Guide to Canadian Legal Information

Federal Statutes and Regulations

Links to Canadian federal statutes and regulations are found on our Laws of Canada site.

Statutes

To find a specific statute, use our Laws search or consult our alphabetical listing of statutes. You may also wish to consult the Table of Private Acts, a historical index showing all private Acts of Canada, other than those dealing with divorces, that have been enacted since 1867 and that appear in the Statutes of Canada from 1867 to December 31, 1997. If you need historical information on specific statutes, we suggest you consult the Table of Public Statutes, which contains useful details such as the dates of enactment and the responsible ministers as well as a detailed listing of amendments, including repealed sections.

Regulations

Most regulations on our site are referenced according to their enabling statute; however you can search the alphabetical listing of regulations. If you know the name of the enabling statute, first find the statute and then click the link. Scroll down to find a list of “Regulations Made Under this Act” and select the regulations link. The search page is available if you know the specific name of the regulation or its SOR (statutory orders and regulations) identifier (e.g. SOR/95-245). Our collection also includes regulations which do not have enabling statutes and are considered Other than statutory authority.

Statutes and Regulations in Printed Form

Obtain a bound print version of federal legislation from Government of Canada Publications.

Provincial Statutes and Regulations

The Department of Justice does not maintain provincial statutes on our website. Refer to your province or territory’s Department of Justice listed in Helpful Links.

Government Bills

The Department of Justice does not publish proposed legislation (“bills”) on our website. All legislation introduced in Parliament can be found on the Parliament of Canada’s LEGISinfo page.

LEGISinfo (frequently asked questions) also includes general information on legislation, including how a bill becomes a law.

Once passed into law, all federal legislation can be found on Justice Laws Website.

You can find news releases and backgrounders which explain legislation introduced in Parliament by Minister of Justice on our News page.

The Department of Justice publishes a Charter Statement for every new government bill introduced. A Charter Statement informs Canadians about potential effects of a bill on rights and freedoms protected by the Charter and, where applicable, explains considerations that support the constitutionality of a bill.

Court Decisions

With the exception of the Canadian Charter of Rights Decisions, the Department does not publish court decisions. The Lexum Collection provides free access to all of the Supreme Court of Canada decisions since 1907, while the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs provides access to Federal Court decisions.

Constitutional Documents

The complete collection of constitutional documents is currently online. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is also available as a separate document.

How Federal Acts and Regulations are made

The Privy Council Office provides a Guide to Making Federal Acts and Regulations on their web site.