Climate change lawsuit won’t be heard by Supreme Court of Canada

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Climate change class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: The Superior Court of Canada has declined to hear an appeal for a class action lawsuit filed by Quebec organization ENvironnement JEUnesse (ENJEU) targeting the federal government. 
• Why: ENJEU was attempting to argue that the federal government is not doing enough to fight climate change. 
• Where: The Supreme Court of Canada. 

The Supreme Court of Canada is declining to hear an appeal for a class action lawsuit accusing the federal government of not doing enough to prevent climate change. 

Quebec organization ENvironnement JEUnesse (ENJEU) — in a class action lawsuit filed in 2018 — accused the government of violating the rights of individuals wanting to live in a healthy environment, the Montreal Gazette reported. 

The organization also alleged the federal government, by not adequately fighting climate change, was violating their right to security, equality and life itself. 

ENJEU sought to achieve a reward of $100 per Quebecer under the age of 35, arguing younger people will be the ones who will end feeling the effects of climate change most, the Montreal Gazette reported. 

In total, the class action lawsuit asked for $340 million, with the funds meant to go toward financing actions made to help fight climate change. 

Climate class action previously dismissed by a Superior Court justice

The class action lawsuit had previously been dismissed by a Superior Court justice, while a later appeal to reverse the decision was rejected by the Quebec Court of Appeal last December, the Montreal Gazette reported. 

The high court did not provide a reason for why it decided it would not be willing to hear an appeal for the class action lawsuit, as is custom. 

A similar complaint was filed against the federal government in 2019 by a group of teenagers arguing the country was not doing enough to fight climate change. 

The group of young Canadians wanted to force legislators to rewrite the country’s climate policies in order to, as they argued, make them accurately reflect the science behind climate change. 

Canada, the group argued, was violating their rights — including life, liberty, equality and security — with the country’s greenhouse gas emission levels. 

While the teenagers’ complaint was thrown out by a judge in November 2020, the group later attempted to get the decision reversed with the Court of Appeal. 

Do you believe the federal government has failed to do enough to prevent climate change? Let us know in the comments!

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