Branches of Law

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) supports Aboriginal people (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) and Northerners in their efforts to: improve social well-being and economic prosperity; develop healthier, more sustainable communities; and participate more fully in Canada’s political, social and economic development — to the benefit of all Canadians.

LawNow is a bi-monthly digital public legal education magazine which has been  published by the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta for 40 years.  Its articles  and columns are written in plain language take a practical look at how the law relates to the every day lives of Canadians. In each issue, LawNow’s aboriginal law column takes a look at a specific topic in this area of law and explains it clearly and concisely.

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) administers many pieces of legislation, either in whole or in part. AANDC also develops and enforces regulations under authority delegated by the legislation that directly impacts First Nations, Inuit, Metis and Northerners.

This webpage from the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) contains a listing of links to federal boards and tribunals in Canada (scroll halfway down the page). For a list of provincial and territorial boards and tribunals, click on the province/territory in the list on the left hand menu bar and then scroll down to the Boards and Tribunals list.

The Court of King’s Bench is the Superior Trial Court for the Province, hearing trials in civil and criminal matters and appeals from decisions of the Provincial Court. The Chief Justice and other Justices of the Court of King’s Bench are also judges of Surrogate Matters, which has jurisdiction over probate and administration of estate matters. Civil law guides compensation when people have suffered injury and financial loss caused by negligence or any wrongful act, or under contract, business, property and other law. The Court of King’s Bench of Alberta hears civil proceedings, including commercial matters, personal injury, bankruptcy and insolvency cases, and litigation involving wills and estates and dependent adults. The Court also hears appeals from the Provincial Court of Alberta in respect of civil cases under $50,000.This website provides access to the forms, templates and related publications needed for the Court of King’s Bench.

This site provides links to community grants, programs and services designed to assist non-profit organizations, communities, and volunteerism, as well as links to tools and resources to help.

AFAC is an association started in 1993 by the livestock producers of Alberta to: promote responsible, humane animal care; engage in discussion with the public; monitor and participate in issues and legislation, and; encourage animal care research. AFAC’s goal is to improve animal handling and promote responsible animal care. The partnership recognizes that animal welfare issues are a growing international concern and the public expect all animals to be humanely treated throughout their lifetime.

The AGLC is the Government of Alberta agency responsible for regulating Alberta’s charitable gaming activities and conducting and managing provincial gaming activities. It also controls the manufacture, importation, sale, purchase, possession, storage, transportation, use and consumption of liquor in Alberta.

The Alberta Gaming Research Institute is a consortium arrangement of the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, and the University of Lethbridge. Its primary purpose is to support and promote research into gaming and gambling in the province. The identified research domains include bio-psychological and health care, socio-cultural, economic, and government and industry policy and practice. The Institute aims to achieve international recognition in gaming-related research.

The Alberta Ombudsman investigates written complaints from individuals who feel they have been treated unfairly by an administrative decision, act, omission or recommendation of an Alberta government department, board, agency or commission and professional organizations. The Office of the Alberta Ombudsman is the recognized leader for independent investigation, promotion and support of administrative fairness.

ASSIST Community Services Centre aims to provide diversified services to Canadian immigrants and their offspring, helping them integrate into mainstream society and actively contribute. ASSIST Community Service Centre is pleased to announce that they have invited The Edmonton Community Legal Centre (ECLC) to provide free legal information services to low-income individuals and/or families in the areas of civil claims (small claims). Additional services offered include: Counselling and referrals, Settlement counselling, Information sessions, Support groups, Mental health intake and referrals, Employment related services and more. To see a full list of services please visit their website. Services languages are: English, Cantonese, Mandarin

BearPaw Legal Education & Resource Centre (BLERC) provides free workshops on request. A workshop facilitator will travel to your community. Topics include: Going to Court, Kids and the Law, Aboriginal Fishing and Hunting Rights, the ABCs of the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act and more.

This resource has been specifically developed for commissions, committees, societies, and associations that require training and support. Created by the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies, with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, and Solicitor General and Public Security, the material is aimed at helping your organization perform oversight functions consistently, effectively, and transparently. The resources is divided into 2 parts and 8 sections and covers the following topics: What is governance?, Board Structure, Roles and Responsibilities, Risk Management, Board Development, Planning and Strategis Cirection, Communications, Board Meetings, and running effect meetings.

A comic book produced by the BearPaw Education (NCSA), Breach is an entertaining look at a serious topic – breach charges and administration of justice. This youth-oriented resource aims to reinforce the importance of following court orders by explaining the consequences of breaching such orders as well as the benefits of following them.

This site is about the history of Canada through the words of the men and women who shaped the nation. Built around the Government Documents collection of the Early Canadiana Online collection, it integrates narrative text with links to primary source texts. The site has been designed for students and teachers of Canadian studies, history and law, but will also be useful to researchers and anyone else interested in Canada’s past.

The Agency protects consumers by contributing to food safety, the protection of plants and the health of animals in Canada. Food safety and consumer protection are essential to the health of Canadians. Inspection and verification of importers and exporters enhance the level of confidence in agricultural inputs, animal and plant health and food safety, elements essential to marketplace confidence. The legislative authorities provide health, social and economic benefits for all Canadians.

The Center for World Indigenous Studies (CWIS) is an independent, non-profit research and education organization dedicated to wider understanding and appreciation of the ideas and knowledge of indigenous peoples and the social, economic and political realities of indigenous nations.

Service Alberta oversees and enforces Alberta provincial legislation and regulations that set standards for charitable organizations and professional fundraisers, provides legal authority for non-profit societies to incorporate and helps protect the public from fraudulent, misleading or confusing solicitations. This section of their website provides information on these topics.

This web page prepared by the Canadian government has information about parental abduction both inside and outside Canada. It describes how to prevent parental abduction, and what Canadian officials in other countries can and can’t do to help if your child has been abducted.

The Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy is a non-partisan, charitable organization that honours the life of Sir Winston Churchill by facilitating education, discussion and debate about Canada’s parliamentary democracy.

On this Alberta Provincial Court webpage you will find pages that sets out the Civil Claims Process. The content has been ordered based on the flow that a Civil Claim action goes through in Provincial Court Civil.

The CEC is an international organization created by Canada, Mexico and the United States under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation. The CEC was established to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective enforcement of environmental law. The Agreement complements the environmental provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Stay up to date with changes in constitutional law in Alberta at LawNow.org.  Visit to read a collection of articles on the law and the Canadian constitution.

This consolidation contains the text of the Constitution Act, 1867 (formerly the British North America Act, 1867), together with amendments made to it since its enactment, and the text of the Constitution Act, 1982, as amended since its enactment. The Constitution Act, 1982 contains the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and other provisions, including the procedure for amending the Constitution of Canada.

These FAQs are provided by the Canadian Legal FAQs, a website of the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta. These FAQs provide information about constitutionally-protected French-language minority rights outside of Québec and are divided into 5 sections: General Information; Education Rights; Rights Regarding Government Services and Communications; Rights Regarding Access to Legislation and Government Publications; and Judicial Rights.

This website provides a wide range of information about the Cout Martial Appeal Court. This Court hears appeals from military courts which are known as courts martial. The courts martial have power to try military personnel and civilians accompanying such personnel abroad for crimes and offences against the Code of Service Discipline.

Exploring Humanitarian Law (EHL) is a resource pack for teachers to introduce students aged 13 to 18 to the basic rules of international humanitarian law. It was designed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (CICR). The learning materials, which provide 36 hours of activities, are based on real-life situations and show how IHL aims to protect life and human dignity during armed conflict and prevent and reduce the suffering and devastation caused by war.

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is a federal Crown Corporation, reporting to Parliament through the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

The Farmers Advocate Office works to ensure rural Albertans have consumer protection, rural opportunities and fair process. We administer the Farm Implement Act that provides consumer protection through warranty, parts availability and licensing provisions, including inspection to assist in FIB proceedings. Rural opportunity is realized through assisting landowners with managing their land asset, mitigating business risk and maximizing future economic opportunity as it relates to interaction with the energy industry.

FLARE is a collaboration between the major libraries collecting law in the United Kingdom: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Bodleian Law Library, Squire Law Library, British Library, and School of Oriental and African Studies. It is working to improve the coverage and accessibility of foreign legal materials at the national level and to raise expertise in their use.

The Foundation of Administrative Justice provides training courses for Western Canada’s tribunals, and the people who appear before them. These administrative tribunals are often known as the ABCs, or agencies, boards, and commissions of the federal and provincial governments but also include public-sector appeal bodies and committees for municipalities, colleges, and universities. The foundation can help you understand all aspects of these various tribunals.

The Guide is meant to act as a resource for lawyers to learn about historical and cultural elements that provide context for the professional relationship between an Indigenous person and their lawyer. It also provides tools to help lawyers represent Indigenous clients as effectively as possible, and a number of resources to encourage lawyers to continue their education. The Advocates’ Society, in partnership with the Indigenous Bar Association and the Law Society of Ontario, developed the Guide for Lawyers Working with Indigenous Peoples.

These guidelines support the creation of welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environments that foster diversity and nurture a sense of belonging and a positive sense of self . Their purpose is to enable school authorities to use best practices in creating and supporting learning environments that respect diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions. (January 2016)

These handbooks developed by the Canadian Judicial Council are intended as helpful guides for people who are navigating the justice system without a lawyer to prepare and present their legal case. The Council has created three handbooks that contain a wealth of information on family law, civil law and criminal law in Canada. The information is provided in an easy to understand format, with various worksheets, useful tips, explanations of legal terms and concrete examples to guide litigants throughout the legal process.

To view the handbooks, click on the links below:

• Civil Law Handbook
• Criminal Law Handbook
• Family Law Handbook

To view all resources of the Canadian Judicial Council see: https://cjc-ccm.ca/en/resources-centre

The Hope for Wellness Helpline is available to all Indigenous people across Canada. Experienced and culturally competent counsellors are reachable by telephone and online ‘chat’ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Telephone support is available in English, French, Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut. Online Chat services are only available in English and French.

This section of the Department of Justice Canada website includes information on  human trafficking.
Related keywords: Human rights (146), International law (83

Imagine Canada is a national charitable organization whose cause is Canada’s charities and nonprofits. They support and strengthen charities and nonprofits so they can, in turn, support the Canadians and communities they serve. Sections include: Ethical Code program; Insurance and liability resource centre for non-profits; Charity tax tools; and Non-profit library.

This section of NativeWeb is dedicated to information about law and legal issues related to indigenous peoples of the world. NativeWeb is an international, nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to using the Internet to disseminate information from and about indigenous nations, peoples, and organizations around the world.

The Institute On Governance (IOG) is a non-profit organization with charitable status founded in 1990 to promote effective governance. Their mission is ‘advancing better governance in the public interest,’ which we accomplish by exploring, developing and promoting the principles, standards and practices which underlie good governance in the public sphere, both in Canada and abroad. The IOG’s vision is to be the pre-eminent, independent Canadian source of knowledge, research and advice on governance and its continuous improvement.

This online resource was created by the Alberta Voluntary Sector Insurance Council and the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations to assist nonprofits with understanding and managing their insurance issues. It explains the basics of insurance, understanding a policy and managing your policy. It includes a section about Volunteers and Insurance, and provides information for volunteer board members.

The ICRC, established in 1863, works worldwide to provide humanitarian help for people affected by conflict and armed violence and to promote the laws that protect victims of war. This website provides a wide range of resources on international humanitarian law including online publications, library and research services and access to databases.

The International Juvenile Justice Observatory, with its headquarters in Brussels, was founded in 2002 with the goal of encouraging a global juvenile justice without borders. Activities include promotion of legal instruments and strategies on an international level, participation in research projects, the development of training actions and the holding of congresses and conferences.

Information for youth about youth in care. This area of Alberta’s Child and Youth Advocate website offers information and tips that may assist with advocating for yourself or others who are getting help from Alberta Human Services under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act (Enhancement Act), or the Protection of Sexually Exploited Children Act (PSECA).

ICC is the body that represents all Inuit from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka on matters of international importance. The principal goals of ICC are to strengthen unity among Inuit of the circumpolar region; promote Inuit rights and interests on an international level; develop and encourage long-term policies that safeguard the Arctic environment; and seek full and active partnership in the political, economic, and social development of circumpolar regions.

This page from Justice Canada provides links to reference sources on the Canadian justice system, legislation, the courts, and other public justice institutions.

This online source of the consolidated Acts and regulations of Canada is provided by the Department of Justice Canada. The consolidations are generally updated on a weekly basis.

The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada (LDAC) is a national, non-profit voluntary organization dedicated to a level playing field for individuals with learning disabilities. LDAC works through public awareness about the nature and impact of learning disabilities, advocacy, research, health, education and collaborative efforts.

This card, produced by BearPaw Legal provides information for students and parents on the School Act relating to their rights related to atending school in Alberta, as well as suspension and expulsion from school. See also their video that helps parents through a suspension or expulsion in Alberta schools.http://www.bearpaweducation.ca/videos/suspensions-and-expulsions-school-alberta

The Nature’s Laws Project was developed in a partnership involving the Heritage Community Foundation and representatives of First Nations from Treaty 6, 7 and 8. The project is a study of the legal codes and traditional governance of Alberta’s First Nations in the areas covered by Treaties 6, 7 and 8. It was structured as having research and public education components and involved Elders, academics and legal historians. The material examined was evidence found in oral histories, as well as case law, and the scholarly literature relating to Aboriginal People.

This overview from the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada is divided into five parts. Part 1 discusses the sources and scope of Canadian military law while Part 2 addresses the applicability of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to Canadian military law. Part 3 then provides a description of the types of Canadian courts martial and their statutorily defined jurisdictions, compositions and powers of punishment. The rights of appeal provided to those subject to Canadian military law under the National Defence Act are subsequently outlined in Part 4.

This publication prepared by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is intended to provide readers with a general overview of the ten principles included in the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and how these principles affect associations and non-profit organizations (PDF – 10 pages).

Pro Bono Law Alberta (PBLA) is a nonprofit organization that promotes access to justice in Alberta by creating and promoting opportunities for lawyers to provide pro bono (free) legal services to persons of limited means. PBLA does not provide direct support to members of the public; their website lists clinics and projects that may be helpful to individuals.

PBSC at the University of Alberta matches law students with eligible non-profit organisations to provide pro bono legal services under the supervision of a lawyer. PBSC does not provide legal assistance to individual cases. It functions as a project of Student Legal Services of Edmonton.

Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) is a national network of law schools and community organizations that matches law students who want to do pro bono work with public interest and non-governmental organizations, government agencies, tribunals and legal clinics during the academic year and during the summer. Over the past decade the program has expanded to include the Family Law Project, where students provide legal information to unrepresented individuals at the Provincial Family Court.

The PSBAA is a voluntary membership association incorporated as a non-profit society according to the laws of Alberta. Members are school jurisdictions, not individuals. Website has some information about the law and public school education.

Refworld contains a vast collection of information of refugee status: reports relating to situations in countries of origin, policy documents and positions, and documents relating to international and national legal frameworks. It also includes special features on topics of importance to UNHCR such as refugee status determination, statelessness, migration, gender equality and women, internally displaced people, resettlement, voluntary repatriation and children.

The Sport law and Strategy Group is a consulting company offering consulting services and educational programs related to organizational governance, values management, risk assessment, mediation and arbitration, policy development, business and employment issues and change management. Their website includes articles on legal topics of interest to athletes, coaches and recreation workers such as bullying/harassment, conflict of interest, defamation, employment, equity/discrimination, liability, procedural fairness and so forth.

Student Legal Services of Edmonton (SLS) is a student-managed, non-profit society dedicated to helping low-income individuals in Edmonton and area understand their legal issues and solve their legal problems.

The David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights is a centre within the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law devoted to advocacy, research and education in the areas of constitutional rights in Canada. The Centre aims to play a vital role in articulating Canada’s constitutional vision to the broader world. The cornerstone of the Centre is a legal clinic that brings together students, faculty and members of the bar to work on significant constitutional cases and advocacy initiatives

This online resource is from the Heritage Community Foundation and is part of the Virtual Museum of Canada. The Making of Treaty #8 in Canada’s Northwest, commemorates a historic event of enormous importance to Alberta’s northern First Nations.

The Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) has a long history. Since its inception in 1928, it has existed to advocate on behalf of and meet the needs and aspirations of Métis people in Alberta. The mandate of the MNA is to: be a representative voice on behalf of Métis people in Alberta; provide Métis people an opportunity to participate in government’s policy and decision making process and, most importantly; promote and facilitate the advancement of Métis people through the pursuit of self-reliance, self-determination and self-management.

The Treaty Making in Canada section of the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) website includes resources on over 70 historical treaties negotiated with First Nations between 1701 and 1923, including historical research reports, images, maps, and bibliographies.

The purpose of this site from UNICEF is to offer all children and adolescents a safe and supportive global cyberspace within which they can explore, discuss and partner on issues related to human rights and social change. Topics include Education, Environment, Violence and Conflict, Poverty and hunger, HIV/AIDS, Health, and Human Rights.

VARC is a an online library of resources related to: nonprofit organization management; voluntary sector leadership; fund development; volunteer program management; board leadership; and governance voluntary sector issues. 

The Volunteer Lawyers Service (VLS) program is operated out of the Pro Bono Law Alberta office. VLS is a pro bono program, initiated by the United Way of Calgary and Area, the Canadian Bar Association Alberta, the Law Society of Alberta, and the Association of General Counsel of Alberta. The VLS assists eligible non-partisan charitable organizations in obtaining pro bono legal services that would otherwise be unavailable to them due to a lack of financial resources.

Most asked questions related to federal programs and services available to Aboriginal people in Canada.