Piapot First Nation chief asks for apology from MP Kevin Waugh for offensive comments
Global News
Piapot First Nation Chief Mark Fox is asking MP Kevin Waugh to apologize for saying that reserves in Saskatchewan burn down their water treatment plants.
The chief of Piapot First Nation is asking for an apology from Kevin Waugh, a Conservative member of Parliament for Saskatoon-Grasswood, who made remarks regarding water treatment plants on reserves in Saskatchewan.
“In my province of Saskatchewan, I’ve seen reserves burn down water treatment plants because this government has done little or nothing,” Waugh said in the House of Commons proceedings on Feb. 5. “These water treatment plants need education, and they need people on reserve to operate the water treatment plants and that’s part of the problem that we’ve seen with this government.”
Chief Mark Fox said these comments are more than just wrong, they are “disrespectful and racist.”
“They stir up old, harmful stereotypes from the past…. It’s 2024. It shouldn’t be happening today. People get in trouble now for making those type of disrespectful, racist comments,” he said. “We want people to know that our staff are educated, they’re professional, and they’ve been working hard all these years to manage our water treatment facilities on our nation.”
In 2018, the water treatment plant on Piapot First Nation burnt down. An investigation determined that leaked propane caused the fire. The following day, Indigenous Services Canada was in touch with community leaders to plan for a water treatment plant to be rebuilt.
Fox said the comments that Waugh made were hurtful to the community and to those who operate the water treatment facility.
“I felt that MP Kevin Law disrespected our community, not only our community but all First Nations communities,” he said. “I was upset. Our community was upset. Our community members were upset. Our elders were upset. And our staff that worked the water treatment plant were very, very upset because of three marks you made about being uneducated and unprofessional. And they were they’re quite hurt.”
Global News reached out to Waugh for comment but did not receive a response by time of publishing.
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