This Father-Daughter Team Is Taking on Justin Trudeau over Climate Change
They’re making a novel legal argument. In approving the pipeline, the regulator, the National Energy Board, refused to consider the pipeline’s total impact on climate change. Their letter argues Canada’s failure to do so violates section seven of the Charter, which protects Canadians’ rights “to life, liberty and security of the person.” Gage and other lawyers argue that by authorizing increased emissions, Canada is causing risk to human life and security, especially for the younger generation. It also also cites section 15, which guarantees Canadians shall not face discrimination, including on the basis of age. The letter states greenhouse gases “inevitably impact the youth disproportionately, since the climate effects of those emissions may not be felt for a decade or more.”