Yes, caps on the number of hours are common. About half the plans in Canada rely on staff lawyer programs, so they are managed in a different way.
Those plans that use private lawyers—B.C., Alberta, and Ontario—tend to have a fixed number of hours. Sometimes they're staged. Sometimes they're subject to additional approvals. Sometimes, typically in the case of very large criminal cases, every hour is managed. Lawyers come and say what they need, and they receive approvals.