Bill C-271

St. Lawrence River Capacity and Protection Act

An Act to give legal capacity to the St. Lawrence River and to provide for measures respecting its protection

Sponsor

Alexandre Boulerice  NDP

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Outside the Order of Precedence (a private member's bill that hasn't yet won the draw that determines which private member's bills can be debated), as of May 5, 2022

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Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

This enactment gives the St. Lawrence River the capacity of a natural person and establishes the St. Lawrence River Protection Committee.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

St. Lawrence River Capacity and Protection ActRoutine Proceedings

May 5th, 2022 / 10 a.m.
See context

NDP

Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC

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.

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.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)