The Right to Water – NACOSAR and Indigenous Women

THE RIGHT TO WATER NACOSAR AND INDIGENOUS WOMEN 2010 Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................3 PART I ‐ INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT ...................................................................................................5 Genesis of the Human Right to Water – References to Indigenous Peoples .............................................5 The World Water Forums....................................................................................................................... 14 PART II ‐ Aboriginal Rights to Water under Canadian Law and Policy ................................................... 18 First Nations Peoples .............................................................................................................................. 19 Inuit and Métis Peoples .......................................................................................................................... 27 Co‐Management Regimes – Inuit, .......................................................................................................... 30 Métis and First Nation ............................................................................................................................ 30 Duty to Consult with Indigenous Peoples .............................................................................................. 33 Use of Rights for New Purposes ............................................................................................................ 35 Laws, Policies and Practices of Indigenous Communities ..................................................................... 36 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 39 Annex A ..................................................................................................................................................... 40 Annex B PRELIMINARY COMMENTS – BILL S‐11 ............................................................................ 41 2 Introduction Water is fundamental to the every aspect of the lives and life-ways of Aboriginal1 women. From individual health and well-being to the ability to enjoy our traditional lands and territories in a manner consistent with our respective cultures, teachings, understandings and legal orders, water underlies and permeates our lives, bodies and ecosystems. Water rights are necessary to the survival of our families, communities, cultures, languages – our space and place in the world, sacred and ordinary. We cannot sever the linkages that exist for Aboriginal Peoples between the natural environment, culture, legal orders, language, livelihood and life-ways. When we think of the complex web that ties us in so many different ways to water, we must acknowledge that Indigenous women have experienced, and continue to experience an estrangement from water. In Canada, the history of the oppression of Aboriginal language, knowledge, law, and cultural practices has coincided with abrupt and destructive changes in the natural environment as a result of development and settlement. Examples include Canadian policies and laws intended to halt or eradicate the practice of spiritual and legal orders (including relationship to the natural environment) of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. The notorious instance of the criminalization of the Sundance ceremony of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada from 1895 – 1951 1 In this paper, we will refer to First Nation, Métis, Inuit, and Aboriginal and Indigenous peoples. ―Aboriginal‖ is a term that is recognized in the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982, which includes Indian, Métis and Inuit peoples of Canada. The term ―Aboriginal‖ is widely used in common law, policies and programs throughout the country. More than one million people in Canada identify themselves as Aboriginal, which amounts to about 4% of the total population of Canada. ―First Nation‖ is a term that is used to describe ―status‖ (registered Indians under the Indian Act, S.C. 1985, cI-5) and ―non-status‖ Indians. ―First Nation‖ is also used as a name to describe communities located on reserves established pursuant to the Indian Act. There are approximately 615 First Nation communities in Canada. Where possible, the Indigenous name that a particular community calls itself will be used. ―Indigenous‖ is a commonly used term in international fora, and is one that has been defined and used in a way that recognizes the nationhood and integrity of Indigenous peoples across the globe. This term will be used when discussing Indigenous legal traditions or knowledge as it is the most inclusive and provides the highest level of recognition of culture, identity and language. 3 created rifts in sacred relationships, community cohesion, knowledge transmission, and implementation of Indigenous legal orders. Many in Canada are also aware of the far-reaching and profound impacts of residential schools and their legacy. The residential school era tore apart families and communities - preventing relational/familial roles and responsibilities, culture, language and customary laws from being taught to children.2 In the years since contact between the European settler society and Indigenous Peoples in Canada, the development and artificial alteration of the natural environment has been significant. Much of Canada‘s wealth has been generated by the exploitation and development of renewable and non-renewable natural resources. Now the challenge is the debate about water rights in general – how to secure sufficient water to sustain development, economies and societies into the future. Where and how do Aboriginal women figure in the dialogue about rights and interests, particularly considering the diversity of experiences, needs and ambitions of various Indigenous Peoples? This paper will provide a survey of law and policy relevant to Indigenous women and water internationally and in Canada, while proposing a strategic direction for future policy and advocacy. 2 See the work of the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, online at http://www.trc.ca 4 PART I ‐ INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT Genesis of the Human Right to Water – References to Indigenous Peoples The first notion of a right to water under international law is found in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights3, which was unanimously proclaimed by the UN General Assembly as a common standard for all humanity. Article 25 (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. The Declaration does not define the components of a right to water. However, it might be seen as inclusive of the right to water as it describes an ‗adequate standard of living‘. This may only be truly achieved with access to clean water. In 1966, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights4took this concept further: Article 1 2. All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising out of international economic co-operation, based upon the principle of mutual benefit, and international law. In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence. 3 G.A. res. 217A, art. 25, U.N. GAOR, 3rd Sess., 1st plen. Mtg., U.N. Doc A/810 (Dec. 12, 1948) at http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/index.htm 5 Article 12 1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. 2. The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for: (a) The provision for the reduction of the stillbirth-rate and of infant mortality and for the healthy development of the child; (b) The improvement of all aspects of environmental and industrial hygiene; (c) The prevention, treatment and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational and other diseases; (d) The creation of conditions which would assure to all medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness. (Emphasis added). Article 25 Nothing in the present Covenant shall be interpreted as impairing the inherent right of all peoples to enjoy and utilize fully and freely their natural wealth and resources. Article 28 The provisions of the present Covenant shall extend to all parts of federal States without any limitations or exceptions. 4 International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, art 11, Dec.16, 1966, 993 U.N.T.S. 3 at http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/index.htm 6 In 1977 there was a UN water conference in Argentina called the Mar del Plata Conference.5This conference issued one of the first known resolutions regarding something akin to a human right to water. It was called Resolution II, “Community Water Supply”. It stated that ―all peoples, whatever their stage of development and their social and economic conditions, have the right to have access to drinking water in quantities and of a quality equal to their basic needs‖. The resolution called for full international cooperation, and the mobilization of physical, economic

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