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C-37 — An Act respecting water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nation lands
Every bill summarized in plain language. Not clear enough? Ask for an explanation.
C-37
An Act respecting water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nation lands
LPC
In progress
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BILL C-37
An Act respecting water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nation lands
Last activity : At second reading in the House of Commons
LPC
In progress
Commons · 1st2026-06-16Commons · 2ndCommons · 3rdSenate · 1stSenate · 2ndSenate · 3rdRoyal assent
Sign-in required — one request per person, no anonymous requests
What it does, in plain language
- Creates the First Nations Clean Water Act, affirming that the inherent right to self-government under section 35 of the Constitution includes First Nations' jurisdiction over water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on their lands.
- Sets minimum standards: drinking water must meet at least the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality or the provincial/territorial standards, as chosen by the First Nation governing body, with the same approach for wastewater effluent.
- Requires that the quantity of water meet drinking, cooking, sanitation, hygiene, safety, fire protection and emergency needs, factoring in cultural and spiritual needs.
- Provides that if no choice is made, the Minister of Indigenous Services works with the First Nation to determine the highest applicable standard, starting talks within 90 days of the provision coming into force.
- Gives First Nation laws priority over conflicting federal laws, except for certain environmental statutes (fisheries, species at risk, environmental protection, etc.) and the access to information, human rights and privacy laws.
- Requires the federal government to make best efforts to fund water services that are adequate, predictable, stable and needs-based and comparable to non-Indigenous communities, and to honour the 2021 settlement agreement on long-term drinking water advisories.
- Provides for a First Nations-led First Nations Water Commission, set up as a not-for-profit corporation, with annual reports tabled in Parliament.
- Requires a needs-and-funding framework co-developed with First Nations within one year, an annual report, a five-year review, and takes effect one year after royal assent.
🤖 AI-generated from the bill’s official text as introduced — may not reflect amendments adopted since.
✋ What does “challenging” mean?
Clicking “Ask for an explanation” is a citizen request for the bill's sponsor to explain it in plain language — and for us to keep an eye on it together.
An account (email) is required — one request per person, no anonymous requests. 🔥 At 1,000 requests on the same bill, a public post is made, in the hope an MP agrees to sponsor a petition to the House.
It works on any bill, including one that has already received royal assent — that is often the one people want to understand.
Votes in the Commons
Every recorded vote — who voted what, and by what margin.
On the “who voted what” detail — the House of Commons publishes each member's name for every recorded (nominal) vote (Yea / Nay / paired). The by-member breakdown above (the "+" button on each row) comes directly from that official source (ourcommons.ca), not an estimate. The party shown next to each name is taken from the current House roster; people who have since left the House appear separately under "Former members".
How to read a vote
Recorded vote
Members vote one by one and each choice is entered in the public record. That is what lets us say exactly who voted what — no interpretation.
Passed is not law
A passed vote clears ONE stage. A bill must pass both chambers and then receive royal assent before it becomes law.
Paired is not absent
In the Commons, two members from opposing sides can agree not to vote: their voices cancel out. It is neither an absence nor an abstention.
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