Glossary

Act
A law made by Parliament or a provincial legislature. The process of making an Act of Parliament begins with the introduction of a proposed Act, or bill, in one of the two houses of Parliament (the Senate or the House of Commons). A bill becomes an Act if it is passed (approved) by both houses and receives Royal Assent.

Affidavit
Document signed by the commissioners for oaths with the official seal of the commissioners for oaths of Ontario that states officially that a notice was published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, on a specific date. Lawyers need this document in judicial court as legal evidence that a notice was published in the Canada Gazette.

Consolidated Index or Consolidated Index of Statutory Instruments
Quarterly index of the Canada Gazette, Part II, which contains regulations, statutory instruments other than regulations, and other documents that were in force at any time between January 1, 1955, and the publication date of the consolidated index. It is published four times per year: at the end of January, April, July and October.

Extra or Extra edition
Special edition to Part I or Part II that is published on any date other than the regular publication date in order to respect legal requirements. The publication of extra editions in Canada Gazette, Part I shall be warranted under the following circumstances: It is specified in a statute or regulation; the Clerk of the Privy Council is the originator of the request; the Governor General, the House of Commons, or the Senate are the originators of the request; the request will result in prevention of substantial damage to the Crown; prevention of danger to the public and/or national health and safety; protection of public and/or national health and welfare, prevention of public and or/national security; and emergency legislation.

Extract
Product offered by the Canada Gazette Directorate to its clients. A client who published a notice in the Canada Gazette, Part I or Part II, can request copies of the notice as it appeared in the gazette. A cover page is created especially for the notice in question. The Directorate offers this service for orders of 100 copies and more.

Governor (General) in Council (GIC)
The Governor General of Canada acting by and with the advice and consent of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada (i.e. Cabinet).

Instrument of Advice
A letter from the Prime Minister to the Governor General recommending certain actions (e.g. cabinet shuffles, prorogation of Parliament).

Order in Council (OIC)
A legal instrument made by the Governor in Council pursuant to a statutory authority or, less frequently, the royal prerogative. All orders in council are made on the recommendation of the responsible Minister of the Crown and take legal effect only when signed by the Governor General.

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Parliament
The legislative branch of Government, composed of the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General), the Senate and the House of Commons; The period under which the Parliamentof Canada exercises its powers. The Constitution says that a Parliament cannot exist for more than five years.

Publiservice
Extranet Web site for Government of Canada employees.

Quarterly Index
Quarterly index to the Canada Gazette, Part I. Published four times a year — at the end of January, April, July and October — this index contains all the notices that were published during the previous three-month period.

Regulations
A law made by a person or body that has been granted (delegated) law-making authority. Used both to indicate a specific type of delegated legislation as well as to refer generically to all forms of delegated legislation. For the purposes of the Regulatory Policy, we rely on the Department of Justice's determination that an item will receive an SOR number to indicate that it is a regulation. More broadly, regulations may refer to all government intervention in the lives of citizens.

Request for insertion forms
Forms that clients have to complete when they publish a notice in the Canada Gazette. Request for insertion forms are available for non-federal clients and Government of Canada departments and agencies.

SI
Acronym for Statutory Instrument (See the definition for statutory instruments below).

SOR
Acronym for Statutory Orders and Regulations (See the definition of Statutory Orders and Regulations).

Statutory instrument
A regulation, order, commission or other instrument authorized by an Act of Parliament.

Statutory Instruments Act
Act that confers the responsibility for the publication of the Canada Gazette to the Queen's Printer.

Statutory Instruments Regulations
Regulations relating to the manner in which the Canada Gazette is published, the publication dates and the subscription fees.

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Statutory Orders and Regulations
Means statutory instrument as defined in the Statutory Instruments Act:

"statutory instrument"

(a) means any rule, order, regulation, ordinance, direction, form, tariff of costs or fees, letters patent, commission, warrant, proclamation, by-law, resolution or other instrument issued, made or established

(i) in the execution of a power conferred by or under an Act of Parliament, by or under which that instrument is expressly authorized to be issued, made or established otherwise than by the conferring on any person or body of powers or functions in relation to a matter to which that instrument relates, or
(ii) by or under the authority of the Governor in Council, otherwise than in the execution of a power conferred by or under an Act of Parliament,
but

(b) does not include

(i) any instrument referred to in paragraph (a) and issued, made or established by a corporation incorporated by or under an Act of Parliament unless
(A) the instrument is a regulation and the corporation by which it is made is one that is ultimately accountable, through a Minister, to Parliament for the conduct of its affairs, or
(B) the instrument is one for the contravention of which a penalty, fine or imprisonment is prescribed by or under an Act of Parliament,
(ii) any instrument referred to in paragraph (a) and issued, made or established by a judicial or quasi-judicial body, unless the instrument is a rule, order or regulation governing the practice or procedure in proceedings before a judicial or quasi-judicial body established by or under an Act of Parliament,
(iii) any instrument referred to in paragraph (a) and in respect of which, or in respect of the production or other disclosure of which, any privilege exists by law or whose contents are limited to advice or information intended only for use or assistance in the making of a decision or the determination of policy, or in the ascertainment of any matter necessarily incidental thereto, or
(iv) an ordinance of the Yukon Territory or the Northwest Territories, a law made by the Legislature for Nunavut, a rule made by the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut under section 21 of the Nunavut Act or any instrument issued, made or established under any such ordinance, law or rule.

Treasury Board (TB)
TB is a statutory Cabinet committee whose recommendation or approval is required for regulations liable to have significant financial implications or those that, through their enabling statutes, require TB approval or recommendation (e.g., regulations that impose new user fees, or raise or lower existing fees under the Financial Administration Act).