Niki Ashton has called on the Federal Government to recognize the need for "urgent action" to deal with the impact of climate change on access into remote Indigenous communities.

Ashton said that as Ottawa is currently dealing with the Pallister Government’s refusal to impose a carbon tax, they need to recognize that climate change is having an immediate impact on many Manitoba First Nations.

She added that it is unacceptable that the Manitoba Government walked away from a previous commitment to extend all-weather road access to the east side of Lake Winnipeg.

Ashton said that while the country is "desperately seeking to reduce green house gas emissions", Indigenous communities in northern Manitoba are already paying the price for damage done.

She added that it is time for the federal government to step in and put some of the available funding to fight the impacts of climate change.