Young Canadians Take Federal Government to Court Over Climate Policies
The case, known as La Rose v. His Majesty the King was launched in 2019 and is Canada's first federal climate trial initiated by young people.
The plaintiffs contend that Ottawa's support for fossil fuel industries through subsidies, approval of major resource extraction projects, and failure to fulfill emissions-reduction pledges violate Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees the rights to life, liberty, and security of the person.
They are asking the Federal Court to recognize that their constitutional rights have been infringed and require the government to introduce a science-based Climate Recovery Plan aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning Canada's energy system away from carbon-intensive sources.
"I was 13 when I joined this case. I have grown up in it, and for seven years it has been part of my life, through all the ups and downs," said Sadie Vipond, a plaintiff from Calgary, Alberta, in a statement released by Our Children's Trust.
"The climate crisis is harming us now. We deserve protection. We deserve a future we can believe in. And our rights are worth standing up for," she added.
Catherine Boies Parker, a lawyer representing the young plaintiffs at Arvay Finlay LLP, said the proceedings focus on the constitutional protections afforded to children and young people.
"The question for the Court is not what Canada's climate policy should look like, but whether the government's conduct is consistent with the Constitution," she said.
The trial's evidentiary phase is scheduled to continue through Nov. 20. The court is expected to hear testimony from the plaintiffs and specialists in climate science, children's health, renewable energy, public policy, and economics.
The proceedings follow a unanimous ruling by the Federal Court of Appeal in 2023 that allowed the case to proceed.
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