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House Bill

Bill C-271

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 05, 2022
St. Lawrence River Capacity and Protection Act
  • Bill C-271, the St. Lawrence River Capacity and Protection Act, gives the St. Lawrence River the legal capacity of a natural person and establishes the St. Lawrence River Protection Committee. The purposes of this Act are to protect the River's right to exist and flow, maintain its biodiversity, and ensure its protection. The Committee, consisting of eleven members with specialized knowledge in water management, acts as the River's representative and exercises its rights. The Committee's duties include raising public awareness, advising on projects that may affect the River, advocating for the River's best interests in legal proceedings, and proposing measures to protect and restore the River. The Committee can also bring actions for damages on behalf of the River. Each year, the Committee presents a report to the Minister detailing its activities.
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Context: House Hansard - 65 - May/5/22
Mr. Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, NDP)
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-271, An Act to give legal capacity to the St. Lawrence River and to provide for measures respecting its protection. He said: Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased and honoured to rise in the House to introduce this private member's bill to give the St. Lawrence River the right to defend and protect itself. We know that we are experiencing a major environmental crisis, likely the sixth mass extinction, and the mass destruction of our ecosystems. The current legislation and our economic model are inadequate and are not working. That is why we in the NDP feel we need a paradigm shift to adopt a new approach focused on granting rights to nature. There is a huge international movement under way, in countries like Mexico, New Zealand, Ecuador, Panama and Colombia, to confer rights on natural entities. That is what we aim to do, in co-operation with local communities and first nations in the area, so that we can protect the St. Lawrence River, the source of so much wealth and pride for all Quebeckers.
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