Overcoming barriers to Indigenous-local water sharing agreements in Canada

Abstract

Although water sharing agreements have emerged as an important tool for improving First Nations water security in Canada, some communities are reluctant to sign them. In this article, we review the concerns raised by First Nations leaders and examine the extent to which existing water sharing agreements include provisions that might mitigate their concerns. To do so, we analyze the contents of 40 water agreements between First Nations and local communities in Canada and find that while many agreements do include provisions that seem to mitigate First Nations concerns, some concerns are left unaddressed or are inadequately addressed.