Written by Donald E Greenfield, Vivek T A Warrier, Darcy Moch, Wally Braul, Milos Barutciski, Simon Foxcroft, Vasilis F L Pappas and Kim Kapesi-Miller

Canada is a federal state and a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy composed of ten provinces and three territories. There are three primary areas of focus for oil and gas development in Canada:(1) conventional and unconventional project developments in Western Canada (i.e., Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan); (2) projects in Northern Canada; and (3) offshore projects along Canada's east coast (primarily Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador). Each area has a different legislative landscape and may require a variety of regulatory approvals from federal and provincial authorities. Published by Law Business Research and reproduced with permission.