The Legislative and Regulatory Process in Canada

Deepen your knowledge at your own pace through instructional videos featuring interviews with legal and legislative drafting specialists, short texts and interactive activities. This training is divided into modules, stages and activities that you can complete as quickly or slowly as you wish over a 90-day period.  

Number of modules: 14  

Approximate course duration: 12 hours  

Language: English  

Learning Outcomes 

By the end of this course, participants will be able to: 

• Gain a comprehensive overview of the legislative and regulatory processes in Canada, with a primary focus on the federal level. This includes the origin and role of legislation, the various stages of preparing a bill or regulation, from the development of policies, approval, and drafting, to the parliamentary process, publication, revision, and codification. 
• Identify Key Stakeholders: Recognize the public organizations, political actors, and other stakeholders involved in the legislative and regulatory processes at the federal level and understand their functions, roles, and responsibilities in these processes.

Module 1 – Introduction 

Professor Étienne Trépanier and law student Alexandra Provost invite you to explore legislative and regulatory processes in Canada with experts and practitioners in the field of legislative drafting. 

Module 2 – Foundations of Legislative and Regulatory Processes 

The fundamental principles underlying the democratic process of preparing, drafting and adopting legislation and regulations in the Canadian system. 

Module 3 – Legislative Texts 

Key concepts for understanding what constitutes a legislative text—including statutes, bills and regulations. 

Module 4 – Stages of the Legislative and Regulatory Processes 

The main stages through which a proposed legislative text becomes a statute or regulation, and the actors involved at the federal level. 

Module 5 – Bilingualism, Bijuralism and Legal Pluralism0

Federal, provincial and territorial language obligations, co-drafting, bijural legislative drafting and legal pluralism. 

Module 6 – Developing Legislative Policy 

Sources of legislative proposals and the main stages involved in developing policy within the Government of Canada. 

Module 7 – Reviewing and Approving Legislative Policy 

The Memorandum to Cabinet, its approval process and drafting instructions. 

Module 8 – Developing Bills 

The role of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, and the main stages involved in preparing government and private members' bills. 

Module 9 – Approving Bills 

Consideration of a bill by the House of Commons and the Senate, Royal Assent, coming into force and publication of statutes. 

Module 10 – Regulations: Developing Policy 

The policy framework governing the federal regulatory system. 

Module 11 – Regulations: Drafting and Review 

The drafting and legal review of proposed regulations. 

Module 12 – Regulations: Adoption Process 

The approval, registration, coming into force and publication of federal regulations. 

Module 13 – Processes for Improving and Updating Legislative Texts 

The consolidation, revision and improvement initiatives relating to federal statutes and regulations. 

Module 14 – Conclusion 

Where to find federal statutes and regulations; course conclusion.  

• Étienne Trépanier – Part-Time Professor and Director, Pedagogical Innovation and Legal Knowledge Mobilization, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa  
• Alexandra Provost – Graduate, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa  

Guest Experts 

• Amena Ali – Legislative Counsel, Justice Canada  
• France Allard – Counsel and Specialist in Comparative Law and Bijuralism, Justice Canada  
• Catherine Beaudoin – Parliamentary Counsel, Senate of Canada  
• Aleksander Hynnä – Legislative Counsel, Department of Justice Canada  
• John Mark Keyes – Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa  
• Jean-François Leclerc-Sirois – Jurilinguist, Department of Justice Canada  
• Alexandra Schorah – Parliamentary Counsel, House of Commons