Public Authorities Database

To find information about a legal person or a body governed by public law registered in the database of public authorities, you can use the online service accessible by clicking the button below:

Search in the Enterprise Register

To learn how to search the database of public authorities, see the Instructions to Find an Enterprise in the Enterprise Register page.

On January 1, 1994, decree 1870-93 came into force, providing for the creation and updating of a central register of public bodies and legal persons, known as the database of public authorities, following the adoption of the Act respecting the legal publicity of sole proprietorships, partnerships and legal persons and its implementing regulation.

The identification of public authorities is the basis for the creation and maintenance of the database of public authorities. 

Organizations are grouped into five main categories: federal, provincial or municipal agencies, social services and international organizations.

The departments, agencies, companies, groups and legal persons governed by public law whose information is received and disclosed as part of the administration of the central file of agencies and legal entities governed by public law (database of public authorities) are as follows:

• The House of Commons and National Assembly
• Departments of the Government of Canada or Québec and organizations that act on their behalf
• Agencies whose personnel are appointed in accordance with the Public Service Act (R.S.Q., c. F-3.1.1)
• Agencies covered by the Public Service Employment Act (RSC [1985], c. P-33)
• Agencies whose majority of members or majority of board members are appointed by the Government of Canada or the Government of Québec
• Agencies whose personnel is appointed under a regulation approved by the Government of Canada or the Government of Québec
• Agencies whose voting shares are part of the federal or Québec public domain
• Municipalities constituted by a general or special law
• Organizations whose majority of members or majority of board members are appointed by one or more municipalities
• Mandatary body of municipalities within the meaning of the Act respecting the Pension Plan of Elected Municipal Officers (CQLR, c. R-9.3)
• Supramunicipal bodies within the meaning of the Act respecting the Pension Plan of Elected Municipal Officers
• Organizations whose majority of members or majority of council members are appointed by a supramunicipal body within the meaning of the Act respecting the Pension Plan of Government of Elected Municipal
• The Cree Regional Authority and Kativik Regional Government
• Regional health and social services authorities
• Public institution within the meaning of paragraphs 3 and 4 of section 98 of the Act respecting health services and social services (CQLR, c. S-4.2)
• Public institutions within the meaning of paragraph (a) of section 10 of the Act respecting health services and social services for Cree Native persons (CQLR, c. S-5)
• School boards and regional school boards governed by the Education Act (CQLR, c. I-13.3) as well as the Conseil scolaire de l'île de Montréal
• The Cree School Board, the Kativik School Board and the Naskapi Education Committee governed by the Education Act for Cree, Inuit and Naskapi Native Persons (CQLR, c. I-14)
• General and vocational colleges
• Université du Québec, its constituent universities, research institutes and superior schools as defined in the Act respecting the Université du Québec (CQLR, c. U-1)
• Professional orders within the meaning of the Professional Code (CQLR, c. C-26)
• The governments of other States and their diplomatic, consular or commercial representations
• international government organizations

Since bodies governed by public law are not subject to register in the Registre des entreprises du Québec, they must, if a change must be made to the information contained in the database of public authorities, apply to the Registrar for the latter to update the file. This application must be sent by email to the following address: req.autorite.publique@req.gouv.qc.ca.

The application must include

• the Québec enterprise number (NEQ) starting with 88
• The requested changes
• the signature of a person authorized to request changes.

Public authorities are not subject to the Act mainly to improve the transparency of enterprises. They are therefore exempt from declaring information on ultimate beneficiaries and directors' dates of birth. What's more, they don't need to provide ID for each director.

The notion of public authority is a broad one, encompassing many different types of organizations. As a result, the information that organizations transmit to the Registrar is varied. In addition, some are complete, while others are a summary, since some organizations provide the Registrar with only the essential information that must appear in the database of public authorities, in accordance with Appendix A of Order-in-Council 3685-77, which stipulates the information elements.