Articles of incorporation, step by step, federal, every province, and every territory.
This tool organizes the mechanics of incorporating a Canadian corporation and preparing its articles, for all 14 Canadian jurisdictions. It is general information, not legal or tax advice, and government fees and rules change. Confirm the current requirements with the official sources on the Sources tab, and involve a lawyer and your accountant for anything specific to your situation.
Every jurisdiction gives you a corporation with limited liability and its own articles (or, in Nova Scotia, a memorandum and articles of association). The practical differences drive the choice: federal (CBCA) incorporation gives name protection across Canada and mobility between provinces, but you still register extra-provincially wherever you carry on business; incorporating directly in a province or territory is usually simpler if you will operate mainly there. The table below compares the governing statute, cost, and key rules across all 14 jurisdictions.
Pick your jurisdiction from the dropdown at the top, the checklist hides the steps that don't apply and keeps the shared ones. Tick items as you complete them; your progress is saved in this browser only, per jurisdiction. Use Why this matters under any item for a short explanation, and Print / Save PDF for a clean record to keep in the minute book or send to your advisor.
A few facts noted in this tool, mainly fee amounts and the exact wording of director-residency rules in some smaller jurisdictions, could not be independently confirmed against a directly-quoted primary-source clause at the time of writing. Every checklist item links to an official source; click through and confirm before you file, especially for fees and residency rules.