History is happening this October
For the first time, a youth-led federal climate case will go to trial in Canada.
Fifteen youth will walk into a courtroom to hold their federal government accountable for contributing to the climate crisis and violating their rights in La Rose v. His Majesty the King.
“They desire a better country”
The Crown of Canada can bestow on worthy Canadians the Order of Canada (Ordre du Canada au français), which has the motto “Desiderantes meliorem patriam” or “They desire a better country.” I think this motto exemplifies the Canadian plaintiffs in La Rose v. His Majesty the King. The La Rose plaintiffs desire a better country and are suing His Majesty because Canada’s government has shown no such desire in its actions.
Reclaiming My Story
When I was diagnosed in high school with a rare autoinflammatory disease, going to a doctor’s office down the road wasn’t an option. Living in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories of Canada, the closest place I could access the specialized treatment I needed was Edmonton: over 1000 kilometers away. This experience is common for people across rural, remote, and Northern Canada.
Growing Up with La Rose: A Mother’s Day Reflection with Andrea Rodgers
My daughter was asked to leave the courtroom while I was arguing a case.
She was six months old, and her dad was holding her in the back of the room. Unfamiliar with court etiquette, she kept calling out “Hi!” with a big smile on her face, her small voice echoing off the walls.
From the bench, the judge said, “The baby in the back is really adorable, but can you guys please leave the courtroom?”
That moment stayed with me. Not because it was unusual, but because of what it revealed about where children were allowed to be and where they were not. I spent much of my early legal career working in Indian country, where it was pretty common to have children and youth in governmental decision spaces.
Patience in a Time of Urgency: Sadie Vipond Has Waited 7 Years for Trial
As Sadie Vipond sits on the bank of the Bow River, she recounts the 2013 flooding that occurred when she was 8 years old. “The magnitude of this flood was partially caused due to climate change making extreme weather events more damaging.” Her family had to evacuate, unsure if they’d ever see their home again. “That really scared me and made me feel anxious for the future. It led me to notice environmental impacts happening around me.”
Uniting for Climate Rights: West Coast Environmental Law Joins Canadian Youth-Led Climate Lawsuit
Across Canada, the signs of a worsening climate crisis are impossible to ignore—wildfires blanketing skies in smoke, floods swallowing communities, and rising costs leaving families struggling to rebuild. For the young Canadians behind La Rose v. His Majesty the King, these are not distant threats but daily realities that jeopardize their futures and violate their Charter rights to life, liberty, and security of the person. Determined to hold their government accountable, they are preparing to make history at the first federal climate trial in Canada.
The Great White North Is Burning!
Canada holds a special place in my heart. I began visiting the Great White North as a baby on family vacations. We would boat across Lake of the Woods from Minnesota’s Northwest Angle into Manitoba waters, where the better fishing lay. I turned these youthful trips to Canadian lakes and rivers into my Ph.D. research, documenting the final retreat and disappearance of the world’s largest ice sheet, the Laurentide. This research led me to drive across northern Manitoba and Quebec. As a professor, I expanded that work to Labrador, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories. I’ve also kicked around Nova Scotia, visiting a Canadian marine core lab there to sample sediments that would record Laurentide meltwater discharge through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the North Atlantic and how it impacted ocean circulation.
An Indigenous Youth’s Journey for Climate Justice in Canada
For 21-year-old Leandrea, a member of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation who lives in Whitehorse, Yukon, the fight against the climate crisis is personal, physical and cultural. “Climate change doesn’t just affect our land,” she says. “It affects the ways we live, heal, and connect. The climate crisis is a cultural crisis too.”