OTTAWA -- The country's highest court has ruled that Quebec courts have jurisdiction to settle a dispute between the Innu and the mining company IOC, even if the actions alleged in the ancestral territory overlap two provinces.
In a contested decision, the Supreme Court of Canada sided with the Superior Court and the Court of Appeal of Quebec. They had previously ruled that the Quebec courts had the power to legislate on the megaproject which is, in this case, on the border of Quebec and Labrador.
The Attorney General of Newfoundland and Labrador had argued that the latter do not have jurisdiction to rule on activities and lands beyond the territorial limits of Quebec.
With the Supreme Court decision, the courts will be able to deal with the merits of this case.
The case dates back to 2013. The Innu of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam and Matimekush-Lac John initiated a lawsuit against the IOC mining company and the railway company which operate a megaproject comprising numerous surface mines and railroads.
They believe that the economic activities of the mining megaproject have had an impact on the use and enjoyment of their ancestral territory, the Nitassinan, in the Quebec-Labrador peninsula. The mines have been in operation since 1954, but the Innu say the project went ahead without their consent.
This report was first published on Feb. 21, 2020.
