Canada’s House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development passed a motion on Wednesday summoning federal cabinet ministers, Indigenous leaders, and experts to testify regarding contamination at the Fort Chipewyan dock in Alberta and a critical communication breach about the problem.

The motion, introduced by New Democratic Party MP Laurel Collins, aims to address the longstanding issue of environmental hazards to Indigenous communities that have gone undisclosed for years. It calls on several cabinet ministers to testify, including Minister of Transport Anita Anand, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan, Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu, and Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Gary Anandasangaree. The motion also invites Indigenous leaders such as Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam, Mikisew Cree First Nation Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro, and Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation President Kendrick Cardinal to share how this issue has impacted their communities. Collins describes as the effort as an attempt to address   “environmental racism” and a violation of Indigenous treaty rights.

The controversy centers around a dock in Fort Chipewyan, a small and largely Indigenous community on the western tip of Lake Athabasca, where a 2017 Transport Canada study as well as a recent study by the Auditor General of Canada revealed alarming levels of the carcinogens nickel and arsenic, and certain harmful hydrocarbons in sediment and groundwater samples. These substances pose severe health risks, yet despite these findings, Transport Canada failed to inform affected Indigenous communities about the contamination.

This lack of communication came to light this month when Indigenous leaders disclosed to local media that they had been kept in the dark about these environmental hazards. The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (AFCN) had reportedly requested dredging of the river surrounding the dock but Transport Canada had refused, citing concerns that dredging would disturb contaminants.

In response, ACFN Chief Allan Adam took to Instagram to say: “This is environmental racism. This is deadly.” Canada’s Transport Minister also addressed the revelations saying:

My understanding is that the severe health risks that we’re seeing now were not evident at that time, but of course having been in the role for just two weeks, I want to stress on the go forward, I take this issue very seriously.

This comes in the wake of a broader movement for truth and reconciliation in Canada against the backdrop of longstanding concerns about the disproportionate impact of policing on Indigenous communities. In September 2024, MP’s held an emergency debate on First Nations deaths in police encounters and in August First Nations groups sued the province of Ontario over Mining Act alleging treaty rights violations. Earlier this month, the federal government announced funding for Indigenous-led climate solutions.