There are many Indigenous Communities today are subjected to long and short term “boil water” advisories. Boil water advisories of which informs an area that there are viruses, bacteria, or parasites found in the water that requires people to boil water before consuming or using in other ways.  

On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, the TRUSU Equity Committee was raising awareness on campus about the CUPE Water is Life Campaign that addresses the urgent issue of limited access to clean drinking water in Indigenous communities across Canada. This outreach served as a platform to educate TRU community about this ongoing issue and encourage them to sign a solidarity banner calling the Canadian Government to act.  

This issue has been persisting since previous Governments assigned Indigenous people’s displacement from their rich homelands onto reserves. Despite recent commitments from the Canadian Government, many Indigenous communities still lack access to clean water today, violating their internationally recognized human right to water. The signed banner, now a collective voice of the TRU community, has been sent to the Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, with a letter urging action to work on solutions that address the boil water advisories in all Indigenous communities in Canada.  

The TRUSU Equity Committee expresses gratitude to all those who stopped by our table and signed the banner, together, we are fostering a community that actively advocates for clean drinking water and the overall fundamental human rights applicable to all Canadians. We look forward to hearing back from Minister Patty Hajdu and let the TRU community aware of their response and overall commitment to the struggling Indigenous community’s human right of access to clean water.