A Canadian Domestic Partnership Agreement, also commonly referred to as a cohabitation agreement or common-law partnership agreement, is a legally binding contract between two individuals who are living together in a committed domestic relationship without being legally married. This agreement establishes the financial rights, obligations, and responsibilities that govern their relationship, including property division, debt allocation, household expense sharing, spousal support, and the disposition of assets upon separation or death.

The legal framework for domestic partnerships in Canada is primarily governed by provincial legislation, creating significant variation in rights and obligations across the country. In Ontario, common-law relationships are governed by the Family Law Act (R.S.O. 1990, c. F.3), which notably does not extend the property equalization provisions of Part I to unmarried partners. Common-law partners in Ontario may be entitled to spousal support after three years of cohabitation or if they have a child together and have cohabited in a relationship of some permanence (Family Law Act s. 29). In British Columbia, the Family Law Act (S.B.C. 2011, c. 25, Part 5) provides the most progressive framework in Canada, extending full property division rights to common-law partners (called "spouses" under the Act) after two years of continuous cohabitation.

In Alberta, the Family Law Act (S.A. 2003, c. F-4.5) and the Adult Interdependent Relationships Act (S.A. 2002, c. A-4.5) govern the rights of unmarried partners. In Quebec, common-law partners (conjoints de fait) have significantly fewer automatic legal rights than in other provinces, as the Civil Code of Quebec (C.C.Q.) does not recognize common-law partnerships for property division or spousal support purposes. The Supreme Court of Canada confirmed this in Quebec (Attorney General) v. A, 2013 SCC 5, ruling that Quebec's exclusion of common-law partners from the family patrimony regime was constitutional.

A domestic partnership agreement is particularly important in Canada because of these provincial variations. Without an agreement, partners may be subject to different rules depending on where they live, and their rights may change if they move to a different province. The agreement provides certainty and predictability by allowing partners to define their own financial arrangement, regardless of the default rules in their province of residence.

A Canadian Domestic Partnership Agreement is needed whenever two individuals begin living together in a committed relationship and wish to establish clear financial and property arrangements. The timing of this agreement is particularly important in Canada because several provinces impose rights and obligations on common-law partners after specific cohabitation periods, and partners may wish to define their arrangement before these statutory rights arise.

Partners should create this agreement at the outset of cohabitation or as soon as possible thereafter. In British Columbia, where the Family Law Act extends property division rights after two years of cohabitation, partners who wish to maintain separate property must execute an agreement before the two-year threshold. In Ontario, where common-law partners become eligible for spousal support after three years, an agreement addressing support can provide clarity before that milestone.

This agreement is essential when one or both partners bring significant assets into the relationship, including real estate, investments, business interests, or inherited property. Without an agreement, the disposition of these assets upon separation may be subject to uncertain and expensive litigation, including claims based on constructive trust, resulting trust, or unjust enrichment under the common law principles established in Kerr v. Baranow, 2011 SCC 10.

Partners need this agreement when they plan to make joint financial commitments, such as purchasing a home together, opening joint bank accounts, co-signing loans, or making joint investments. The agreement should specify each partner's contribution, ownership interest, and the method of division upon separation. This is particularly important for real estate, as the provincial land registration system (e.g., the Ontario Land Registration system or B.C.'s Land Title Act) determines ownership based on title registration, not the underlying financial contributions.

The agreement is also needed when partners have different income levels or earning capacities, when one partner will be reducing their employment to care for children or support the other's career, when partners have children from previous relationships, when one partner operates a business and wants to protect it from claims, or when partners wish to establish provisions for spousal support that differ from the default provincial rules. Partners who receive government benefits should also consider how their common-law status affects benefits administered by the Canada Revenue Agency, including the GST/HST credit and Canada Child Benefit.

A valid Canadian Domestic Partnership Agreement must contain several essential elements to be enforceable and to protect the interests of both partners. The agreement must begin with the identification of both partners, including full legal names, current residential addresses with postal codes, and email addresses. The agreement should state the effective date and the date the partnership began, as the cohabitation period has legal significance in several provinces.

The property division clause must clearly distinguish between individual property (assets owned before the partnership or acquired through inheritance, gifts, or personal investment) and shared property (assets acquired jointly during the partnership). The agreement should specify whether income and property earned during the partnership will be owned jointly or treated separately. This is particularly important in provinces like British Columbia, where common-law partners acquire property division rights after two years, and in Ontario, where no such automatic rights exist.

Joint bank account provisions should specify whether the partners will open shared accounts, the contribution percentage for each partner, how shared expenses will be managed, and how the accounts will be divided upon separation. The agreement should address debts, specifying whether each partner is responsible for their own individual debts or whether joint debts will be shared equally.

Household expense division should detail how rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, and maintenance costs will be shared, whether equally or proportionally based on income. Insurance provisions should address supplementary health insurance, life insurance, and home or tenant insurance, noting that provincial health insurance (OHIP in Ontario, MSP in British Columbia, AHCIP in Alberta) covers basic medical care.

Spousal support provisions should address the partners' intentions regarding financial support during the relationship and upon separation. The agreement should acknowledge that spousal support rights may be non-waivable under certain provincial legislation and that courts retain the ability to override unconscionable provisions. Inherited property should be expressly excluded from any division.

Termination provisions must specify the notice period, the method of delivery (personal service, registered mail, or email), and the process for dividing shared assets upon separation. The governing law clause should reference the specific provincial legislation that applies. Each partner should acknowledge having had the opportunity to obtain independent legal advice, as this significantly strengthens the enforceability of the agreement. Full financial disclosure by both partners is essential, as failure to disclose significant assets or debts is one of the most common grounds for setting aside a domestic contract under provincial legislation.