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ARTICLE · 07 OCTOBER 2024

Guide To Doing Business In Canada: Oil & Gas

Gowling WLG
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Canada's wealth of natural resources has contributed to the country's status as a leading oil and gas producer and exporter.

CanadaEnergy and Natural Resources
Andrew Lamb
Andrew Lamb
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Oil & gas

Canada's wealth of natural resources has contributed to the country's status as a leading oil and gas producer and exporter. Understanding the legal framework related to petroleum and natural gas rights is key to successfully doing business in Canada in this sector. As Western Canada is home to 90% of total crude oil production and 99% of total natural gas production in Canada, this guide focuses primarily on oil and gas matters in the Western Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

1. Ownership of land and mineral rights in Canada

Land in Canada is either held publicly by the federal or provincial government in the name of His Majesty the King (what are known as "Crown lands"), or privately by individuals, corporations or other legal entities (known as "freehold lands"). In Canada, rights to the surface and near-surface of land, and rights to deeper minerals (as well as oil and gas), are distinct from one another. As a

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