Metepenagiag woman to testify at Canada’s 1st youth-led federal climate trial - CBC

Sophia Sidarous is one of 15 youth plaintiffs in La Rose v. His Majesty the King (Submitted/Our Children's Trust)Social SharingSophia Sidarous was 17 years old when she first became involved in La Rose vs. His Majesty the King, a case where Canadian youth are taking the government to court over climate change.

Now, more than seven years later, the case is finally going to trial.

Sidarous said she got involved because she’s seen how climate change has impacted her community as a Mi’kmaw growing up in Eastern Canada.

“It feels really full circle for me,” Sidarous said in an interview with CBC News. “It does feel like almost something is wrapping up in terms of like a chapter for me. But I also know that the legal battle is quite a lengthy process.”

The case first began in 2019, when a group of 15 youth from all across Canada came together to allege that the Canadian government hadn’t done enough to prevent the impacts of climate change. It was initially dismissed by the Federal Court, then sent back for a full hearing by the Federal Court of Appeal. 

Meet the N.B. woman about to testify in a federal climate trial

Sidarous had done some activism work before she was asked to be a plaintiff, but she remembers being quickly whisked into the high-profile case, speaking at the launch event alongside David Suzuki and Greta Thunberg.

“When I was approached, I was hesitant at first because it would be a lot to undertake, but it was important for Mi’kmaw people to be represented” said Sidarous, who is originally from Metepenagiag First Nation in northeastern New Brunswick.

Sidarous is now a 25-year-old legal analyst specializing in environmental and Indigenous law, and she is expected to testify on the third day of the trial, which begins Monday in Vancouver.

Sidarous' family is what she calls “one of the main traditional families in Metepenagiag,” as elders and knowledge keepers.

While she didn’t grow up in Metepenagiag, also known as Red Bank, Sidarous spent a lot of time there during summer months attending family gatherings and participating in ceremonies and powwows.

Sidarous grew up learning from the land in Metepenagiag in northwestern New Brunswick and is worried future generations won't have the same privilege. (Metepenagiag Heritage Park/Facebook)

“Growing up, I always went back home,” she said. “That was really important to me, that I knew who I was and who my ancestors were and how their everyday life used to be and how we can continue those practices moving forward.”

But when it comes to things like hunting, fishing and gathering, Sidarous worries that future generations may not be able to have the same access to the land that her ancestors had. 

“A lot of the medicines, but also the salmon, the moose, the different species that we traditionally harvest. We have to really be careful on how we harvest and hunt and fish,” she said. “We have to keep an eye on the populations which are rapidly declining.”

The examples of climate change across New Brunswick aren’t just limited to Indigenous practices, Sidarous said, citing the wildfires that took place in northern New Brunswick and across the province in summer 2025.

A photo taken on Aug. 13, 2025, shows firefighters working to extinguish the Oldfield Road wildfire in the Miramichi area, about 30 kilometres east of Metepenagiag First Nation. (Government of New Brunswick)

“Metepenagiag also had a lot of wildfire smoke overhead of our community. There had to be a lot of measures that our community had to make sure that the community was protected,” she said.

“A lot of communities were very vulnerable to climate change and the lack of action from the government, and that's primarily why this case matters a lot.”

This is the first time Canadian youth have gone to trial with the government over climate change. Originally launched as La Rose vs. Her Majesty the Queen, the trial is set to take place over five weeks, with each of the 15 youth plaintiffs testifying in addition to eight expert witnesses.

The plaintiffs are alleging two main things: that their Charter rights to life, liberty and security of the person are being violated by the current trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions, and that the government is failing to meet its targets under the Net Zero Emissions Accountability Act.

“Just the changes in general are happening so quickly and we're already starting to see things going past beyond repair,” said Sidarous.

The case was first launched in 2019 and is finally going to trial beginning Monday. (Submitted/Our Children's Trust)

The plaintiffs aren’t asking for financial compensation but instead declare that the government violated the youth’s Charter rights and legally require Ottawa to develop and implement a science-based climate recovery plan to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.

“It needs to be on the record that we need these measures in place and that, you know, it's becoming irreparable,” said Sidarous.

But Sidarous said proving their case will only be half of the battle. 

“Even if you get legislation and you get certain commitments from the government, it doesn't mean even the government of the day is going to follow it,” she said. “It's not just going to be the trial and then that's it, we all walk away. I know it'll probably be a long time of further discussions and appeals, perhaps.”

Sidarous (front row, far left) was 17 years old when she first got involved in the case and is now a 25-year-old legal analyst. (Submitted/Our Children's Trust)

But Sidarous is hoping that if the courts declare that the government has violated the youth’s Charter rights, it will be a basis for other future cases to be argued upon.

“That in itself is going to help shift climate litigation going forward, and it's going to help align environmental organizations and people’s rights moving forward in a really significant way,” she said.

“That would be the best case scenario, kind of setting that precedent legally.”

Victoria Walton is a reporter at CBC New Brunswick, and previously worked with CBC P.E.I. She is originally from Nova Scotia, and has a bachelor of journalism from the University of King's College. You can reach her at victoria.walton@cbc.ca.