Same Roles with Different Names Across Canadian Provinces

Willful
April 13th, 2026

Understanding the legal terminology of important roles in your province— a plain-language guide to what each one means.

When creating your will or power of attorney documents, it’s important to understand the different roles involved—especially since legal terminology can vary across provinces.

Core People in Your Estate Plan

Executor, liquidator, attorney, mandatory. The same roles have different names across Canadian provinces. This guide clarifies the key roles and their equivalents in each province, using Ontario terms as a common reference point.

Here are the core roles you may encounter when preparing estate planning documents and how some of these roles may be referred to differently depending on the province…