Sitting 149 — October 9, 2026

The sitting was dominated by second reading debate on the First Nations Clean Water Act, which would establish a framework recognizing First Nations jurisdiction over water and setting minimum drinking water standards on First Nation lands. The central argument was whether the bill delivers enforceable rights and results or is a weakened version of earlier legislation, with the Bloc Québécois and NDP arguing it retreats from a previously co-developed bill and the government insisting it is a historic step backed by funding.

On the First Nations Clean Water Act, Minister of Indigenous Services Mandy Gull-Masty (Liberal) said the bill would affirm that First Nations' inherent right to self-government includes jurisdiction over water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure, set national minimum standards tied to the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality, and bind future governments. She cited 157 long-term drinking water advisories lifted and 38 remaining in 36 communities. Billy Morin (Conservative) said the bill was a watered-down version of the earlier bill, that the government was still fighting First Nations in court over drinking water, and that "best efforts" language was inadequate; Jeff Kibble (Conservative) said his party supported sending the bill to committee for amendments but criticized a water commission with no enforcement powers and cited contamination near the Cowichan River. Sébastien Lemire (Bloc Québécois) said a year had been lost, that the bill no longer explicitly recognizes access to drinking water as a human right, and that the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador considered it a step backward. Elizabeth May (Green) pointed to the change from a stated human right in the earlier bill to "progressive realization" of that right as policy, and Leah Gazan (NDP) said the bill limits jurisdiction to reserve boundaries and excludes lands subject to Aboriginal title claims. The government later moved a motion that the question be now put on second reading, which was carried on division.

On the National Strategy on Flood and Drought Forecasting Act, sponsor Tatiana Auguste (Liberal) said the bill would establish a collaborative national strategy to improve hydrological forecasting, citing a commissioner's finding that about 80% of Canada's highly populated areas lie partly in flood hazard zones and roughly $230 million a year in post-flood relief spending. Branden Leslie (Conservative) said his party would support the bill but criticized government amendments that broadened modelling language and replaced a required proposal for a national forecasting service with measures the government "may take," noting officials had said no legislation was needed to create a strategy. Patrick Bonin (Bloc Québécois) questioned the bill's necessity, arguing Quebec already has advanced forecasting and that the federal government should instead fund adaptation. Ellis Ross (Conservative) and Jaime Battiste (Liberal) both supported better forecasting, with Battiste describing severe flooding in his riding.