Climate Justice in Court: civil society and climate advocates driving change through the legal system
Canada’s federal and provincial governments are backtracking on decades’ worth of climate justice policy wins—all in the name of unchecked economic development and deregulation. But Canadians and Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) have a powerful history of raising their voices for climate justice through the court system. That legacy is still alive and well today: CPJ is challenging the Government of Saskatchewan over its plans to ramp up coal-fired electricity production and legal challenges across the country in support of Indigenous land claims are helping to dismantle settler colonialism.
We invite you to watch Climate Justice in Court: civil society and climate advocates driving change through the legal system, a CPJ webinar where you’ll hear from Order of Canada member John Olthuis, one of Canada’s leading Indigenous rights lawyers and a CPJ co-founder, HW Roger Townshend, a Senior Counsel at OKT Law and a former CPJ Board Chair, as well as Glenn Wright, the lawyer representing CPJ’s legal challenge of the Saskatchewan government. The event featured insights from Olthuis, Townshend and Wright, and provided an opportunity for Q&A moderated by CPJ’s Climate Justice Policy Analyst, Maryo Wahba.
Watch the recording
Available now from CPJ: John Olthuis’ On Dismantling Settler Colonialism: An Insider’s Perspective on Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
John Olthuis is one of CPJ’s founders and a Member of the Order of Canada. He has a decades-long legacy of advocating for Indigenous peoples through the legal system, which included significant victories during his time at CPJ—including halting the Mackenzie Valley pipeline extension and securing a settlement for the members of Grassy Narrows First Nation.
In his book On Dismantling Settler Colonialism, Olthuis challenges conventional approaches to reconciliation, urging Canadians to move away from the notion of assimilation – where Indigenous peoples are expected to conform to the values and structures of settler colonial society. Instead, this book advocates for a true reconciliation: one that fosters the creation of political, economic, social, and cultural spaces where Indigenous nations can self-govern, restore their traditional lands, and live in harmony with the earth according to their own values and beliefs.
On Dismantling Settler Colonialism is a crucial work for our moment. Purchase your copies from Citizens for Public Justice by clicking the button below:
Study and Action Group Discount — buy multiple copies and save!
Faith and community groups are exploring and taking up the calls of On Dismantling Settler Colonialism. We invite you to bring this crucial work to your own community, and to discover what role you can play in reconciling with Indigenous peoples. CPJ is pleased to offer bulk purchasing discounts for Study and Action Groups in faith and community spaces.
On Dismantling Settler Colonialism – chapter list:
Forewords by Bob Rae, Stan McKay, and Aaron Mills
1 – The Dene Nation and the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline
2 – Mercury Pollution and the Grassy Narrows Fight for Justice
3 – The Aboriginal Peoples Constitutional Conferences
4 – Paradise Threatened: The Innu of Labrador Fight for Their Homeland – Nitassinan
5 – The Struggle of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai for Old-Growth Trees and Their Land
6 – The Struggle for Healing Among Mushuau Innu of Labrador
7 – The Road Home: The Innu of Labrador and Modern Treaty Negotiations
8 – Groundbreaking Blueprints for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and Nations
9 – Doing Our Part for Reconciliation with HEART
Meet your speakers
John Olthuis is one of Canada’s leading Indigenous rights lawyers and a CPJ co-founder. In 2023, he was appointed as Member of The Order of Canada, and he continues to represent First Nations across Canada in litigation matters and in major negotiations. His 2026 book, On Dismantling Settler Colonialism: An Insider’s Perspective on Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, is available for purchase from CPJ.
Roger Townshend, a founding partner of OKT, is now a senior counsel to the firm. As such, he advises other lawyers in the firm about legal strategy, and participates in legal teams pursuing First Nations’ Aboriginal title and rights. Roger has practised constitutional, human rights and administrative law, but in recent years he primarily advised on and litigated land claims for First Nations. He is a long-term CPJ member and served as CPJ Board Chair in the 90’s.
Glenn Wright is a Saskatoon-based lawyer representing CPJ and our co-applicants on a pro bono basis in our legal challenge of the Saskatchewan government over its plan to ramp up coal-fired electricity generation. Glenn transitioned from his former career as an engineer to law to focus on environmental litigation, and has advocated for sustainable development, climate justice, equality, and strengthening our democracy for many years. To learn more about our legal challenge, visit our No More Coal in Canada! webpage.
Maryo Wahba is CPJ’s Climate Justice Policy Analyst, and is the policy expert for our No More Coal in Canada! legal challenge. When CPJ launched our legal challenge in August 2025, he hosted Powering a Livable Planet: Saskatchewan’s Coal Decision on Trial, the recording of which is available to view on CPJ’s website.
A part of Give it up for the Earth!
This webinar is part of CPJ’s annual Give it up for the Earth! campaign, in which faith communities all across Canada are committing to individual and collective climate justice action during Lent (February 18 – April 2).
Join us and learn more at cpj.ca/fortheearth.
Are you interested in hosting your own CPJ event?
CPJ members are an engaged and connected community of public justice advocates. If you have an idea for an event that you’d like to host in your own community, we encourage you to reach out to us by emailing ac.jpc@jpc.
We can support you with:
- Feb 17 2026
- Expired!
- 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
- Free
- CPJ
Speakers
-
Maryo WahbaClimate Justice Policy Analyst at Citizens for Public JusticeMaryo Wahba is a Climate Justice Policy Analyst at Citizens for Public Justice, organizer of the ‘Give it up for the Earth’ Campaign with For the Love of Creation.
-
Roger TownshendSenior Counsel at OKT Law and a former CPJ Board Chair
Roger Townshend, a founding partner of OKT, is now a senior counsel to the firm. As such, he advises other lawyers in the firm about legal strategy, and participates in legal teams pursuing First Nations’ Aboriginal title and rights. Roger has practised constitutional, human rights and administrative law, but in recent years he primarily advised on and litigated land claims for First Nations. He is a long-term CPJ member and served as CPJ Board Chair in the 90’s.
