water commission, and a long-term funding framework backed by a $4.6-billion investment.