Statutes
Access to Information Act
The Access to Information Act (ATIA) gives Canadian citizens and permanent residents a right of access to records held by federal government institutions. The Act is based on the principle that …
Bank Act
The Bank Act is Canada’s principal banking legislation, governing the regulation, incorporation, and operation of banks in Canada. The Act establishes the legal framework for domestic banks, …
Canada Business Corporations Act
The Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) is the principal statute governing federally incorporated corporations in Canada. The Act provides a modern legal framework for corporate governance, …
Canada Evidence Act
The Canada Evidence Act (CEA) establishes the rules of evidence in proceedings before federal courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court, and the Tax Court. The Act also applies …
Canada Health Act
The Canada Health Act (CHA) establishes the criteria and conditions that provincial and territorial health insurance plans must satisfy to receive full federal cash contributions under the Canada …
Canada Labour Code
Structure and Scope The Canada Labour Code, RSC 1985, c L-2 (the “Code”), is the comprehensive federal labour statute governing workplace relations, occupational health and safety, and …
Canada Pension Plan
The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) is a contributory, earnings-related social insurance program that provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to eligible Canadians. The CPP is funded through …
Canada Transportation Act
The Canada Transportation Act establishes the framework for the regulation of transportation services under federal jurisdiction, including rail, air, marine, and interprovincial trucking. The Act …
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms — Overview
Enactment and Constitutional Status The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982, 1982, c 11 (UK)) is Canada’s …
Canadian Criminal Code
Historical Origins and Codification The Criminal Code, RSC 1985, c C-46, is Canada’s primary federal criminal statute, consolidating the substantive criminal law, procedural rules, and …
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) is Canada’s primary federal environmental legislation for preventing and managing risks from toxic substances. The Act provides a framework …
Canadian Human Rights Act
The Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital …
Citizenship Act
The Citizenship Act governs the acquisition, retention, renunciation, and revocation of Canadian citizenship. Citizenship is acquired by birth in Canada (jus soli, subject to limited exceptions), by …
Civil Marriage Act
The Civil Marriage Act (SC 2005, c 33) legalized same-sex marriage across Canada, providing a statutory definition of marriage as ’the lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all …
Constitution Act, 1867
The Constitution Act, 1867 (formerly the British North America Act, 1867) is the foundational constitutional document of Canada. Enacted by the United Kingdom Parliament, it created the Dominion of …
Constitution Act, 1982
The Constitution Act, 1982 was a landmark constitutional reform that patriated the Canadian Constitution from the United Kingdom and added the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Act includes …
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) is Canada’s primary legislation regulating narcotics, controlled substances, and precursor chemicals. The Act classifies substances into schedules …
Copyright Act
The Copyright Act is Canada’s primary legislation governing copyright protection. The Act protects original literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, as well as performer’s …
Corrections and Conditional Release Act
The Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA) governs the administration of federal corrections in Canada, including the management of federal penitentiaries (sentences of two years or more), the …
Criminal Code (Offences and Sentencing)
The Criminal Code (RSC 1985, c C-46) is Canada’s principal criminal statute, codifying most criminal offences and procedural rules. The Code defines offences ranging from summary conviction …
Divorce Act
The Divorce Act is the federal legislation governing divorce in Canada. Under the Constitution Act, 1867, the federal Parliament has exclusive jurisdiction over marriage and divorce. The Act provides …
Emergencies Act
The Emergencies Act replaced the War Measures Act in 1988, providing a statutory framework for the federal government to respond to four types of national emergencies: public welfare emergencies …
Employment Insurance Act
The Employment Insurance Act (EI Act) provides temporary income support to unemployed Canadians who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and meet eligibility requirements. The Act also …
Excise Tax Act (GST/HST)
The Excise Tax Act imposes the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) in Canada. The GST is a 5% federal value-added tax on most goods and services supplied in Canada. In …
Federal Courts Act
The Federal Courts Act establishes the Federal Court of Appeal and the Federal Court, which together form the federal court system of Canada. The Federal Court has original jurisdiction over matters …
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) is Canada’s primary immigration and refugee legislation, enacted in 2001 to replace the Immigration Act 1976. IRPA establishes the legal …
Income Tax Act
The Income Tax Act (ITA) is Canada’s primary statute governing the imposition and collection of income tax. The Act applies to both individuals and corporations resident in Canada (taxed on …
Indian Act
The Indian Act is the principal statute through which the federal government administers the status, lands, and governance of First Nations in Canada. The Act defines who is an ‘Indian’ …
Insurance Companies Act
The Insurance Companies Act governs federally incorporated life insurance and property and casualty insurance companies in Canada. The Act establishes the regulatory framework for the incorporation, …
Official Languages Act
The Official Languages Act (OLA) establishes English and French as the official languages of Canada and guarantees the equal status of both languages in all federal institutions. The Act requires …
Old Age Security Act
The Old Age Security (OAS) Act provides a non-contributory, universal pension to Canadians aged 65 and older who meet residence requirements. Unlike the CPP, OAS is funded from general government …
Patent Act
The Patent Act governs the grant and enforcement of patents in Canada. A patent is a grant of exclusive right to prevent others from making, using, or selling an invention for up to 20 years from the …
Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
Legislative Framework and Scope The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, SC 2000, c 5 (PIPEDA), is Canada’s federal private-sector privacy law, governing the collection, …
Privacy Act
The Privacy Act protects the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information held by federal government institutions. The Act gives individuals the right of access to their own personal …
Species at Risk Act
The Species at Risk Act (SARA) is Canada’s federal legislation for the protection of endangered and threatened species and their critical habitats. The Act establishes the Committee on the …
Supreme Court Act
The Supreme Court Act establishes the Supreme Court of Canada as the final court of appeal for all legal matters in Canada. The Act provides for the Court’s composition of nine justices (the …
Tax Court of Canada Act
The Tax Court of Canada Act establishes the Tax Court of Canada as a superior court of record specializing in tax matters. The Court hears appeals from assessments under the Income Tax Act, the Excise …
Telecommunications Act
The Telecommunications Act is the primary legislation governing telecommunications in Canada. The Act establishes the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as the federal …
The Competition Act (Canada)
Historical Evolution The Competition Act, RSC 1985, c C-34, is Canada’s federal antitrust and consumer protection statute. Its origins lie in An Act for the Prevention and Suppression of …
Trade-marks Act
The Trade-marks Act governs the registration and protection of trade-marks in Canada. A trade-mark is a sign (word, design, sound, smell, colour, or combination) used to distinguish the goods or …
Youth Criminal Justice Act
The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) replaced the Young Offenders Act in 2003, governing the prosecution and sentencing of young persons aged 12 to 17 charged with criminal offences. The YCJA is …