Things to know GST The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a 5% federal value added tax that applies to most goods and services supplied in Canada.  The GST is imposed at each stage of production or distribution, and not only on the final supply to the consumer. HST Five provinces have harmonized their provincial […]

Things to know When you sell online to consumers in Canada, you need to comply with provincial internet sales laws – this means that you’ll need to provide certain information to consumers before they make a purchase, and then deliver a copy of your terms of sale or other agreement to them. If you don’t […]

Things to know Resellers, distributors and sales representatives in Canada will insist that your products or services comply with local laws, including French language rules and packaging and labelling requirements. Relationships with resellers, distributors and sales representatives need to identify who will be  responsible for importing commercial products into Canada and who will be responsible […]

Things to know Electronic devices– regulated provincially Wireless devices Food Pharmaceuticals Biologics Natural health products Medical devices Cosmetics Medical cannabis Motor vehicles Child car seats Cribs, cradles, bassinets Tobacco Electronic cigarettes/Vaping products –  legislation not in force yet Liquor – labelling requirements, provincial rules  and regulations (such as manufacturing) Firearms Pest control products Consumer chemicals […]

Things to know A consumer product that is a “danger to human health or safety”, subject to recall or corrective  measures, or listed in Schedule 2to the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act(CPSA) may not  be manufactured, imported, advertised or sold in Canada. Documentation must be retained by manufacturers, importers, advertisers, sellers and testers  of consumer […]

Things to know Pre-packaged consumer products must comply with labelling requirements, such as generic product descriptions, metric measurement/quantity declarations and manufacturer’s or distributor’s identity and address. All labelling on product packaging in Québec (and accompanying materials) must be in French and have at least equal prominence to any other language. Products sold elsewhere must have […]

Things to know If you plan to establish a franchise system in Canada, you’ll need to comply with provincial franchise legislation in six provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, and PEI). Key points to consider include the following:  You’ll need to provide prospective franchisees (including renewing or resale franchisees) with a franchise disclosure […]

Things to Know A corporate entity can be formed in Canada either under the federal laws of Canada or the laws of one of Canada’s provinces or territories. The laws applicable to corporate entities in each of these jurisdictions are generally consistent, but there are some important distinctions (some of which are set out in […]

Things to Know Companies operating in certain industries must comply with specific laws applicable to that industry. This could also involve a requirement to obtain a licence or permit, or to make additional filings. Examples of these industries are: financial services, fisheries and forestry, food and drug, energy, health, franchising, mining, oil and gas, securities, […]

Things to Know A Canadian subsidiary can be funded either internally (e.g., by its shareholders or partners) or externally (e.g., financial institutions, banks, private investors or venture capital firms) Unlike the United States, Canada does not have a single federal securities regulator. Each of the Canadian provinces and territories have enacted laws that govern securities […]