It varies by region. The other commenters in this thread seem to be from Ontario. In Victoria, where I'm from, your car does not have to meet any kind of standards at all unless it is involved in a collision, in which case an insurance inspector will tell you what needs to be done (if it's an old car they usually tell you to scrap it), or a cop tells you to get it inspected (this is called a Vehicle Inspection ticket). Otherwise, it's sailing rules - anything that isn't expressly forbidden is allowed.

Across the water in Vancouver you do have to pass an emissions test.