Liberal MP Lenore Zann introduced private members bill, C-230, that would address environmental racism in Canada.

 

The hope is to have the Environment Minister in consultation with provinces, Indigenous governments, and municipalities conduct a study to see where environmental racism is occurring, and determine how people have been affected by environmental hazards.

 

When asked if this Bill would address environmental issues in Indigenous communities including the drinking water crisis, Zann had this response:

 

"Certainly if drinking water as been affected by a pollutant like an industrial pollutant or... some kind of toxic dump or toxic waste site or something that has been placed on or beside an Indigenous community, the  yes it should."

 

Zann says the next step would be to present a report to parliment with advice on how to address the environmental racism found in the study.

 

According to the Government of Canada's website, there are over 1, 400 contaminated sites in Manitoba, and many of them are in First Nations communities.