Summary
In January 2021, the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit adopted a resolution recognizing the Magpie River (Muteshekau-shipu in the Innu language) as a legal person with rights. This is the first of two parallel resolutions advanced by the Muteshekau-shipu Alliance. This is the first such case in Canada. This first resolution was followed by the Minganie Regional County Municipality (MRC) Rights of the Magpie River Resolution in February.
The Mutehekau Shipu/Magpie River is located in Nitassinan, the ancestral territory of the Innu people of the Ekuanitshit community; and more than 85% of the Magpie River lies within the territory of the Minganie Regional County Municipality (MRC).
Jurisprudential Framing
The resolutions mutually resolve to recognize the river as possessing nine rights, including the right to evolve naturally and be protected, to be free of pollution, and to have standing in court. Guardians for the river will be appointed on both sides by the Ekuanitshit Innu Council and the Minganie MRC. The river’s legal guardians will hold the primary responsibility for ensuring that these rights are respected, and empowered to take legal action on behalf of the Magpie River.
“The people closest to the river will be those watching over it from now on. The Innu of Ekuanitshit have always been the protectors of the Nitassinan [ancestral territory] and will continue to be so through the recognition of the rights of the Muteshekau-shipu river.” – Chief of the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit (Jean-Charles Piétacho)
Muteshekau-shipu Alliance
The Innu Council of Ekuanitshit defends the inherent and legitimate rights, interests and concerns of the Ekuanitshiunnuat and ensures that the well-being of community members is maintained. The founding members of the Muteshekau-shipu Alliance are the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit, the Minganie MRC, CPAWS Quebec, and the Association Eaux-Vives Minganie. The International Observatory on the Rights of Nature, based in Montreal, Canada, helped draft the resolutions in collaboration with the Alliance.
Involved Organizations
Related Initiatives
Suggested Citation:
Kauffman, Craig, Catherine Haas, Alex Putzer, Shrishtee Bajpai, Kelsey Leonard, Elizabeth Macpherson, Pamela Martin, Alessandro Pelizzon & Linda Sheehan. Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. V2. 2025. Distributed by the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor.https://ecojurisprudence.org/initiatives/innu-first-nation-resolution-rights-of-the-magpie-river/.
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