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ARTICLE · 14 MARCH 2025

What Is A Limitation Period?

Nelligan Law
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You might have heard your lawyer mention a limitation period, or various limitation periods, when speaking to them about your file, but what is a limitation period?

CanadaEmployment and HR
Karine Dion
Karine Dion

You might have heard your lawyer mention a limitation period, or various limitation periods, when speaking to them about your file, but what is a limitation period?

A limitation period refers to the maximum amount of time allowed to take legal action or file a claim in a court of law – that is, the legal deadline by which you have to take a legal step (such as formally suing or bringing a complaint against a person or company). If you do not take that legal step before the limitation period runs out, you will be out of time for doing so.

There are many different limitation periods that exist in our legal system: they vary depending on the type of claim or complaint, and the jurisdiction (the province where the action took place, or whether you work for a federal or provincial employer). Some are short (ex: 90 days to file an unjust dismissal complaint if you are federally regulated), some are medium (ex: 1 year if you want to bring a human rights complaint, or 2

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