E-signature legality · Americas
Is electronic signature legal in Canada?
Yes. Federal law and every common-law province recognise electronic signatures for most private contracts, and Quebec does the same under its Act to establish a legal framework for information technology. Parties must consent to use electronic documents, which signing through a link generally demonstrates.
The law
- Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Part 2 — federal matters
- Provincial statutes based on the Uniform Electronic Commerce Act, e.g. Ontario Electronic Commerce Act, 2000; British Columbia Electronic Transactions Act
What still needs wet ink, a notary or a qualified signature
- Wills and codicils (some provinces, such as British Columbia, now allow electronic wills)
- Powers of attorney in most provinces
- Documents transferring interests in land, which follow provincial land-registry rules
- Negotiable instruments
Where Clinch fits
Clinch is built for everyday commercial agreements — freelance and agency contracts, statements of work, NDAs, quotes and service agreements — which in Canadaneed no special form. Every signature is captured with the signer's explicit consent, and the signed PDF carries an audit trail (name, email, timestamp of every event, hashed IP) plus a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact document, so anyone can check it was not changed after signing.
It is a simple electronic signature, not a qualified one: for the documents listed above, use the formality the law requires.
Draft and send a contractOther countries in Americas
This page is general information, not legal advice, and laws change. For a document with high stakes or a formality requirement, check with a lawyer in Canada.
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