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Seine Grundlagen bezieht das Kanadische Rechtssystem aus dem Britischen Common Law ("Fortgeltendes Recht"). Die Anwendung dieses Systems resultiert aus der Mitgliedschaft Kanadas im Commonwealth of Nations. Obwohl das Common Law eigentlich alle Rechtsgebiete umschließt, behält sich Quebec Regulierungen im Zivilrecht (Civil Law) allerdings selbst vor. Beide Rechtssysteme sind Teil der Kanadischen Verfassung (Konstitution), welche alle Gesetze legitimiert.

Kanadische Verfassung

Die Kanadische Verfassung ist das oberste Recht in Kanada. Sie ist ein Verbund von kodifizierten Gesetzen (festgeschriebenes Recht) und unkodifizierten Traditionen und Konventionen.

Der Grundstein wurde mit dem Verfassungsgesetz von 1867 (Constitution Act) gelegt, welches man zu Beginn noch als "British North America Act" bezeichnete. Dieses Gesetz bestimmte, unter anderem, das Regierungssystem und verteilte verschiedene Rechte an die Provinzregierungen.

Außerdem umfasst die Verfassung das Verfassungsgesetz von 1982, welches die "Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms" enthält. Mit anderen Worten ist dies die Einbettung der "Bill of Rights", also der Menschenrechte, in die Kanadische Verfassung.

Gesetzgebung

Vom kanadischen Parlament erlassene Gesetze und die Gesetzgebung der Provinzen sind die Hauptquellen des kanadischen Rechts. Das Recht der Regierung Gesetze zu erlassen ergibt sich aus dem Verfassungsgesetz von 1867. Es autorisiert das Parlament "Gesetze zu erlassen für den Frieden, die Ordnung und eine gute Regierung Kanadas[...]" solange das Parlament dabei nicht in die Gesetzgebungskompetenzen der Provinzen eingreift.

Gesetze welche von die föderale Regierung erlässt, werden vorab in der "Canada Gazette" angekündigt. Die "Canada Gazette" ist eine regelmäßig herausgegebene Zeitung speziell für Gesetze und Regulierungen. Danach werden sie in den "Annual Statutes of Canada" also den "Jährlichen Satzungen Kanadas" veröffentlicht. Von Zeit zu Zeit führt die Regierung alle zu dem Zeitpunkt gültigen Gesetze in einer Konsolidierung zusammen. Dieses Ereignis wird in Kanada als "Revised Statutes of Canada" bezeichnet (Überarbeitete Satzungen von Kanada). Die letzte Konsolidierung fand im Jahr 1985 statt.

In den Provinzen erlassene Gesetze verfolgen das gleiche Prozedere. Sie werden in einer Provinzgazette angekündigt, jährlich veröffentlicht und dann von Zeit zu Zeit konsolidiert.

Gesetzliche Traditionen

Common Law

Alle Provinzen und Territorien in Kanada, mit der Ausnahme von Quebec, folgen den rechtlichen Traditionen des Common Law. Auch die Gerichte sind, nach dem provinzialen "Judicature Act" (Gerichtswesensgesetz), berechtigt das Recht, im Sinne von "Equity", zu interpretieren, anzuwenden und fortzubilden.

Wie bei allen anderen Ländern üblich, welche das Common Law System anwenden, gilt auch in Kanada das System Stare Decisis. Dies bedeutet, dass Gerichte die Entscheidungen aus älteren Verhandlungen (Präzedenzfälle) nicht einfach ohne Begründung umstoßen können. Die unter- und übergeordneten Gerichte der Provinzen sind nicht an die Entscheidungen von Gerichten anderer Provinzen gebunden. Trotzdem gelten ihre Entscheidungen als probate Rechtsquellen und werden oft so behandelt als wären sie bindend. Nur der Oberste Gerichtshof von Kanada hat die Autorität alle anderen Gerichte im Land mit einer Regel zu binden.

The busier courts, such as Ontario Court of Appeal, for example, are often looked to for guidance on many local matters of law outside the province, especially in matters such as evidence and criminal law.

When there is little or no existing Canadian decision on a particular legal issue and it becomes necessary to look to a non-Canadian legal authority, English court decisions, especially those of England's Court of Appeal and the House of Lords, are almost always used. The exception comes for questions involving certain legal fields such as constitutional law and privacy law where United States court decisions are more favoured because historic American judges were the legal pioneers of these specialized areas where England's judiciary had made little or no comment. Decisions from other Commonwealth nations are also treated as persuasive sources of law, as well as decisions from the United States.

Due to Canada’s historical connection with the United Kingdom, decisions of the House of Lords before 1867 are still binding on Canada unless they have been overturned by the Supreme Court of Canada. Equally, Canada is still bound by the decisions of the Privy Council before the abolishment of appeals in 1949. Nonetheless, decisions from both of these bodies, even after sovereignty, are still held in high esteem and are considered very persuasive by the courts.

Criminal offences are found within the Criminal Code of Canada or other federal/provincial laws, with the exception that contempt of court is the only remaining common law offence in Canada.^[1]

Quebec's civil law system

For historical reasons, Quebec has a hybrid legal system. Private law follows the civil law tradition, originally expressed in the Coutume de Paris as it applied in what was then New France. Today, the jus commune of Quebec is codified in the Civil Code of Quebec. As for public law, it was made that of the conquering British nation after the fall of New France in 1760, that is the common law. It is important to note that the distinction between civil law and common law is not based on the division of powers set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. Therefore, legislation enacted by the provincial legislature in matters of public law, such as the Code of Penal Procedure, should be interpreted following the common law tradition. Likewise, legislation enacted by the federal Parliament in matters of private law, such as the Divorce Act, is to be interpreted following the civil law tradition and in harmony with the Civil Code of Quebec. Because of Quebec's unique legal system, lawyers trained in either common law or civil law may not practice in Quebec without undergoing further training in one or the other legal system.

Areas of law

Criminal law

Vorlage:Seealso The enactment of criminal law is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal government, a situation which contrasts to that in the United States, and which is a notable reversal of the usual pattern of strong Canadian provinces and weak American states; this means that Canada has one Criminal Code that is applicable throughout the country. The provinces separately promulgate "quasi-criminal" or regulatory offences in a variety of administrative and other areas. The administration of justice and penal matters are under the jurisdiction of the provinces, so each province administers most of the criminal and penal law via provincial and municipal police forces.

Prior to the enactment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982, it was fairly common for a provincial law to be challenged on the grounds that it was a criminal statute, and thus ultra vires or beyond the province's legislative authority. For example, several provincial acts attempting to restrict pornography, prostitution, and abortion procedures were struck down as being enactments of criminal law.

Civil law

The area of civil law in Canada encompasses numerous areas of law that involve disputes between parties, which includes individuals, corporations, and government. Parties will seek remedies from the court in contractual matters, tort disputes, and property law cases, among others.

Procedural law

Procedural law in Canada encompasses several aspects of the justice system. The laws of evidence regulate the admissibility of evidence in courts and tribunals. The level of government hi which sets these rules depends on who has jurisdiction over the particular area of law. The functioning of the Courts is regulated by the laws of civil procedure which are codified in each province's civil procedures rules.

Courts in Canada

Vorlage:Seealso The Supreme Court of Canada (French: Cour suprême du Canada) is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian justice system.

Prior to 1949, cases could be appealed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in the United Kingdom, and some cases bypassed the Supreme Court of Canada entirely.

Criminal trial courts (often called "superior" courts) and apellate courts are referred to as "Section 96" courts, in reference to the Constitution Act, 1867, s. 96, which grants the federal government the power to appoint the judges of these courts. By contrast, judges in courts that only exercise the jurisdiction of the province (sometimes called "inferior" courts and often called "provincial" courts) are appointed by the province. Typically, appeals from provincial courts go to the superior court of the province. Further appeals would go to the appeal court, and then in limited circumstances on to the Supreme Court of Canada. Each province has an appellate court, as does each territory. While the judges in Section 96 courts are appointed through a federal process, the courts are administered (and paid for) by the provinces.

The Federal Court of Canada and Federal Court of Appeal, unlike other superior courts, were created by statute and have jurisdiction over a small number of issues that fall under the federal constitutional scope (for example, immigration, admiralty (maritime law), patents and copyright). Notably, the bulk of the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal's work involves judicial review of federal tribunals, boards, and commissions. In some cases, the Federal Courts' jurisdiction is made exclusive by statute. In other areas, the superior courts may exercise concurrent jurisdiction over the underlying subject matter, and proceeding in either court may provide certain advantages to a party.