Canadian corporate law belongs within a broader Anglo-American legal tradition, sharing many of the features of other common law jurisdictions, most notably England and the United States. Prior to Confederation, Canadian corporate law first emerged from nineteenth-century English legislation and continued to resemble English law--at least superficially--well into the twentieth century. In the 1970s, Canadian corporate law moved closer to the United States, as major legislative reforms, including the Canada Business Corporations Act, were significantly influenced by American statutes. From a legislative perspective, Canada has clearly been influenced by developments from beyond its borders. Legislation is only one source of corporate law, however. Just as important is the creation of legal rules through the common law adjudicatory process. Thus, examining case law raises an important empirical question distinct from, though relevant to, the issue of legislative influence--namely, what have been the major influences on Canadian judicial lawmaking? This article addresses this question through a comprehensive citation analysis of substantially all corporate law decisions by Canadian courts of appeal since 1867. The primary findings are as follows: (1) Over the past 150 years, Canadian corporate law--once dominated by English precedent--has become increasingly characterized by domestic Canadian precedent; (2) Historically, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council played an important role in maintaining English influence, such that the prominence of English precedent decreased after 1949; and (3) Despite the increasing influence of Canadian precedent throughout the Canadian legal system, Canadian courts continue to cite English cases when addressing unsettled legal issues, preserving a channel for the continuing influence of English jurisprudence in Canada. Surprisingly, Canadian judicial decisions rarely cite American cases, challenging the notion that Canadian courts have been significantly influenced by American law. Ultimately--and despite residual English influence--Canadian corporate law has formed its own distinct identity.

中文翻译：

---

加拿大公司法的爱国主义

加拿大公司法属于更广泛的英美法律传统，具有其他普通法司法管辖区的许多特征，最著名的是英国和美国。在联邦成立之前，加拿大公司法首先从 19 世纪的英国立法中出现，并且在 20 世纪继续类似于英国法——至少在表面上是如此。1970 年代，加拿大公司法向美国靠拢，因为包括《加拿大商业公司法》在内的重大立法改革深受美国法规的影响。从立法的角度来看，加拿大显然受到了境外发展的影响。然而，立法只是公司法的来源之一。同样重要的是通过普通法裁决程序制定法律规则。因此，研究判例法提出了一个重要的实证问题，虽然与立法影响问题有所不同，但与立法影响问题不同——即，对加拿大司法立法的主要影响是什么？本文通过对加拿大上诉法院自 1867 年以来几乎所有公司法判决的全面引证分析来解决这个问题。主要发现如下： (1) 在过去的 150 年中，加拿大公司法——曾经由英国先例主导——越来越成为加拿大国内的先例；(2) 从历史上看，枢密院司法委员会在维持英国影响力方面发挥了重要作用，导致 1949 年后英国判例的突出地位下降；(3) 尽管加拿大先例在整个加拿大法律体系中的影响越来越大，加拿大法院在解决未解决的法律问题时继续引用英国案例，为英国法理学在加拿大的持续影响力保留了渠道。令人惊讶的是，加拿大的司法判决很少引用美国的案例，这对加拿大法院受美国法律影响很大的观点提出了质疑。最终——尽管仍有英国的影响——加拿大公司法已经形成了自己独特的身份。