CELA PUBLICATION #1549 - BRIEF FOR THE HOUSE OF COMMONS STANDING COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT’S STUDY ON FRESH WATER

CELA strongly believes in adopting stringent recommendations, as outlined below, to manage and mitigate the risks from toxic substances Per- and Polyfluoroalkyls (PFAS) In April 2023, CELA and other organizational colleagues submitted concerns and recommendations on the proposed objective for drinking water quality value for PFAS to the Water and Air Quality Bureau of Health Canada.2 The following. [...] • Require review of objective value at a minimum of every 2 years to expand the PFAS substances tracked and measured under the objective value for drinking water to reflect the scope of use of and large number of PFAS substances in the market. [...] Government and industry must be open and transparent in the management of radioactive waste and its transportation; Indigenous Peoples and Canadians have a right to access information, engage in decision-making, and know the risks 4 CELA and colleagues drafted an Alternative Policy for Canada on Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning. [...] The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action 45-47 call for a restructuring of legal, governance and institutional structures in Canada to permit the participation of Indigenous Peoples.12 Given this legal and policy context, it is essential for the federal government to meaningfully engage with Indigenous Peoples in the structuring and operation of freshwater laws, policies and progr. [...] The CWA is an opportunity to advance steps toward reconciliation, the braiding of knowledge, and the application of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act to Canadian water policy regimes.