The Quebec Environmnental Law Centre is the only charitable organization in Quebec to offer the public independent legal expertise to protect the environment.
Our vision
to build a society where all living beings and the environment are legally protected for their intrinsic value and everyone works together to safeguard this protection.
Our 3 areas of intervention
- Legal actions : as a guardian of the environment, the CQDE frequently intervenes before the courts on its own behalf or in support of partners from First Nations, citizens’ groups or environmental protection groups, to ensure compliance with environmental legislation or the development of jurisprudence that responds to the ecological emergency.
- Legislative and regulatory reforms: the CQDE is actively involved in major provincial and federal legislative reforms to ensure that environmental laws and regulations serve the public interest. Since its creation, the CQDE has submitted over 90 briefs and legal analyses to parliamentary commissions, the Senate and the ministers concerned.
- Information and awareness : through its Enviro Hotline, conferences, training courses and its popularized legal information bank, Obiterre, the CQDE provides legal information to the general public, shedding light on the legal dimensions of environmental issues. So that everyone can act as a vector for positive change.
Our values
- Integrity : driven by a concern for ecological and environmental justice in the public interest, CQDE acts with integrity in the conduct of its activities.
- Independence : the CQDE is committed to defending an independent environmental citizen’s perspective.
- Expertise : backed by a committed team with a wide range of skills and a solid network of legal experts, the CQDE puts its legal skills and know-how at the service of the public, with a constant concern for rigor and quality.
- Innovation : the CQDE recognizes the importance of proposing innovative measures to evolve social norms and generate the change needed to ensure the protection of life and the environment for their intrinsic value.
- Social commitment : the CQDE believes in the importance of commitment to a cause. The organization relies on social commitment to help achieve true environmental and ecological justice.
- Collaboration : the CQDE believes in the importance of collaboration, and acts so that the various players in the field can work together effectively and with a common goal, to ensure greater environmental protection.
Founded by a group of jurists passionate about the legal aspects of environmental issues, the CQDE has been committed to protection the environment and citizens' rights since 1989.
Read our annual reports to find out more about our activities (in French)
It is thanks to the generosity of our loyal financial contributors and our valued donors and members that we are able to achieve our mission.
Special thanks to
