The Council of Canadians asserts that "Canada's abstention from the vote will not excuse it from the work that needs to be done to maintain and improve its public water and sanitation systems for all peoples living in Canada, including Indigenous communities who have lived for generations without adequate infrastructure.”
I agree this is a positive step, especially regarding access to basic needs and entitlements. One word of caution, however. I have always worried that Indigenous Rights to water may be be forgotten, or ignored, in the rush to guarantee a human right to water. International rights are always implemented within a domestic, or country, context, and it is also within that context that Aboriginal peoples in Canada possess rights to water. We need to understand where Indigenous Rights to water stand with regards to this now internationally accepted but domestically implemented human right to water. We need to ensure that Indigenous rights to water are protected, while ensuring basic water needs of human beings and the environment are met.