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ARTICLE · 03 AUGUST 2023

Doing Business In Canada 2023 – Labour & Employment

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Employment law in Canada is governed both by statute and, in nine of the 10 provinces, by common law. The province of Quebec differs in this respect in that it has no system of common law.

CanadaEmployment and HR
Fasken Martineau
Fasken Martineau
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Chapter 8 - Labour & Employment

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Legal Framework

Employment law in Canada is governed both by statute and, in nine of the 10 provinces, by common law. The province of Quebec 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, human rights and prohibitions on harassment and discrimination in employment.

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