Gilbert Whiteduck, who used to be chief of the Kitigan Zibi tribe, is “pushing” for the legal nam
A movement around the world to make rivers legal people has just reached Canada, and an Indigenous leader there wants to know if the Gatineau River could be next.
Former Kitigan Zibi Chief Gilbert Whiteduck said that giving the Gatineau River this legal designation would protect the environment better, and he’s “pushing” to make it happen.
The movement, which is mostly led by Indigenous communities, environmental groups, and scientists, is meant to give rivers and other ecological features stronger legal protections by giving them rights that are usually only given to people.
Whiteduck told CBC, “As an Algonquin Anishinaabe, I think we need to work together to protect the land.”All In A Day.
“A lot of the older people and family members I’ve met say yes, we can do this together.”
Whiteduck said that the Gatineau River is a culturally and historically important waterway for the Algonquin Anishinaabe people. He also said that local groups may soon try to follow Indigenous bands from around the world by using the new tool of environmental rights to protect more of the river.
‘Part of the planet
Movement around the world to give rivers legal personhoodbegan in New Zealand in 2014.
A Mori nation won a land claim over the Whanganui River after decades of fighting.a legal settlementIn 2021, this gave the river the legal rights of “an indivisible and living whole,” or a person.
This settlement was the first time a court gave legal personhood to something that was not human or alive.
Since then, hundreds of similarThere are now environmental protections that are based on people’s rights all over the world, but most of these efforts have been in New Zealand, the United States, and Ecuador.
The approach first got to Canada through the Muteshekau-shipu, also called the Magpie River, in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec.
In February 2021, the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit and the Minganie Regional County Municipality both passed resolutions that gave the river nine legal rights, including the right to be protected and the right to take legal action.
So, because of its legal status, the body of water, which is represented by “guardians” chosen by the local government and the Innu, could, in theory, sue the government.
Yenny Vega Cárdenas, a lawyer from Quebec and the head of the International Observatory on the Rights of Nature, said, “We have been acting like we own the world.” “We need to realize that we are not in charge of the planet, but that we are a part of it.”
Last week, Cárdenas, along with the chief of the Ekuanitshit council and the mayor of Minganie, spoke at a United Nations water conference in New York City with the chief of the Ekuanitshit council and the mayor of Minganie. They talked about legal protections for the Magpie River.
What about the river Gatineau
Cárdenas said that she wonders if the Magpie River might have a “butterfly effect” in Canada. A “butterfly effect” is the idea that a small change can have a bigger effect somewhere else.
Cárdenas didn’t know that someone was trying to make the Gatineau River a legal person, but she said she’s “happy” to hear that the idea may be gaining steam.
She said, “The physical goal is to make rivers good places to fish, drink, and swim in.” “It’s not hard, but rivers can’t meet those needs right now.”
In an email to CBC, the Friends of the Gatineau River said that it’s too early for the group to talk about how it might be involved, but that it would get in touch when the project is ready to start.
Cárdenas is currently trying to get Canada’s Parliament and Quebec’s National Assembly to recognize the St. Lawrence River as a legal person.
“The way things are now is no longer good enough,” she said. “We need strong water law, and I think legal personhood is the future for water around the world.”
Whiteduck wants to move the same structure upstream a little bit.
He said, “I’m pushing and trying to plant the idea that Gatineau River would accept that.” “I think we should keep it safe.”