AFN Manitoba Regional Chief to speak at UN water conference
A Manitoban is in New York this week speaking up for the water rights of First Nations people across Canada.
Cindy Woodhouse, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Regional Chief for Manitoba, is attending the United Nations 2023 Water Conference, the first such event since 1977.
"It’s a significant opportunity to talk about First Nations working with Canada to ensure that there will be safe drinking water and sanitation for everyone," said Woodhouse.
Woodhouse said she'll be discussing the UN's goals for sustainable development, with a focus on Goal 6: clean water and sanitation. "Both Canada and First Nations are actively involved in discussions at the UN with respect to the 2030 agenda on sustainable development."
Woodhouse will be speaking twice at the event. She said her message to attendees will be clear. "The right to safe drinking water is a human right, (I'll be) continuing to push Canada to close the water infrastructure gap and to try and have it done by 2030," she said. "Time is ticking and people need support out there."
Woodhouse said she's also going to take the opportunity to network with delegates from around the world and educate them about what is happening in Canada.
"We have wonderful advocates that are trying to end long-term drinking water advisories in First Nations communities," said Woodhouse. "In February of this year, there were 32 across Canada and three right in Manitoba."
While Woodhouse is excited at the opportunity to speak at the conference, she said it is somewhat bittersweet. "I wish we didn’t have to talk about safe drinking water or access to sanitation. I wish we had all those basic things," she said. "But here we are trying to find solutions to close those gaps. And to help First Nations and Canadians think long term, and to make sure that our grandchildren have clean drinking water."
The United Nations 2023 Water Conference is happening at the UN Headquarters in New York Mar. 22-24, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.