Three young women and two environmental groups have taken the Canadian government to court, demanding it produce a real plan to meet its own climate goals.
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney's administration walks back major environmental policies while pushing big energy projects. The government wants to reduce Canada's dependence on the United States amid trade tensions with President Donald Trump.
Plaintiff Shirley Barnea, a university student from Quebec, said authorities have a duty to build a sustainable future for younger generations. "Young people deserve a sustainable economy, good green jobs and a government with a credible plan to get us there," she told a news conference.
Five years ago, under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada set a target to cut carbon emissions by 40 to 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. But Carney has admitted the country is unlikely to hit that mark.
The legal action aims to force the government "to chart a credible, up-to-date course of action" and "to protect Canadians from the worsening impacts of climate change," according to a statement from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), which is also a plaintiff.
Sophia Mathur, a fellow plaintiff from Ontario, said her generation's first decade has been marked by wildfires, floods, heat waves, and scientists warning that time is running out. "Over the last year, we have watched the Carney government weaken, delay and repeal Canada's key climate policies," said Charlie Hatt, Climate Director at Equal Justice, which is bringing the challenge alongside the three plaintiffs.
Since taking office in March 2025, Carney, a center-left leader, has rolled back several environmental measures. He scrapped a carbon tax for individuals and removed an emissions cap for the oil and gas sector. His argument: Canada must strengthen its economic resilience against U.S. trade pressure by accelerating major energy and infrastructure projects.
The court filing describes climate change as an "existential threat." It notes that Canada is warming at roughly twice the global rate, and temperatures in its north are rising nearly three times faster.
The government also faces a separate trial in October over claims that the previous Trudeau administration's climate response violated young Canadians' rights. A broader wave of climate litigation is pushing governments in Germany, the Netherlands, and France to do more.
"The federal government made a promise, a legal commitment, to meet its climate targets," said Mathur. "Now it must keep its word."