Legislation (laws and regulations)
The word “legislation” includes laws and regulations. In Quebec, there are both federal and provincial laws and regulations, as well as municipal bylaws.1
Federal laws and regulations
The Parliament of Canada creates federal laws and regulations.2
To access the official versions of these laws and regulations, please visit the website of Justice Canada.
Federal bills are also available on the website of the Parliament of Canada.
Provincial laws and regulations
The National Assembly of Quebec creates the laws and regulations of Quebec.3
To access the official versions of these laws and regulations, please visit the website Légis Québec.
Provincial laws are also available on the website of the National Assembly of Quebec.
Municipal bylaws
The municipal councils of cities create municipal bylaws. These bylaws differ for each city.4
To access the official and updated versions of these bylaws, please contact city hall or visit the official website of your municipality.
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Other organizations that offer access to laws and regulations The Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) offers free access to federal laws and regulations, as well as those of certain provinces, including Quebec. The Centre d’accès à l’information juridique (CAIJ – Centre for Access to Legal Information) offers free access to federal and provincial laws and regulations, as well as municipal bylaws. Moreover, certain federal and Quebec laws are annotated and contain supplementary information regarding how to interpret them. |
Jurisprudence (court decisions)
The word “jurisprudence” is a legal term for all decisions made by the courts across Canada. It can also be used to refer to all court decisions made in a specific area of the law, for example, “family law jurisprudence.”
To find Quebec court decisions
The Société québécoise d’information juridique (SOQUIJ – the Quebec Society for Legal Information) publishes decisions of Quebec courts. Its website gives free access to recent decisions of the Quebec courts, the Quebec Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. SOQUIJ is under the responsibility of Justice Quebec.
The Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) and the Centre d’accès à l’information juridique (CAIJ – Centre for Access to Legal Information) also offer free access to recent Quebec decisions.
To find decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada offers free access to its decisions. Some of them date back to the 19th century.
Finding decisions of the tribunals of all Canadian provinces and territories
The Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) and the Centre d’accès à l’information juridique (CAIJ – Centre for Access to Legal Information) offer free access to decisions of the tribunals of all Canadian provinces and territories.
Government decisions
The websites of the Government of Canada and Publications Québec give free access to the Canada Gazette and the Gazette officielle du Québec. These gazettes are the documents through which the federal and provincial governments publish their decisions, decrees, bills, and legal opinions.