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Legal Dictionaries / Words & Phrases

Legal dictionaries and Words and Phrases can help you research the meaning of legal terms and the legal interpretation of legal words and phrases. They can help when you’re trying to interpret a statute for which there is no clear case law or if you’re trying to discern the meaning of a word in a key legal document, such as a contract or a will.

If you need to know the meaning of a legal word, use a legal dictionary. A words and phrases source will show how courts in different jurisdictions (federal, provincial, international) have defined a legal term.

Historical legal dictionaries and words and phrases for Canada, the US, and the UK are listed below. Note that other US and UK historical sources are also available through the UNB Libraries catalogue, as well as HeinOnline's Legal Dictionaries collection, which has 307 historical legal dictionaries

Legal Dictionaries

Canadian

• Barron's Canadian Law Dictionary
  • 1st ed (1983): in print in the reference section
  • 2nd ed (1990): in print in the reference section
  • 6th ed (2009): in print in the reference section
• Canadian Law Dictionary (1980)
  • In print in the reference section
• Dictionary of Canadian Law
  • 1st ed (1991): in print in the reference section
  • 2nd ed (1995): in print in the reference section
  • 3rd ed (2004): in print in the reference section
• A Handbook of Canadian Legal Terminology (1986)
  • In print in the reference section

British

• Dictionary of English Law (1959)
  • 2 vols; in print in the reference section
• The Law-Dictionary: Explaining the Rise, Progress, and Present State, of the English Law, in Theory and Practice (1797)
  • 2 vols; eBook only
• A New Law Dictionary: Intended for General Use, As Well As for Gentlemen of the Profession (1792)
  • 2 vols; eBook only
• A New Law-Dictionary: Containing the Interpretation and Definition of Words and Terms Used in the Law
  • 1st ed (1729): eBook only
  • 2nd ed (1732): eBook only
  • 3rd ed (1736): eBook only
  • 4th ed (1739): eBook only
  • 5th ed (1744): eBook only
  • 6th ed (1750): eBook only
  • 7th ed (1756):
    • in print in the Harriet Irving Library's Special Collections, 5th Floor
    • eBook  via HathiTrust
  • 8th ed (1762): eBook only
  • 9th ed (1772): eBook only
  • 10th ed (1782): eBook only

American

• Ballentine’s Law Dictionary, with Pronunciations (1969)
  • In print in the reference section
• Black’s Law Dictionary
  • 1st ed (1891)
    • in print in the reference section
    • eBook
  • 2nd ed (1910): eBook only
  • 3rd ed (1933): in print in the Harriet Irving Library's Beaverbrook Room, 4th Floor
  • 4th ed (1951/1957): in print in the stacks
  • Revised 4th ed (1968): in print in the stacks
  • 5th ed (1979): in print in the reference section and the stacks
  • 6th ed (1990): in print in the reference section
  • 7th ed (1999): in print in the reference section
  • 8th ed (2004): in print in the reference section
  • 9th ed (2009): in print in the stacks
  • 10th ed (2014): in print in the reference section
  • 11th ed (2019): in print in the reference section
• Bouvier’s Law Dictionary (1946)
  • in print in the reference section
• A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States of America... (1882)
  • in print in the reference section
• West’s Legal Thesaurus/Dictionary: A Resource for the Writer and the Computer Researcher (1985)
  • in print in the reference section

Words & Phrases

Canadian

• The Canadian Abridgment: Index of Words and Phrases Judicially Noticed in Canadian Reports (1952)
  • In print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
• The Canadian Abridgment, Second Edition: Tables of Words and Phrases Judicially Considered in Canadian Reports
  • 1974 supplement (1977): in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 1975–1981 (1982) supplement: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 1983 supplement (1984): in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
• Sanagan’s Encyclopedia of Words and Phrases, Legal Maxims, Canada
  • 2nd ed (1825–1962), 5 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 3rd ed (1825–1978), 4 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 4th ed (1825–1985), 3 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
• Words and Terms Judicially Defined (1914)
  • eBook only

British

• The Judicial Dictionary of Words and Phrases Judicially Interpreted
  • 1st ed (1890):
    • in print in the Rare Books Reading Room
    • eBook (via Internet Archive)
  • 2nd ed (1903)
    • Vols 1–3:
      • in print in the Rare Books Reading Room 
      • eBook
    • 1909 supplement: in print in the Rare Books Reading Room
    • 1931 supplement: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
    • 1947 supplement: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 3rd ed (1952):
    • Vols 1–4: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
    • 1956 supplement: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 4th ed (1971–1974), 5 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 5th ed (1986–1994):
    • Vols 1–6: in print in the reference section
    • 1998 supplement: in print in the reference section
• Words & Phrases Legally Defined
  • 3rd ed (1988–1990), 4 vols: in print in the reference section
  • 3rd ed supplement (2002): in print in the reference section

American

• Cochran’s Law Lexicon, Pronouncing Edition; A Dictionary of Legal Words and Phrases... (1973)
  • 5th ed: in print in the reference section
• A Concordance of Words and Phrases Construed in the Judicial Reports and of the Legal Definitions Contained Therein (1883)
  • eBook only

Legal Encyclopedias

Legal encyclopedias contain narrative summaries of the law supported by references to case law and statutes. They are often the best place to start to gain a general understanding of the law in a particular area.

Current and historical legal legal encyclopedias are listed below.

Current

Canadian

• Canadian Encyclopedic Digest
  • Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • In print in the reference section
  •  How to start your research with the Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (5:58)
• Halsbury's Laws of Canada
  • Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
  • In print in the reference section
  •  Halsbury's Laws of Canada - Lexis Advance Quicklaw (1:45)

British

• Halsbury's Laws of England
  • Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
    • Change jurisdiction to UK and start typing the title

American

• American Jurisprudence (2d)
  • Westlaw Edge (law students only)
    • Go to Westlaw US via the International tab and start typing the title
• Corpus Juris Secundum
  • Available via Westlaw Edge (law students only)
    • Go to Westlaw US via the International tab and start typing the title

Historical

Canadian

• Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (Western)
  • Covers federal and Western Canadian jurisdictions
  • 1st ed (1919–1925), 7 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 2nd ed (1956–1969), 22 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 3rd ed (1979–1991), 34 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
• Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (Ontario)
  • Covers federal and Ontario jurisdictions
  • 1st ed (1926–1933), 12 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 2nd ed (1949–2007), 22 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)

British

• Halsbury's Laws of England
  • 1st ed (1907–1917), 31 vols: eBook  via Wikisource/Internet Archive
  • 2nd ed (1931–1949), 37 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 3rd ed (1952–1964), 43 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 4th ed (1973–2004), 56 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)

American

• American Jurisprudence
  • 2nd ed (1962–2003), 83 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
• Corpus Juris/Corpus Juris Secundum
  • 1st ed (1914–1935), 71 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 2nd ed (1936–1993), 101 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)

Books/eBooks

UNB Libraries Catalogue

To search for books and eBooks at UNB Libraries, use UNB WorldCat. UNB WorldCat contains records of materials held at the Harriet Irving, Science and Forestry, Engineering, Hans W. Klohn, and Law libraries.

Items shown as LAW-RESERVE may be requested at the circulation desk on the first floor of the Law Library. Bring the book's call number with you to the desk. Items shown as LAW-STACKS are on the second floor, and LAW-REF materials are on the first floor in the reference section.

Library Databases

You can find law-related eBooks in the following databases:

• Making of Modern Law: Legal Treatises, 1800–1926
• HeinOnline
  • The Legal Classics database has thousands of classic legal treatises and rare items found in only a handful of libraries around the world
• LLMC-Digital
• Early English Books Online
• Eighteenth Century Collections Online
• Nineteenth Century Collections Online
• JSTOR Archival Collections

Public Domain Texts (Freely Available Online)

Many historical law treatises are freely available online through sites such as:

• Google Books  
• HathiTrust  
• Internet Archive  

Journal Articles & Databases

If you already know the journal title, year, volume number, and page number for an article, search for the journal's title in the Journals & Newspapers database. If we have access to the journal electronically or in print, it will be listed with the format(s) and dates available with links to those available online. You can also look up the journal title in UNB WorldCat.

Keep in mind that it can be best to start with an index rather than a full-text database. An index is essentially a list of articles by topic. Sometimes the article will be available full-text, but often you'll just be given a citation that you can use to track it down somewhere else.

Key Databases: Legal History

• HeinOnline
  • a key legal database with a plethora of historical collections, including:
    • Legal Classics Database: includes books and materials from as far back the the 1700s
    • Law Journal Library: includes over 3,400 legal journals with thousands of historical titles
• LLMC-Digital
  • full-text historical materials, including treatises, from common law countries
• Making of Modern Law: Legal Treatises, 1800–1926
  • over 21,800 British and American legal titles from the 19th and early 20th centuries
• Early English Books Online
  • historical English texts (1000–1700) and includes several law titles
• Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO)
  • aims to include every significant English-language and foreign-language title printed in the United Kingdom, along with thousands of important works from the Americas, between 1701 and 1800; includes several law titles
• Nineteenth Century Collections Online (NCCO)
  • focuses on primary source collections of the long nineteenth century; includes several law titles
• JSTOR Archival Collections
  • Includes several books and journals under the Law and Criminology & Criminal Justice subjects

Legal Indexes

• Index to Canadian Legal Literature
  • 1985–present
    • Lexis+ (law students only)
    • Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
    • Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • 1985–2014, 18 vols + supplements: in print in the reference section
  • 1985–2000, 12 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
  • 1981, 3 vols: in print in superseded reference (3rd floor)
• Index to Legal Periodicals & Books
  • 1908–1981: via ILP Retrospective database
  • 1908–1967: via HeinOnline databse
  • 1926–1994: in print in the reference section
  • 1994–2006: in print in the reference section
• Index to Legal Periodical Literature
  • 1888–1939: via HeinOnline
• Index to Canadian Legal Periodical Literature (aka: Scott Index)
  • 1961–2006: in print in the reference section
• Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals
  • 1960–2005: in print in the reference section

Full-text Legal Databases

• Index to Legal Periodicals & Books Full Text (1981– )
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database
• Index to Legal Periodicals Retrospective (1908–1981)
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database
• LegalTrac (1980–present)
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database
• Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Click Law Reviews & Journals
• Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
  • Click Law Reviews & Journals
• Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • Click Articles and Newsletters
• HeinOnline
  • Click Law Journal Library
  • Search or browse topics, including History

Case Law

Historic case law can often be found in legal databases, freely online, or in print case reporters.

If you know the name or citation of a historic case, go straight to a database/website or case reporter to find it. If you need to locate case law on your topic, use a secondary source, like a case digest (see below), legal encyclopedia, book, article, etc., to find relevant cases, then find them in a database/website or case reporter.

Case Law Databases/Websites

The following databases and websites contain historical case law and/or digitized case reporters:

Canada

• Lexis+ (law students only)
• Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
• Westlaw Edge (law students only)
• CanLII  
  • Has many older cases; check their database coverage to see what's available
• HeinOnline: Canada Supreme Court Reports (1876–present)
• LLMC-Digital
  • provides digitized historic case reporters
• Internet Archive  
  • includes digitized historical case reporters from Canada and other countries
• Google Books  
  • includes digitized historical case reporters from Canada and other countries
• HathiTrust  
  • includes digitized historical case reporters from Canada and other countries

British

• BAILII: United Kingdom and Commonwealth Case Law
  • Includes historical decisions from UK courts and tribunals
• CommonLII: UK Courts & Case-Law 
  • Includes the full-text of the English Reports 1220–1873
• Google Books  
  • includes digitized historical case reporters from Canada and other countries
• HathiTrust  
  • includes digitized historical case reporters from Canada and other countries
• HeinOnline: English Reports, Full Reprint (1220–1867)
  • Includes the full-text of the English Reports, the English Law Reports (pre-1865), and other related works
• Internet Archive  
  • includes digitized historical case reporters from Canada and other countries
• Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Change jurisdiction in search box to UK
• Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students
  • Change jurisdiction in search box to UK
• LLMC-Digital
  • provides digitized historic case reporters
• Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674–1913  
  • contains case law from 197,752 trials held at London's central criminal court between 1674–1913
• Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • Click International tab, then United Kingdom

American

• HeinOnline: Early American Case Law
  • Includes the entire Federal Cases 30-book series (1894–1897) and the Trinity Series, which includes American Decisions, American Reports, and American State Reports
• HeinOnline: US Supreme Court Library
  • Includes US Reports (1754–2013) as well as preliminary prints, slip opinions, and books and periodicals related to the US Supreme Court
• Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Change jurisdiction in search box to US
• Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students
  • Change jurisdiction in search box to US
• Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • Click International tab, then US Cases
• LLMC-Digital
  • provides digitized historic case reporters
• Internet Archive  
  • includes digitized historical case reporters from Canada and other countries
• Google Books  
  • includes digitized historical case reporters from Canada and other countries
• HathiTrust  
  • includes digitized historical case reporters from Canada and other countries

Case Reporters

Case/law reporters are books containing the written judgments of a court or tribunal. Many historical cases and reporters are available online, but sometimes you need to find a decision in print.

The Law Library has hundreds of case reporters in its collection. Canadian reporters are located in the Colin B. Mackay Reading Room and the Rare Books Reading Room. British reporters are located on the 3rd floor ("Old Section") and in the Rare Books Reading Room. Note: we don't have any American reporters in print. Our Law Reports Locator lists where most case reporters are located. You can also search by title in the UNB Libraries catalogue.

A case's citation will tell you where you can find it in print. Citations include the year of the decision/publication, a volume number (if applicable), an abbreviation of the case reporter's title, series information (if applicable), and the page number the case starts on. If you're unsure what an abbreviation means, check Appendix C in the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (aka: McGill Guide) or the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations.

For example:

• Merchants Bank of Canada v Eliot, [1918] 1 WWR 698.
  • [1918] = year the case reporter volume was published
    • square brackets indicate the year is key to locating the case in print
  • 1 = volume
  • WWR = abbreviation for Western Weekly Reports
  • 698 = page the case starts on
• McGowan v Betts (1871), 13 NBR 296.
  • (1871) = year case was decided
    • round brackets indicate it has no impact on locating the case in print
  • 13 = volume
  • NBR = abbreviation for New Brunswick Reports
  • 296 = page the case starts on
• Wilson v Swanson (1956), 5 DLR (2d) 113.
  • (1956) = year case was decided
    • round brackets indicate it has no impact on locating the case in print
  • 5 = volume
  • DLR = abbreviation for Dominion Law Reports
  • (2d) = 2nd series
  • 113 = page the case starts on
• Gerard v Gerard, [1703] EngR 19.
  • [1703] = year the case reporter volume was published
    • square brackets indicate the year is key to locating the case in print
  • EngR = abbreviation for English Reports
  • 19 = page the case starts on

If you have trouble locating a case in print, contact Nikki Tanner, Reference/Instruction Librarian.

Cases Digests

A case digest lists cases by topic and subtopic. With a case digest, you might find ten, twenty, or hundreds of cases on your research topic, saving you hours of time.

If you're researching legal history, you may want to consult older volumes of case digests. The following digests may be helpful:

Canadian

• The Canadian Abridgment: A Digest of Decisions … From the Earliest Times to the End of 1935
  • 1st ed (1935–1946), 35 vols: in print in superseded reference (third floor)
  • 1st ed (1956­–1965) supplement: in print in superseded reference (third floor)
  • 2nd ed (1966–1973), 38 vols: in print in superseded reference (third floor)
  • 2nd ed (1974–1986), 10 vols: in print in superseded reference (third floor)

British

• The Digest of English Case Law / Mew's Digest of English Cases
  • The Digest of English Case Law: Containing the Reported Decisions of the Superior Courts, And A Selection from Those of the Irish Courts [from 1557] to the End Of 1910
    • 16 vols + supplements:
      • in print in superseded reference (third floor)
      • via LLMC-Digital
  • Mews’ Digest of English Case Law, Containing the Reported Decisions of the Superior Courts and a Selection from Those of the Scottish and Irish Courts to the End of 1924
    • 2nd ed, 24 vols: 
      • in print in superseded reference (third floor)
      • via LLMC-Digital
    • 1925–1930, 1925–1935, 1936–1945, 1950 supplements, 5 vols: in print in superseded reference (third floor)
• English and Empire Digest / The Digest
  • The English and Empire Digest with Complete and Exhaustive Annotations
    • 56 vols (1950–1980): in print in superseded reference (third floor)
  • The Digest: Annotated British, Commonwealth and European Cases
    • 38 vols (1981–2001): in print in the reference section

American

• American Digest (West Key Number System)
  • Century Edition of the American Digest: A Complete Digest of All Reported American Cases from the Earliest Times [i.e. 1658] to 1896
    • 1st ed, 50 vols: via LLMC-Digital
  • 1906 Decennial Edition of the American Digest: A Complete Digest of All Reported Cases from 1897 to 1906
    • 2nd ed, 25 vols: via LLMC-Digital
  • Decennial Edition of the American Digest: A Complete Digest of All Reported Cases from 1906 to 1916
    • 2nd ed, 24 vols: via LLMC-Digital
  • Third Decennial Edition of the American Digest: A Complete Digest of All Reported Cases from 1916 to 1926
    • 3rd ed, 29 vols: via LLMC-Digital

Legislation

Historic legislation can often be found in legal databases, freely online, or in print statutes.

If you know the name or citation of a historic statute, go straight to a database/website or print volume to find it. If you need to locate legislation on your topic, use a secondary source, like a legal encyclopedia, book, article, etc., to find relevant statutes, etc., then find them in a database/website or in print.

Databases/Websites

The following databases and websites contain historical legislation and/or digitized statute volumes:

Canada: Federal

Bills

• Canadian Parliamentary Historical Resources (via Canadiana Online)
  • includes all Senate and the House of Commons bills from 1867 to 1996
• LegisInfo
  • includes bills and related information from 1994 to present

Statutes

• British North American Legislative Database  (UNB Libraries)
  • includes pre-Confederation statutes from Lower Canada (1792–1838), Upper Canada (1792-1840), and United Canadas (1841-1856)
• CanLII
  • Has many older statutes; check their database coverage to see what's available
• HeinOnline: Canadian Annual Statutes (1792–)
  • contains scanned volumes of federal annual statutes (substantive and amending acts) from 1792 to present
• HeinOnline: Revised Statutes of Canada (1886–1985)
  • contains scanned volumes of each Revised Statutes of Canada (1887, 1906, 1927, 1952, 1970, 1985) and the 1993 Statutes of Canada Consolidation
• LLMC-Digital
  • Full-text historical materials from common law countries, including legislation
• Canadiana Online: Government Publications
  • includes select statutes from before Confederation to 1900 and pre-1900 documents from France and Great Britain that relate to the governance of Canada, such as treaties, acts, and bills
• HathiTrust 
  • includes scans of historic Canadian legislation
• Internet Archive
  • includes scans of historic Canadian legislation

Regulations

• Canada Gazette
  • provides access to the Canada Gazette parts I (proposed regulations) and II (official regulations) from 1998 to present
• Library and Archives Canada: Collection Search 
  • Includes the Canada Gazette parts I (proposed regulations) and II (official regulations) from 1841 to 1997, historical Orders in Council (1 July 1867–1924), and more
  • Click Advanced Search then select a source from the Collection menu
• HeinOnline: Revised Statutes of Canada (1886–1985)
  • includes scanned volumes of 1978 Consolidated Regulations of Canada

Canada: New Brunswick

• British North American Legislative Database  (UNB Libraries)
  • includes New Brunswick statutes from 1786 to 1867
• CanLII
  • includes historic NB statutes; check About New Brunswick Legislative Databases for coverage
• HeinOnline: New Brunswick Statutes (1786–)
  • contains scanned volumes of each Revised Statutes of New Brunswick (1854–55, 1877, 1904, 1927, 1953, 1974, 2011–16), annual statutes (substantive and amending acts) from 1786 to present, and regulations from 2000 to present
• Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Bills Archive 
  • provides NB bills and/or bill information from 1st Sess, 53rd Leg (1997–98) to present
• New Brunswick First Reading Bills  (UNB Law Library)
  • provides scans of NB first reading bills from the 49th Leg, 1st Sess (1979) to the 53rd Leg, 3rd Sess (1997–98)

British

• BAILII: United Kingdom Legislation 
  • contains legislation from 1267 to present
• HeinOnline: Statutes of the Realm (1235–1713)
  • contains Acts of the Parliament of England from 1235 to 1707 and Acts of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1714
• Internet Archive
  • Includes historical legislation, including bills and statutes
• Legislation.gov.uk 
  • UK legislation from 1988 to present, with select coverage pre-1988
• LLMC-Digital
  • Full-text historical materials from common law countries, including legislation
• The Statutes Project
  • select historical English (13th–20th centuries), Scottish, and Irish statutes

American

• A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation (via Library of Congress)
  • Includes House bills and resolutions from the 6th–42nd Congresses (1799–1873) and Senate bills and resolutions from the 16th–42nd Congresses (1819–1973)
• Congress.gov
  • Public laws and congressional bills from 103rd Congress forward, House and Senate reports from 104th Congress forward, the Congressional Record from 104th Congress forward, and bill status and summary information from 93rd Congress forward
• GovInfo
  • includes the full text of Congressional bills from 103rd Congress (1993) to present, public and private laws from 104th Congress (1995) to present, the US Statutes at Large from 1789 to 2021, and the US Code from 1994 to present
• HeinOnline: Session Laws
  • includes scans of the US Statutes at Large from 1789 to present and state session laws from colonial times to present

Print Statutes and Regulations

Many historical volumes of legislation are available online, but sometimes you need to find a statute, etc., in print.

The Law Library has historic Canadian and British legislation in its print collection. Current and historic Canadian legislation is located in the Colin B. Mackay Reading Room and the Rare Books Reading Room. Historic British legislation is located on the 3rd floor ("Old Section"). Our Law Reports Locator lists where most statute volumes are located. You can also search by title in the UNB Libraries catalogue.

Statutes

A statute's citation will tell you where you can find it in print. Citations include an abbreviation of the statute volume/type and jurisdiction, year of assent, and chapter number.

For example:

• Railway Belt Act, RSC 1927, c 116.
  • RSC = Revised Statutes of Canada
  • 1927 = year of revision/volume
  • c 116 = chapter 116
• An Act relating to the Town of Chatham, SNB 1906, c 60.
  • SNB = Statutes of New Brunswick
  • 1906 = year of assent/volume
  • c 60 = chapter 60
• An Act to incorporate the Manitoba Bank, SC 1882, c 61.
  • SC = Statutes of Canada
  • 1882 = year of assent/volume
  • c 61 = chapter 61
• The Riot Act (UK), 1411, 13 Henry 4, c 7.
  • (UK) = jurisdiction
  • 1411 = year of assent/volume
  • 13 Henry 4 = regnal year
    • 13th year of Henry the IV's reign
  • c 7 = chapter 7

Regulations

A regulation's citation will tell you where you can find it in print. Citations include an abbreviation of the jurisdiction and statutory instrument type, year of registration, and regulation number.

For example:

• Niagara Falls Ferry Regulations, SOR/60-6.
  • SOR = Statutory Order and Regulation (federal)
  • 60 = year of registration: 1960
  • 6 = regulation number: 6th regulation registered in 1960
• Designated Areas Firearms Order, CRC, c 430 (1978).
  • CRC = Consolidated Regulations of Canada
  • c 430 = chapter 430
  • (1978) = year of federal consolidation of regulations
• Motorcades Exemption Regulation, NB Reg 84-225.
  • NB = jurisdiction
  • Reg = regulation
  • 84 = year of registration: 1984
  • 225 = regulation number: 225th regulation registered in 1984

If you have trouble locating a statute in print, contact Nikki Tanner, Reference/Instruction Librarian.

Government Documents

Government documents can be used to research legislative intent. Key documents include debates, journals, committee reports, and departmental publications.

The Law Library's collection of printed government documents is located on the library's third floor, and historical materials are in the Rare Books Reading Room. Use UNB WorldCat to search for materials or ask a library staff member for help.

The Harriet Irving Library also has government documents, which can be located through UNB WorldCat or UNB Libraries' Government Documents Search.

Canada

Federal

• Canadian Parliamentary Historical Resources (via Canadiana Online)
  • Includes all debates (Hansards), journals, votes, and committee documentation of the House of Commons and the Senate from 1867 until coverage begins on their respective websites (see below)
  • Historical sessional papers are also available from 1867–1901
• Canadiana Online: Government Publications  
  • Includes a selection of pre- and post-Confederation (1867–1900) government documents, such as debates, journals, and sessional papers
• HathiTrust 
  • Includes historical Canadian debates, reports, sessional papers, and more
• House of Commons  
  • Includes House of Commons debates (Hansards), journals, and committee documentation from 2001 to present and votes from 2004 to present.
• Internet Archive
  • Includes historical Canadian debates, reports, sessional papers, and more
• Library and Archives Canada: Collection Search  
  • Includes the Canada Gazette (1841–1997), historical Orders in Council (1 July 1867–1924), and more
  • Click Advanced Search then select a source from the Collection menu
• LLMC-Digital
  • Includes full-text historical materials, including pre-Confederation Province of Canada Legislative Council Journals (1841–66), law commission reports from the 1970s and 1980s, and Indigenous–State relations papers from the 1700s
• Senate of Canada  
  • Includes Senate debates (Hansards) and journals from 1996 to present, and committee documentation from 1994 to present, and votes from 2015 to present.

New Brunswick

• Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Committee Reports
  • 2004–present: online via Legislative Assembly of NB  
  • various years: search UNB Libraries catalogue
  • various years: search Canadiana Online's Government Publications  database
• Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Debates (Hansards)
  • 1931–1979, 1980–1995/1996, 2002/2003–present: in print in the government documents section (third floor)
  • 1896–1930 (also called Synoptic Reports): in print in the Rare Books Reading Room
• Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Journals
  • 1786–1801, 1803–1854, 1856, 1857, 1859–1867: available online via UNB Libraries (various databases)
  • 1935–present (with some gaps): in print in the government documents section (third floor)
  • 1894–1934: in print in the Rare Books Reading Room
• Legislative Library of New Brunswick Electronic Resources  
  • Links to the Legislative Library's electronic collections, including its Electronic Documents Repository and Elections Database
• New Brunswick Royal Commissions, 1784–1950  (UNB Libraries)
  • Online collection of 57 NB commission reports conducted between 1784 and 1950

British

• House of Commons Papers (including Committee Reports)
  • 1715–present: via U.K. Parliamentary Papers database (ProQuest)
• House of Lords Papers (including Committee Reports)
  • 1714–1909: via U.K. Parliamentary Papers database (ProQuest)
• House of Commons Hansards (Debates)
  • 1803–present: via UK Parliament 
  • 1066–1803: via Cobbett’s Parliamentary History of England, 1066-1803  (Digital Bodleian)
    • Note: UK parliamentary debates were unofficial prior to 1803; Cobbett's is the most complete collection available
  • 1660–1739: via British History Online  
• House of Commons Journals
  • 1547–1699, 1830: via British History Online 
  • 1835–2017: via UK Parliament  
• House of Lords Hansards (Debates)
  • 1803–present: via UK Parliament 
  • 1066–1803: via Cobbett’s Parliamentary History of England, 1066-1803  (Digital Bodleian)
    • Note: UK parliamentary debates were unofficial prior to 1803; Cobbett's is the most complete collection available
• House of Lords Journals
  • 1509–1793, 1830–1832: via British History Online  
  • 1997–2017: via UK Parliament  
• Parliament Rolls of Medieval England
  • 1275–1504: via UNB Libraries and Scholarly Digital Editions  

American

• Congressional Record (Debates)
  • 1789–present: via Congress  
  • 1789–present: via Westlaw Edge (law students only)
    • Go to Westlaw US via the International tab and start typing Congressional Record & Predecessors
  • 1873–2017 (Bound): via GovInfo  
  • 1994–present (Daily): via GovInfo  
• Journal of the House of Representatives
  • 1789–present: via Congress  
  • 1818–2021: via GovInfo  
• Journal of the Senate of the United States
  • 1789–present: via Congress   
  • 1817–2024: via GovInfo
• Congressional Reports
  • 1819–present: via GovInfo  
  • 2007, 2010–present: via Congressional Documents and Publications (UNB Libraries)