LEGISTICS

Preface

It has been 30 years since Elmer Driedger published his second edition of The Composition of Legislation. It conveyed with compelling clarity the fundamental importance of using ordinary language to express the law and it demonstrated how to do this effectively. Its valuable contribution to the drafting of legislation has been recognized time and again throughout the world.

Much has happened since The Composition of Legislation was last published. Drafting techniques have continued to evolve in response to concerns about the quality of legislation, most notably those voiced by the Commissioner of Official Languages in 1975 and by advocates of plain language.

The Department of Justice has responded to these concerns. Since the late 1970s, the Groupe de jurilinguistique française (JLF) has made a substantial contribution to drafting in French, particularly by publishing the Guide canadien de rédaction législative française.

More recently, first the English Legislative Language Committee and now The English Legislative Language Working Group have been working to improve the readability of legislation drafted in English. The work of these committees and groups is gathered in this text, Legistics.

The text is arranged in four parts:

• Words and Expressions
• Sentences
• Paragraphing
• Punctuation

The articles in Legistics have been formally accepted by the Branch Legislative Drafting Policy Committee and reflect Branch drafting policy. Members of the Legislative Services Branch should carefully consider the recommendations contained in Legistics when preparing the English version of legislation. They are a useful tool for resolving drafting questions and for producing legislation that conveys its meaning effectively to those who read it.

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