Bill Detail
A fourth Act to harmonize federal law with the civil law of Quebec and to amend certain Acts in order to ensure that each language version takes into account the common law and the civil law
This enactment is the fourth in a series of enactments drafted in the course of the harmonization of federal statutes by the Department of Justice of Canada as a result of the coming into force of the Civil Code of Québec in 1994, which substantially changed the concepts, institutions and terminology of civil law. It amends 52 statutes, including the Acts governing financial institutions — the Bank Act, the Cooperative Credit Associations Act, the Insurance Companies Act and the Trust and Loan Companies Act — and other Acts including the Access to Information Act, the Financial Administration Act, the Interpretation Act and the Official Languages Act, in order to ensure that each language version takes into account the common law and the civil law.
This bill, the fourth in a series, aims to make federal laws consistent with Quebec's civil law system. It updates 52 different federal statutes to ensure that both English and French versions of the laws accurately reflect legal concepts from both common law and civil law traditions. This harmonization is necessary because the Civil Code of Quebec was significantly changed in 1994.
The affected laws cover a wide range of areas, including financial institutions (like banks and insurance companies), access to information, financial administration, and official languages. The goal is to avoid confusion and ensure legal certainty for individuals and businesses interacting with federal legislation, particularly in Quebec.