In the past, there was a wide range of rating categories and practices in the various provinces. However, the five rating systems outside Quebec now all use categories and logos derived from the Canadian Home Video Rating System.
In general, these categories are:
G: General Audience - Suitable for all ages and audiences. Equivalent to a G.
PG: Parental Guidance - Parental guidance advised. There is no age restriction but some material may not be suitable for children under 14. The theme or content alone in a PG-rated film may not be suitable for younger children. Equivalent to a hard PG or a soft PG-13.
14A: 14 Advisory - Persons under 14 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. The adult must be 18 years or over. Equivalent to a hard PG-13 or a soft R.
18A: 18 Advisory - Persons under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. In the Maritimes & Manitoba, the child who is accompanied must be 18 or over, and persons under 14 will not be admitted. Equivalent to a hard R.
R: Restricted - Admittance restricted to people 18 years of age or older. Persons under 18 years of age are not permitted to attend accompanied or otherwise. May contain strong sexual content, prolonged scenes of intense violence (with or without cruelty), pornographic content, intense horror, strong coarse language and other really disturbing content that is inappropriate for children and therefore off-limits for minors. wikipedia:While You Were Sleeping (film) (1995) was originally given an R in Canada due to the profanity. A PG-rated version was also released, but it lacks the profanity seen in the R (Canada) version, the R (USA) version, the 18 (UK) version, and the R18+ (Australia) version. Equivalent to a high R and NC-17.
A: Adult - Admittance restricted to people 18 years of age or older. Persons under 18 are not permitted to attend under circumstances. Sole purpose of the film is the portrayal of sexually explicit activity and or/excessive violence. Films classified as A rating are from being banned from all Canadian states and are legally only available in Canadian Capital Territory, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon. However importing A material from the four territories to any of the Canadian states is legal.
The 14A, 18A, R and A ratings are legally restricted, and it is against the law for anybody under age to obtain such material. In some provinces, it is against the law for persons under 14 to view 18A movies, even if accompanied by an adult.
Ontario Film Review Board-PSA