Northerners among youth taking climate fight to federal court - CBC

Kira Young, left, of Yellowknife and Leandrea Reeves of Whitehorse are among 15 young plaintiffs arguing the federal government's legislation and trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions causes serious and significant harm, and violates their rights. (Eillin Delapaz/Our Children’s Trust)Social SharingKira Young paddled the Keele River in the Northwest Territories with her family and some friends a few years ago. It’s a trip she isn’t likely to forget. 

“We were a loud bunch — there was lots of kids on the trip — but we still saw bears, beavers, lots of fish,” she said. “It was a really beautiful trip, a really special trip.” 

The route took about two weeks, passing through mountain ranges and eventually reaching the Mackenzie River. What happened toward the end, however, is one of the reasons it remains so memorable.

“We noticed the smoke in the air was getting thicker and thicker,” she said. “All of a sudden, you could barely see across to the other side of the river, couldn’t see the river bank.” 

Young says a paddling through a wildfire during a canoe trip on the Keele River in the Northwest Territories a few years ago was a sombre reminder of what's at stake as the planet continues to warm because of human-caused climate change. (Submitted by Kira Young)

Young, who grew up in Yellowknife and who is now an undergraduate student in Ontario, plans to talk about paddling through a wildfire and other ways climate change has affected her at a climate trial in Federal Court that begins Monday in Vancouver.

She and Leandrea Reeves, 22, from Whitehorse, are among 15 young plaintiffs who argue the federal government's legislation and current trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions causes serious and significant harm, while also violating their rights to life, liberty and security. 

The lawsuit, La Rose v. His Majesty the King, was filed back in 2019. Young joined the case after Yellowknife’s 2023 wildfire evacuation, while Reeves has been involved for the last two years. The trial is expected to last four weeks, with closing arguments to be made in February.

Reeves is a member of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation. While she grew up in Whitehorse, she said her family is from Atlin, B.C, and she still spends a lot of time there visiting family.

Reeves said she didn’t grow up with a strong connection to her culture, because much of it was lost through colonization and residential schools. 

Reeves said she enjoys spending time outdoors and, in particular, learning about her Indigenous culture through traditional practices like hunting, trapping and picking berries. (Submitted by Leandrea Reeves)

Now that she's older, she said she’s taken on the responsibility to learn about her history and build traditional skills. She’s studying to become a teacher, and said through her work with the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate, she’s been able to go berry picking, hunting and trapping. 

These cultural practices are at risk as the climate changes, she explained. 

“Some of the things we used to harvest, we’re not finding anymore,” she said. “Or how dramatic the seasons are shifting, and how that influences wildlife as well.” 

She’s scheduled to testify in the case on Tuesday, and plans to tell the court how important the land is to her culture and keeping those traditions alive.

“If we don’t start taking care of the land that takes care of us, like I’m not going to be able to continue practicing my cultural activities and traditions. That’s a pretty big fear of mine.” 

Reeves wants the federal government to acknowledge what it’s done wrong when it comes to climate change. 

Young said the government can’t undo the harm that’s already been done, but it does have a “generational opportunity” to mitigate what’s to come. 

“The remedy that we’re asking for in this trial is a mandate from the Federal Court, requiring the government of Canada to implement a plan to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in line with the best available science.” 

Young, on top of being a paddler, describes herself as someone who likes to be on the water no matter the season. She enjoys swimming and sailing in the summer months, and has been a competitive cross country skier for a decade. 

That’s why, when smoke filled the air during that paddle trip on the Keele River, her group started talking about what's at stake as humans continue to emit greenhouse gases and cause the planet to warm.

Young said after the 2023 wildfire evacuation, she felt stressed about the precarity and instability of her northern home. 

“I would have like, anticipatory grief as well, for what we’ve lost to climate change and what we’re forecasted to keep losing.” 

Liny Lamberink is a reporter for CBC North, covering the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon. She moved to Yellowknife in March 2021, after working as a reporter and newscaster in Ontario for five years. You can reach her at liny.lamberink@cbc.ca