Understand the Canada Gazette

Learn all about the Canada Gazette: what is published and why we publish it. Discover the difference between Part I, Part II and Part III. Find out how you can contribute to Canada’s democratic process by commenting on proposed regulations.

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About the Canada Gazette

The Canada Gazette is the official newspaper of the Government of Canada. Since 1841, we have been publishing new statutes, new and proposed regulations and various government and public notices.

At first glance, the Canada Gazette may seem to only be of interest to politicians, lawyers and bankers. However, we publish information that serves all Canadians. For example:

  • an individual who wants to fill in a bog on its property to build a house:
    • he/she must publish his/her plans to comply with the Navigable Waters Protection Act
  • a construction company that intends to build a bridge across a river:
    • it must also publish its plans to comply with the same act
  • the government proposes changes to a regulation:
    • we must first solicit comments from Canadians

Mandate

The mandate of the Canada Gazette Directorate is to produce and publish all parts of the Canada Gazette within the time period prescribed in the Statutory Instruments Regulations.

Service standards

Changes to our service standard

Client service at the Canada Gazette has always been a priority, and will continue to remain a cornerstone of the publishing services we offer.

Our organization and services are also subject to the Service Fees Act, legislation that increases transparency, accountability and predictability regarding service fees that the Government of Canada charges to Canadians.

On April 1, 2022, the Canada Gazette will be making changes to its service standards. The standard that will remain will be: maintaining a publishing accuracy rating of over 99% for every notice we publish.

Contact us before March 21, 2022 if you have questions or comments about these changes by sending an email to info.gazette@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca.

The Canada Gazette Directorate strives for the highest level of client service by:

  • maintaining an accuracy rating of over 99%
  • maintaining a client satisfaction rating of at least 85%
  • meeting 100% of all legislated deadlines
  • responding to all information requests within 2 business days
  • providing quality service to clients in French and English

If you have any comments about service standards or the service you received, please contact the Canada Gazette Directorate.

How the Canada Gazette serves you

  • It gives you access:
    • you have the right to consult the laws and regulations that govern your daily life
    • the Canada Gazette contains these public notices, proposed regulations and public Acts of Parliament
  • It is the vehicle that allows you to send comments or concerns to the appropriate department or agency:
    • you can actively participate in Canada’s regulatory process, which is your democratic right
    • you may comment on proposed regulations published in the Canada Gazette
  • It helps the private sector meet their legal requirements to publish in the Canada Gazette:
    • enterprises such as banks, loan companies and insurance companies are required by law to publish certain notices regarding its activities

Parts of the Canada Gazette

The Canada Gazette consists of 3 parts. Each part is published separately and each contains specific types of notices. All 3 parts published since 1998 are available in Canada Gazette publications. You can browse the Canada Gazette archives to read earlier issues.

Part I

Part I of the Canada Gazette contains public notices, official appointments and proposed regulations from the Government of Canada. It is published every Saturday but is available on line on Friday at 2 pm eastern time.

When published, Part I may contain up to 6 categories.

  1. Government house contains notices of orders, decorations, medals and mentions in dispatches awarded to Canadians
  2. Government notices contains notices published by federal departments, including appointment opportunities
  3. Parliament contains notices published by the House of Commons, the Commissioner of Canada Elections, the Senate and the Chief Electoral Officer
  4. Commissions contains notices published by federal agencies, boards and commissions
  5. Miscellaneous notices contains notices published by law firms, private companies, non-profit organizations, individuals and municipal, provincial and territorial governments
  6. Proposed regulations contains proposals of regulations that have not been enacted

Quarterly index

4 times a year, the Canada Gazette publishes a quarterly index. It provides a directory of all notices published in Part I in the last 3 months. The quarterly indexes published in the last 5 years are available in Canada Gazette publications. You can browse the Canada Gazette archives to read earlier issues.

Part II

Part II of the Canada Gazette contains all regulations that have been enacted. It also contains documents such as orders in council, orders and proclamations. Only federal departments and agencies may publish in Part II. It is published every second Wednesday at 9 am eastern time.

Each document has a number that identifies it in the Canada Gazette. It can be either a Statutory Orders and Regulations (SOR) number or a Statutory Instruments (SI) number.

Consolidated index

4 times a year, the Canada Gazette publishes a consolidated index. It provides a directory of all the regulations, statutory instruments and other documents published in Part II since 1955 that are still in force today. The consolidated indexes published in the last 5 years are available in Canada Gazette publications. You can browse the Canada Gazette archives to read earlier issues.

Part III

Part III of the Canada Gazette contains public Acts of Parliament. It also contains a list of the proclamations of Canada and orders in council relating to the acts. Once the acts have received Royal Assent by the Governor General, Part III is published as soon as possible. The Department of Justice, however, determines exactly when Part III must be published.

Extra editions

Part I and Part II extra editions can be published under required circumstances or when a law demands a document to be published without delay.

Publishing the Canada Gazette

The Canada Gazette is a digital publication only. The print version, which was first produced in 1841, ceased on April 1, 2014.

Official version

The official version of the Canada Gazette is bilingual. It also bears the “Canada Gazette” wordmark and Arms of Canada. Since April 1, 2003, the official version is the one published in PDF.

All PDF versions since April 1, 2003, and all print versions published up to March 31, 2014, are admissible as evidence in a court of law.

Non-official version

The non-official version of the Canada Gazette is available for Part I and Part II in Canada Gazette publications. It is published in HTML format. You will also find non-official versions of the acts published in Part III under the section Canada Gazette publications; these versions are presented by chapter with hyperlinks pointing to the Justice Laws website. You can also access the Part III HTML versions presented by year on the Annual Statutes.

All HTML versions are divided into 2 separate files, one for the English text and one for the French text.

Publishing directives

The following documents set out how, when and by whom the Canada Gazette is to be published:

The Queen’s Printer is the officer responsible for publishing official documents issued by federal departments. The Queen’s Printer is an officer named by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada.

Learn about the history of the Canada Gazette

The Canada Gazette has been the Government of Canada’s newspaper since 1841.

Further reading

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