Overview

• Ontario has requested the Supreme Court of Canada to hear a youth-led constitutional challenge of the province's climate plan, marking a potential landmark case on climate and Charter rights.
• Seven young plaintiffs argue that Ontario's weakened emissions targets violate their rights to life and equality under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
• The case stems from the Ford government's 2018 repeal of Ontario's cap-and-trade system and adoption of less ambitious emissions targets, which critics claim allow significantly higher emissions.
• Ontario's highest court ruled in October to send the case back to a lower court for a new hearing, leaving open the possibility of a successful constitutional challenge.
• The Supreme Court's decision to take the case could clarify the extent of governmental obligations to combat climate change and is being closely monitored by legal experts across Canada.