Last verified: 2026-08-29 · Source: primary legislation and official status tables
Recovering a debt from a debtor in Canada
What applies, what it realistically takes, and where the limits are.
Confirmed parameters
Only values checked against a primary source appear here. Where a parameter has not been confirmed, it is left out rather than estimated.
- Parameter
- Limitation periods are set at provincial level
- Value
- Ontario 2 years, British Columbia 2, Alberta 2, Quebec 3
- Source
- Limitations Act 2002 (ON) s. 4; Limitation Act SBC 2012 c.13 s. 6; Limitations Act RSA 2000 c.L-12 s. 3(1); Civil Code of Quebec art. 2925
- Last verified
- 2026-08-31
Enforcement route
The applicable route for this jurisdiction is recorded as reciprocity. The New York Convention applies to arbitral awards.
Practical constraints
Local procedure is handled by admitted lawyers in the jurisdiction concerned.
What we do here
Debtor in Canada?
The Debt Check is free and tells you whether the claim is worth pursuing.
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