L’obligation essentielle dans le contrat

A review of recent jurisprudence and doctrine points to the emergence of a new category of contractual obligation : the essential obligation. An array of texts, more numerous in France than in Québec, highlights and attempts to define the notion. Nevertheless, because of the quantitative and qualitative importance of the elements that characterize each proposed doctrinal definition, none is truly satisfactory. We have no choice but to admit that the number of concerns and criticisms raised in connection with the notion make it difficult to circumscribe its actual meaning. In this article, after setting out some doctrinal definitions and the main uncertainties surrounding the notion, we will try to uncover its true meaning by reviewing the ways in which it is used. We will show that the essential obligation has earned a place in the increasingly broad and specialized set of restrictions on contractual freedom.