Legislation at the Library
The JIBC Library carries the official print versions of both the federal and provincial statutes and regulations. Contact the library if you need further assistance.
Browse Titles by Subject
Legislation Basics
Legislation includes laws, also referred to as acts or statutes, that are passed by either the federal parliament or a provincial legislative, and regulations, sometimes called secondary or delegated legislation. Regulations are made under the authority of a 'parent' act, and there may be several sets of regulations under one act.
Read How a Government Bill becomes Law in Canada
Some Definitions
Legislation = Written and approved laws. Also known as statutes, or acts.
Bill = A proposed statute, not yet approved.
Act = A bill which has passed through the various legislative steps required for it and which has become law. Also known as a statute.
Statutes = Statutes are laws that are passed by the legislature - federal or provincial/territorial.
Regulations = Rules made pursuant to a statute and known as subordinate legislation. Regulations always have an enabling statute; that is, a statute under which the regulations were made and operate.
See JURIST Canada's dictionary for more definitions of basic Canadian legal terms.
Legal Databases
CanLII (Canadian Legal Information Institute) is a free source of Canadian primary legal material. Here you can find statutes, regulations and case law.
Off-campus access is available to JIBC faculty/staff and students registered in a program. Please contact the Library for a Username and Password.
- Quicklaw
Quicklaw offers 2,300 databases of law and related information from Canada, the United States, and other countries. This collection includes caselaw, statutes, regulations, bills, and other materials including texts (e.g. Irwin Law titles) articles, newsletters, and press releases. Legislation updated immediately upon receipt of change. - QPLegalEze Current and archived laws of British Columbia including regulations since April 2003, Hansard, Bills, Consolidated statutes, B.C. Gazette Parts I and II.
- Quickscribe Full text access to all BC Statutes and Regulations as well as a list of key federal legislation including the Criminal Code of Canada, Divorce Act and Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. Users may also access Orders in Councils, Bills, repealed laws, point-in-time archived legislation and other "related" industry-specific documents. Offers RSS feeds to provide you with instant notification of new amendments to relevant legislation in your research area. Legislation is updated daily.
About This Guide
The information in this guide will help you locate legislation (statutes, acts, bills). Click on the tabs for instructions and tips for completing your research.
Remember to visit the library for additional assistance. Librarians are available to help if you are having difficulties or don't know where to start. You can contact us anytime.
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