Publications

Several major Canadian cities, including Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton, are considered prime hubs for investors and companies looking to develop, design and deploy artificial intelligence (“AI”) systems. Home to national AI institutes such as the Québec AI Institute in Montreal, post-secondary institutions with cutting-edge research centres and collaborative networks featuring some of the world’s top AI talent, Canada ranks fifth in the world for AI, behind the United States, China, Singapore and the United Kingdom, according to The Global AI Index released on June 28, 2023.

The economic climate of 2023 was characterized by rising interest rates and persistent inflation, leading to market uncertainty worldwide. Despite this situation, the Langlois business law team remained active throughout the year, with an impressive volume of transactions totalling over CA$3.2 billion, including the conclusion of major commercial agreements.

Federal employers should take note of changes to federal labour law, including longer termination notice periods and other new measures

The federal government announced that effective February 1, 2024, employees of federal Crown corporations (but not public service employees) and federally regulated private-sector companies will be entitled to longer termination notice periods.

On November 1, the Honourable Sophie Bourque of the Superior Court of Québec handed down a decision that will have a huge impact on Indigenous law in the case of R. c. Montour. This decision marks a major paradigm shift in how the relationship between the Crown and Indigenous peoples is conceived; it has also upset Canada’s constitutional order.

Our team has put together an overview of several important matters addressed in this decision.

On May 18, 2023, in Lareau c. Centre du camion Gamache inc., the Court of Appeal of Quebec issued a decision of particular interest regarding the concept of constructive dismissal, clarifying the circumstances that constitute constructive dismissal and calculation of any compensation due, if any.

On November 10, the country’s highest court issued an interesting decision on employers’ health and safety obligations in R. v. Greater Sudbury (City), 2023 SCC 28. The decision reaffirms that occupational health and safety (OHS) is everyone’s responsibility and that an employer can be held liable for an OHS violation even if it is not the fault of one of its own employees.

This decision is of interest to owners that hire general contractors to manage projects.