Thursday on the conference grounds of the COP21 climate talks in Paris, the Canadian Youth Delegation criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for failing to meet with them, saying he only provided a photo opportunity to them and didn’t engage in the substantive climate issues that matter to youth in Canada.
The group chanted “youth want to be heard, not just seen” to a crowd of media and onlookers while holding up signs listing a number of core demands for Canadian negotiators including ending the expansion of the oilsands and implementing the recommendations of the truth and reconciliation commission.
Spokesperson Katie Perfitt said, “we are here to call out the Canadian government for only being interested in taking selfies with Canadian youth…and not actually listening to what we have to say.”
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Perfitt said the government's lack of engagement with youth and frontline community members at the conference has caused “serious concerns about the Canadian government’s ability to develop sound climate policy that is justice based and in line with climate science.”
“We are serious about climate action and we demand real climate action now from the Canada government,” Perfitt said.
The delegation's additional demands include Canada reaching zero emissions by 2050, putting an end to fossil fuel subsidies, paying a 'fair share' in the climate treaty process and supporting indigenous-led renewable energy projects.
Delegation member Aleah Loney said, "we're here today to pair our faces with our voices and make clear that including youth means hearing what they're asking for."
Trudeau failed to meet with members of the delegation, including those officially included in Canada's COP21 delegation, before he returned to Ottawa for the opening of Parliament.
Another year of keeping a close watch
Here at The Narwhal, we don’t use profit, awards or pageviews to measure success. The thing that matters most is real-world impact — evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.
And in 2024, our stories were raised in parliaments across the country and cited by citizens in their petitions and letters to politicians.
In Alberta, our reporting revealed Premier Danielle Smith made false statements about the controversial renewables pause. In Manitoba, we proved that officials failed to formally inspect a leaky pipeline for years. And our investigations on a leaked recording of TC Energy executives were called “the most important Canadian political story of the year.”
Here at The Narwhal, we don’t use profit, awards or pageviews to measure success. The thing that matters most is real-world impact — evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.
And in 2024, our stories were raised in parliaments across the country and cited by citizens in their petitions and letters to politicians.
In Alberta, our reporting revealed Premier Danielle Smith made false statements about the controversial renewables pause. In Manitoba, we proved that officials failed to formally inspect a leaky pipeline for years. And our investigations on a leaked recording of TC Energy executives were called “the most important Canadian political story of the year.”
By
Matt Simmons (Local Journalism Initiative Reporter)
July 9, 2025 16 min. read
Note: This article discusses sexual violence. Please read with care. If you have experienced sexual violence, resources are available at Ending Sexual Violence. Because of...
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