Senator Dupuis: Thank you, Senator Marshall, for your comments. You talked about all the spending authorized by legislation other than appropriation acts. Statutory expenditures are estimated at $233 billion this year.

When you stated that there is no parliamentary mechanism to review this spending, what are you suggesting as a mechanism for parliamentary review to ensure that legislators like us can fulfill our mandate to hold the government to account for its spending?

Hon. Renée Dupuis: Would Senator Marshall take another question?

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Hon. Renée Dupuis: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, on March 17, I asked you what deadline the government had set for itself to review the policy and funding formula for the operating and maintenance costs of public drinking water systems on Indigenous reserves. You did not have an answer at the time.

I therefore asked the Parliamentary Budget Officer to calculate the amounts needed to eliminate the gap between water and sewer services in Indigenous communities and those received by non-Indigenous communities in a similar situation in the rest of Canada.

In his report released on December 1, the Parliamentary Budget Officer found that the funding allocated by the government for the years 2016 to 2026 to cover the operating and maintenance costs of the 1,298 public systems in 550 First Nations communities is insufficient. In fact, there is a $1.4‑billion shortfall to complete the planned work.

The new Minister of Indigenous Services told La Presse on November 11 that she is thinking about what a realistic timeline would be for removing the 119 long-term drinking water advisories that are currently in place. According to the minister, she hasn’t been able to set a timeline because she is examining the obstacles to removing the advisories.

Senator Gold, could you please check with the minister to find out what obstacles are preventing her from setting a timeline to resolve this issue?

Senator Dupuis: Senator Gold, could you pass along my question to the minister? I have asked questions about the obstacles to setting a timeline.

I have a supplementary question for you. An agreement was reached between the federal government and a number of First Nations in July 2021. It is an $8-billion settlement. In fact, a number of First Nations have filed lawsuits seeking compensation for having been under a drinking water advisory for more than a year, from 1995 to this date.

My questions are the following. First, can you provide details about each of the items in the $8-billion envelope? How many First Nations are included in this settlement? Will this amount be distributed equally to the First Nations included in the settlement? Will the work required to address these problems be carried out more quickly than in the other First Nations not included in this settlement? How many other First Nations not covered by this settlement are affected? Will the government compensate all the other First Nations subject to a drinking water advisory for more than one year, since 1995, but who are not part of this class action suit?

Senator Dupuis: Would you like me to put the question in the chat of the Senate hybrid session?

Senator Dupuis: Thank you.

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