Quebec town officially recognizes trees as sentient living beings with their own rights

Mayor Michel Bourdeau said the initiative will be accompanied by programs aimed at protecting the tree canopy, planting trees, and raising public awareness of the importance of trees. Photo by vitalysk /Getty Images/iStockphoto

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Terrasse-Vaudreuil, a municipality just 40 kilometres west of Montreal, has officially recognized trees as living beings with rights of their own, in what has been described as “a first in Quebec and Canada” by the municipality and the International Observatory of Nature’s Rights.

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In a news release published in French on June 10, the Municipality of Terrasse-Vaudreuil said it will adopt a resolution to sign the petition in support of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Trees.

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The citizen-led initiative was inspired by a screening of the film Des arbes et des arts (Trees and the Arts), directed by André Desrochers, which “sparked a broad public debate on the legal status of trees and the possibility of recognizing them as living beings, rather than mere objects.”

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Following the discussions, a formal request was submitted to the municipal council through the Terrasse-Vaudreuil Environment Committee, resulting in the adoption of this resolution.

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Desrochers explained in the release: “With this film, I took on the challenge of helping to transform our ‘egocentric’ vision into an ‘ecocentric’ community, where humans recognize themselves as an integral part of life rather than its centre.”

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Meanwhile, Mayor Michel Bourdeau said that, by adopting the resolution, “Terrasse-Vaudreuil affirms its commitment to building a sustainable future.”

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In terms of what it means for the municipality, Bourdeau said: “This recognition will be accompanied by concrete programs aimed at protecting our tree canopy, planting trees, and raising public awareness of their importance.”

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The Universal Declaration of the Rights of Trees is a global initiative led by environmentalists, which was launched in 2018 in response to “the immense loss of forests on the planet” and aims to recognize “the irreplaceable role of the tree.” The petition has gained more than 87,000 signatures worldwide.

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Its three fundamental principles state that trees are sentient living beings and a common human good, that life on the planet depends on their existence, and that humans must act toward them “in a spirit of fraternity and solidarity.”

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Yenny Vega Cárdenas, president of the International Observatory of Nature’s Rights, said in the release: “This resolution demonstrates the strength of municipal government and its capacity to act according to the principles of sustainable development, showing boldness in protecting the territory. We hope that Terrasse-Vaudreuil will be the first of many municipalities to commit to this path.”

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But Terrasse-Vaudreuil is not the only location in Canada where nature has been granted legal rights.

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In 2021, Quebec’s Magpie River was granted legal personhood by the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit and the regional municipal council of Minganie, which gave the waterway nine rights, including the right to evolve naturally, be free from pollution and maintain its natural biodiversity.