Same requirements as in the US---a builder's log is sufficient to show compliance with the 51% rule.
Vic
My plane was imported by the guy I bought it from. The paperwork wasn't "good enough", whatever that means, for and airworthiness certificate here in the states. The DAR approved the plane to fly and the owner had to fly off the 25 hours conducting all the tests as if he built it. Then the cert was issued. Not sure, but I don't think he got a builders cert to perform inspections on it. But he had it maintained by an A&P anyway.
You'd have a hard time building an Amateur-Built in Canada without showing a builder's log to MD-RA during the inspections. Not saying it's impossible, but that you'd have an uphill battle proving to the inspector that you built it.
The FAA does NOT automatically accept Canadian amateur-built certification in the US as Amateur-Built. To apply for US Airworthiness in the Experimental Amateur-Built category, one must prove that the aircraft was indeed 51% amateur-built, the same as if it were newly built in the US. Certified statement from the original builder, builder's log, and FAA Form 8130-12 will satisfy this requirement.
Hope this is not too far off subject...But there are builders like myself who have utilized the talents of many friends, and high school students in the construction of the amateur built aircraft.
As such a traditional log has not been kept. But the build has been documented with many photos of the process.
Similar to the EAA at Oshkosh where hundreds of individuals will stop by to pop a couple rivets.
I have seen many kits take a LONG time to complete, across many individual owners. One took over 20 years. There is no limit as to how many people can work on the airplane, and there are allowances for the areas in which commercial assistance is permitted (engine, avionics, paint, etc). An inquisitive DAR or Inspector, as Mel mentioned, can quickly determine if it was amateur-built.
Vic