Short answer: in most cases, yes — under PIPEDA and provincial electronic commerce acts. What matters is the evidence behind the signature. Here is what makes one defensible.
See how we prove it →Canadian law has recognized electronic signatures for over two decades. At the federal level, PIPEDA (the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) addresses electronic documents and signatures, and every province has its own electronic commerce or electronic transactions statute. In practice, a signature is treated as binding when there is good evidence of three things: the signer intended and consented to sign, the signature can be attributed to them, and the signed record has not been altered.
The signer must intend to sign and consent to do so electronically. GetSigned records an explicit e-sign consent step before any signature is applied.
The signature should be reasonably linked to the signer. Email (and optional SMS) one-time-passcode verification ties the signing session to a contactable identity.
The signed record must be reliably retained and protected from change. Every completed document is sealed with PKCS#7 so tampering is detectable.
A clear record of who did what, when. GetSigned writes every event to an append-only, hash-chained audit log and an audit certificate page.
Not legal advice. This page is general information about electronic signatures in Canada and may not reflect the most recent legal developments or your specific situation. Confirm requirements for your documents with a qualified lawyer before relying on an e-signature.
In most commercial and personal contexts, yes. Canadian law recognizes electronic signatures under PIPEDA at the federal level and under provincial electronic commerce statutes (for example, Ontario’s Electronic Commerce Act, 2000). A court generally looks for evidence of the signer’s intent and consent, attribution to the signer, and the integrity of the signed record. This page is general information, not legal advice.
PIPEDA addresses electronic documents and signatures at the federal level, and each province has its own electronic commerce or electronic transactions act (such as Ontario’s ECA, British Columbia’s Electronic Transactions Act, and equivalents in other provinces). Quebec has its own framework under its Act to establish a legal framework for information technology.
Some document types are commonly excluded or carry extra formality requirements — for example, wills and codicils, certain powers of attorney, and some property-transfer or court documents, depending on the province. Always confirm whether your specific document type can be signed electronically in your jurisdiction before relying on an e-signature.
Defensibility comes from evidence: that the signer consented and intended to sign, that the signature is attributable to them, and that the document has not changed since signing. GetSigned supports all three with consent capture, OTP identity verification, a hash-chained audit trail, and a PKCS#7 seal that makes post-signing tampering detectable.
No e-signature tool can guarantee enforceability — that depends on the contract’s content, the parties, and the law. GetSigned provides the signing record and integrity evidence that supports enforceability. Consult a lawyer for advice on your specific agreements.
No. An electronic signature is a legal concept about intent to sign. A digital signature is a cryptographic technique. GetSigned collects legally valid electronic signatures and additionally applies a service-level digital signature (PKCS#7) for tamper-evidence. See our digital signature explainer for the distinction.
Related: E-signature legality (PIPEDA / ESIGN / UETA) · Audit trail explained · Digital vs electronic signatures · Canadian data residency · Security
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