Who is a notary public in Canada?
A notary public is a person who can act as an official witness to the execution (signing) of contracts, agreements, and a virtually unlimited number of other legal documents. A notary can also attest that documents are exact replicas of the original. A Notary’s formal act is referred to as notarization. A notary can also administer oaths, solemn affirmations, and declarations, which are commonly used in affidavits and statutory declarations. Please keep in mind that you must sign in front of the Notary in order for her to notarize your signature.
Documents signed in front of a notary provide confidence to others that the document was signed by that specific individual. Notaries provide a beneficial service in the current day, when contracts are commonly entered into between parties thousands of kilometres apart, removing some of the risk associated with such agreements. In other words, it makes it more difficult for a contracting party to later claim that she or he did not sign the paper.
Are you looking for a place to notarize your documents? To make your search easier, Juris Notary offers Notary services all around the Lower Mainland in British Columbia (BC).
A notary can also draught contracts, promissory notes, wills, mortgages, and other legal documents in some jurisdictions. The powers of a notary public are almost typically drawn from provincial or state legislation in each province or state. In most provinces, however, the legislation is merely a codification of the common law that preceded it.
In Ontario, for example, the Notaries Act states that “…a notary public has and may use and exercise the power of drawing, passing, keeping, and issuing all deeds and contracts, charter-parties, and other mercantile transactions in Ontario, and also of attesting all commercial instruments that may be brought before him or her for public protestation, and otherwise of acting as is usual in the office of notary public, and…”
The qualifications for becoming a notary in some countries, such as a number of Canadian provinces, are such that only attorneys are qualified to conduct all notary public services. The requirements in Quebec are similar to those in the United States, although they are distinct. In essence, the legal profession is divided, thus depending on the situation, you may need the services of a Notaire or an Avocat.
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Do you need to consult with someone about your legal matters or need to get any documents notarized? Get in touch with Juris Notary, and we’ll be happy to help you out or point you in the correct direction if need be.
