For questions specific to Canada as a whole, or that span multiple provincial and territorial jurisdictions.
Canada's legal system has elements of English common law, French civil law, and Indigenous law. The federal Parliament and provincial legislatures each have areas of jurisdiction over which they may pass legislation. Judge-developed common-law continues to evolve as per the English tradition. Canadian private law (e.g. contracts, torts, trusts, equity) has much in common with other common-law jurisdictions. Unique to Canada is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which is a constitutionalized set of rights that supersede Parliamentary supremacy.
Here are resources helpful for Canadian legal research:
- CanLII, a public database of case law, legislation, and scholarship
- The Criminal Code
- Model jury instructions
- Federal statutes generally
- Charterpedia: "legal information about the Charter and contains information about the purpose of each section of the Charter, the analysis or test developed through case law in respect of the section, and any particular considerations related to it."
