Supreme Court to hear appeal in long-running Rio Tinto IOC-Innu suit

The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear an appeal by the government of Newfoundland and Labrador on the issue of the jurisdiction of Quebec courts in respect of the Innu communities of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam and Matimekush-Lac’s C$900-million lawsuit against a unit of global miner Rio Tinto. The Supreme Court will have to determine whether Quebec courts have jurisdiction to rule on alleged violations of the Innu’s rights on both sides of the Quebec-Labrador border. IOC and the government of Newfoundland and Labrador want to remove the portion of IOC’s operations in Labrador from the Innu lawsuit.