Canada

• The Constitution Acts, including the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982)
• Federal and provincial statutes, and the Civil Code of Québec in Quebec
• Case law (precedent), including from the Supreme Court of Canada
• Aboriginal and treaty rights, which are protected by the Constitution

• The Supreme Court of Canada at the top
• Provincial courts of appeal and superior courts, plus the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal for federal matters
• Provincial and territorial courts for most everyday cases

A law degree, then a period of practical training (articling or a bar course), then admission by the law society of the province. Lawyers trained abroad go through the National Committee on Accreditation first.

• Criminal law is made by the federal Parliament but applied by provincial courts and prosecutors.
• One country, two private-law traditions: a Quebec contract lawyer and an Ontario contract lawyer use different sources.
• The Charter lets courts strike down laws, but a legislature can sometimes override certain Charter rights with the 'notwithstanding clause'.
• Canada's courts are bilingual, with English and French both official.

United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Ireland

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Canada as: Common law. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cook Islands, Dominica, Fiji, Ghana, Grenada, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya.

• Supreme Court of Canada
• Department of Justice Canada: Canada's court system
• Federation of Law Societies of Canada

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.