Summary
Yenny Vega Cárdenas, president of the NGO International Legal Center for Nature’s Rights, and Mr. Alexandre Boulerice, a Canadian member of parliament from the New Democratic Party, developed and introduced a bill to the House of Commons in Canada that would give the Saint Lawrence River the capacity of a natural person to protect its rights. The bill says giving the river rights is necessary to guarantee the river maintains a healthy environment for the benefit of future generations. The bill would establish a St. Lawrence River Protection Committee, which would be responsible for acting on behalf of the River. The committee would be made up of 11 members appointed by the Governor in Council, including members recommended by the governments of Ontario and Quebec, members recommended by relevant indigenous governing bodies from Ontario and Quebec, and three members appointed by NGOs in Ontario and Quebec. “It is necessary to recognize that all Indigenous peoples who are living on the borders of the St. Lawrence River and who have navigated it over millennia are the traditional custodians of the River and ensure its protection, the enhancement of its rights and its best interest,” the bill says.