I have not checked, but it used to be that contingency law did not exist in Canada (among the many reasons various personal suits in most Commonwealth countries bear no resemblance to similar suits in the USA).

Has this changed?

My brother had a small case some years ago, and every attorney wanted a $5,000 retainer - far more than the actual value of perceived loss...

He dropped it, (their advice was that even a victory can be Pyrrhic - given the time, and emotional wear and tear can take on someone, even when you on the winning side) but the point was contingency law did not exist at the time...