Section I: Introduction
This Guide provides non-Canadians with an introduction to the
laws and regulations that affect the conduct of business in Canada
and, in particular, in the province of Ontario. In some cases, this
Guide also identifies issues in the provinces of Alberta and
British Columbia. Because of Canada's federal structure, the
authority to make laws and regulations is divided between the
federal and provincial governments by the Canadian Constitution
although, in some areas of shared jurisdiction, both federal and
provincial laws may apply.
For reasons rooted in history, Canada has two legal traditions,
the civil law tradition of codified law in the province of Quebec,
and the common law tradition of judge-made law in the other
provinces of Canada. The province of Quebec, as Canada's only
province whose majority population is French speaking, has also
adopted aCharter of the French Languagemaking French the
official language of Quebec. Quebec also
