An environmental group has filed a class-action lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of all Quebecers who are 35 years of age and under.
Environnement Jeunesse is claiming Ottawa is not doing enough to address climate change and is, therefore, asking for roughly $100 each for about 3.5 million Quebecers.
The federal government has not responded so far, only saying that it is forming a solid plan to fight climate change.
The lawsuit is part of a global movement to use the courts to pressure government into taking more action on the environment.
In the Netherlands, the government was forced to adopt a concrete plan to reach its climate target. The Dutch government is now legally bound to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 per cent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels.
Quebec is particular because in the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms, all Quebecers have the fundamental right to live in a healthy environment in which biodiversity is suitably protected.
“It gives us one more tool and one more demand that we can make to the court,” explained Catherine Gauthier of Environnement Jeunesse. “Hopefully we will get the recognition that the right to a safe environment is crucial and it will also provide us with a better future. Because among arguments we’ve been making is that we demand the Canadian government to respect and protect our right to life and we cannot do so if we don’t have a safe environment.”
Similar legal actions are ongoing in the United States, Belgium, Norway, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Colombia and the United Kingdom.
