In Canada, signing treaties is a matter for the executive. However, the terms of the treaty are not automatically incorporated into Canadian domestic law – the

In Canada, signing treaties is a matter for the executive. However, the terms of the treaty are not automatically incorporated into Canadian domestic law – the words of a statute win out over a treaty. Sometimes a treaty can be implemented with just regulation, or it provides a statement of principles that helps interpret legal ambiguities. However, on matters such as the copyright term length discussed in this article, the trade treaty required explicit implementation by statute.