Photo Credit: Lauren Wright, 2023.
VANCOUVER, B.C. (22 December 2023) — Chris Tollefson (co-counsel for the plaintiffs) and plaintiff Lauren Wright spoke with Mark Kelly (The Current, CBC Radio) about the Federal Court of Appeal’s ruling in La Rose v. Canada and the road ahead for the case.
As a young climate activist living in Saskatoon and experiencing the daily impacts of climate change, Lauren mentions the overwhelming relief she felt when she found out that the Federal Court of Appeal reversed the lower court’s decision and allowed their climate case to proceed to trial.
When asked what motivated Lauren and her co-plaintiffs to take the federal government to court, she said: “I think with a lot of us, we found no matter what we did as activists, we were not having our rights recognized in a way that gave us equal standing with those who are creating the laws and creating the systems that have caused us harm.”
Lauren discusses how both future and present-day consequences of climate change are concerns in the case, noting the physical and mental health struggles she lives with as a result of wildfire smoke and extreme temperature patterns across her province.
Both Lauren and Chris explain how the plaintiffs’ personal stories and the best available science are critical aspects of presenting the case. As co-counsel, Chris explains that: “The goal here really is to force action, compel action, or persuade governments to take action on climate change, and for the courts to be part of that process of dialogue.”
When asked what the desired outcome for the case would be, Lauren replies: “The big thing for me is legal accountability… having legally binding frameworks that must be obeyed, really, is the hope here”.
Listen to the interview.
Read the decision.
The plaintiffs have been represented for the past 4 years by co-counsel Arvay Finlay LLP and Tollefson Law Corporation. The appeal was argued by Reidar Mogerman, K.C. and Chris Tollefson. Our Children’s Trust, David Suzuki Foundation, Pacific Centre for Environmental Law and Litigation (CELL) have partnered to support this important case.
