The Final Report
The Civil Code of Québec / Code civil du Québec was enacted on 4 June 1991 by chapter 64 of the Statutes of Québec. It came into force on 1 January 1994 under the authority of Décret 712-93. While available in many commercial editions, the only official version is that of S.Q. 1991, c. 64, as amended.
The provisions of the new code of 1991 are complemented by those of An Act respecting the implementation of the reform of the Civil Code S.Q. 1992, c. 57. The Ministry of Justice has also released a publication entitled Commentaires du Ministère de la Justice (Quebec City: éd. off., 1993 [vol. 1 & vol. 2], 1994 [vol. 3] 3 vols. (no English version available) in which brief indications of the acknowledged sources of the new provisions and some explanatory comment upon them are provided. Figuring prominently among the cited sources in this text is the Report on the Québec Civil Code / Rapport sur le Code civil du Québec of 1977/78 of the Civil Code Revision Office.
It must be observed that during the period between the release of the Report of the Civil Code Revision Office (1977/78) and the enactment of the new code (1991), the government of Quebec carried on with its consideration of the appropriate legislation to adopt. In other words, the Draft Civil Code of the Office was never adopted as such, saving only those portions of it that constituted Book Two (The Family) of the first Civil Code of Québec enacted in 1980. During this 12 year period, governmental jurists re-fashioned much of the original Draft in its organization, style and content.
To read the Final Report of the C.C.R.O. as submitted on 15 August 1977, click below.
