Comparison
Read two legal systems against each other
Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.
Select up to six documented jurisdictions
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| Attribute | BrazilReviewed | CanadaReviewed | UruguayReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Bijural: common law and Québec civil law | Civil law |
| System of government | Federal presidential republic | Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Unitary presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil | Constitution Acts, 1867 and 1982 | Constitution of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay |
| In force since | 1988 | 1982 | 1967 |
| Capital | Brasília | Ottawa | Montevideo |
| Official languages | Portuguese | English, French | Spanish |
| Currency | Brazilian Real (BRL) | Canadian Dollar (CAD) | Uruguayan peso (UYU) |
| Population | 217,000,000 | 41,200,000 | 3,400,000 |
| Division of powers | Presidentialism with a bicameral Congress and an assertive judiciary; the STF hears direct actions of unconstitutionality brought by defined institutional applicants. | Sections 91 and 92 divide federal and provincial competence. Section 33 allows a legislature to override certain Charter rights for renewable five-year periods. | Unitary. Nineteen departments have elected intendentes and juntas with administrative and local taxing competence, and municipalities were added in 2010, but all legislative power belongs to the General Assembly. |
| How law is made | Bills pass both chambers, with the initiating chamber reviewing amendments; the President may veto in whole or part, and Congress may override in joint session. | Three readings plus committee study in each chamber, then Royal Assent. Money bills must originate in the Commons. | Bills pass both chambers; disagreement is resolved by the General Assembly sitting jointly. The executive may veto, overcome by three-fifths of the joint assembly. Distinctively, 25% of registered voters can force a referendum to repeal a statute within one year of promulgation, and 10% can initiate a constitutional plebiscite. |
| Legal profession | Law graduates must pass the OAB examination; membership of the Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil is mandatory to practise. | Provincial law societies regulate admission: an accredited degree, articles, and bar admission courses. Québec has separate avocat and notaire professions. | A degree from the Universidad de la República or an accredited private faculty confers the title of abogado, with registration by the Supreme Court. Membership of the Colegio de Abogados del Uruguay is voluntary; the Supreme Court exercises discipline. Escribanos públicos are a separate profession with exclusive competence over conveyancing. |
A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.