The ''Contraventions Act'' (the ''Act'') is a

statute A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...

enacted by the federal

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...

. The official long title of the law, which came into force on October 15, 1992, is ''An Act respecting contraventions of federal enactments'' (SC 1992, c 47 as amended).Contraventions Act
/ref> The ''Act'' and its associated regulations allow violations of minor federal laws to be prosecuted through a ticketing system rather than a formal criminal charge.
Where an offence outlined in federal law has been designated by the federal government as a contravention, a police officer may choose to issue a ticket instead of laying criminal charges. Although the ''Act'' includes a full framework for federal ticketing, most of the law is not in force. Those parts that are in force allow provincial ticketing procedures to apply in those provinces that have signed an agreement with the federal government.

References

Canadian federal legislation Canadian criminal law Legal history of Canada 1992 in Canadian law {{Canada-law-stub