The Civil Law of Quebec: Some Disjointed Notes for a Lecture

Quebec private law, though not the public law, can be regarded as a reasonably characteristic example of that system of law known as the Civil Law, one of the world's great legal systems; and you live in the province of Prince Edward Island and I of Nova Scotia, where another of the world's great systems flourishes, the Common Law - you will notice that I say "another", not "the other". It is right and proper that we should attempt to familiarize ourselves with at least one other system of law besides our own, not necessarily with the detailed rules, which may or may not differ from ours, but with the approach of that other system to human problems, its method. For there is no better avenue to improved knowledge of other peoples than through their law, and no one can deny that a better understanding of French Canada in other parts of our country is badly needed.