Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about the quality of drinking water, particularly in smaller communities. Two communities in my riding have had problems with their drinking water. In one community the water is quite discoloured. The school is even now boiling the water before allowing students and staff to drink it. In another Nahendeh community the well that supplies the community with water is quite old and the water is
very hard. This has caused pipes to corrode, and people are worried about the quality of their water.
Mr. Speaker, in response to questions I raised earlier in the week, the Minister outlined the steps communities that have concerns with their drinking water should take. I understand that community governments have the primary responsibility for providing clean drinking water to their residents, but I also believe the management of water quality is a shared responsibility between communities and the Government of the Northwest Territories. I think that more needs to be done to make sure the smaller communities have the support they need to be effective water-management technicians.
Mr. Speaker, we need to ensure that appropriate training, tools, support and resources are in place for communities and that there is adequate oversight on the part of government to make sure our community water supplies remain safe. I ask that the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs work with his colleagues in Public Works and Services and the Department of Health and Social Services to review the support available to communities and ensure that the tools they need to do the job will be in place. Mahsi cho.