Legal Framework
Employment law in Canada is governed both by statute and, in
nine of the ten provinces, by common law. The province of
Québec differs in this respect in that it has no system of
common law. Instead, it is governed by the Civil Code of
Québec, which was originally modelled on the French
Napoleonic Code, and the jurisprudence interpreting it.
While statutory provisions may vary from province to province,
there remains a fair amount of uniformity across the country in
employment standards, workers' compensation, occupational
health and safety, labour relations and prohibitions on
discrimination in employment.
An overall comparison between Canadian and US laws governing
labour and employment also shows a considerable degree of
similarity. One major difference between the two countries,
however, is that there is no "employment at will"
doctrine in Canada.
