Les effets exercés par les crises financières sur la force obligatoire des contrats: certitudes et incertitudes du droit québécois en matière d’imprévision

Abstract

The Quebec law is marked by the coexistence of certainties and uncertainties related to the theory of imprevision. The Civil Code of Quebec, as the former Civil Code of Lower Canada, explicitly recognizes the principles of pacta sunt servanda and nominalism. However, there is no specific provision in the Civil Code of Quebec that recognizes or rejects the theory of imprevision. If it is clear that a change of circumstances could have an impact when the parties have included a hardship clause or even in one of the particular cases where the legislator explicitly provides for imprevision, authors express opposing views as to the applicable law in other hypotheses. For some, the absence of a general provision on the theory of imprevision means that the legislature did not wish to acknowledge it and that it only relies on the general principle of pacta sunt servanda. For others, in light of the new contractual morality that has recently emerged, the binding effect of the contract must be reconciled with the general principle of good faith, which imposes a duty of cooperation and allows for renegotiation of the agreement. In the next few years, Quebec courts will take a stand on this issue.