Quebec (Canada) Law: rights of the Saint Lawrence River

Summary

On May 5, 2022, MP Émilise Lessard-Therrien (Québec Solidaire political party) introduced a Bill in the National Assembly of Quebec to recognize the rights of the Saint Lawrence River, including the St. Lawrence Estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, as well as all its tributaries and its watershed. The Bill states: “The purpose of this bill is to strengthen protection of the St. Lawrence River. To that end, the bill creates a special legal status for the St. Lawrence River by conferring on it several rights, including the rights to protection, to conservation and to restoration. The bill establishes a council of guardians under the name “Conseil des gardiens du Fleuve”, whose mandate is to protect the interests of the River. The Council is composed of seven members called “guardians of the River”, including two from Indigenous nations, who are, among other things, responsible for representing the River before the courts.”

The River is the holder of the following rights: “(1) the right to exist and to flow; (2) the right to respect for its vital cycles; (3) the right to maintain its natural biodiversity; (4) the right to maintain its integrity; (5) the right to fulfill its essential functions within its ecosystem; (6) the right to feed and be fed by aquifers and tributaries; (7) the right to be free from all contamination; and (8) the right to regenerate.”