Reference Materials
Black's Law dictionary: definitions of the terms and phrases of American and English jurisprudence, ancient and modern
REF KX 103 B5 1990
The Canadian Encyclopedia
An excellent starting point and overview; for example, see entries under Abortion, Criminal Code, Gambling, Hate Crimes, Organized Crime, Prostitution, Terrorism. The online version is useful for updates. REF FC 23 C362
Canadian Law Dictionary
REF KE 183 Y634 1990
Debates of the House of Commons (Hansard)
When connecting to the website, click on Chamber Business then choose a parliamentary session. For example, choosing the 35th Parliament will provide debates back to January 1994, the oldest online debates. The library has printed volumes of the debates from 1936 until 2002 in storage at the New Westminster campus library. Ask at the Information Desk for access.
The Dictionary of Canadian Law
REF KE 183 D832 1995
Martin's Annual Criminal Code
The library holds copies back to 1986. Martin's shows changes to the criminal law and describes significant related case law that has interpreted the legislation.
REF KE 8813 1955 A5
Revised Statutes of Canada
Since Confederation in 1867, the statutes were revised in 1886, 1906, 1927, 1952, 1970 and 1985. The purpose of a revision was to collect all the laws in one place. There will be no future revisions, as the statutes are now consolidated online. Check the revisions to read how legislation has changed over time. For example, to review all of the versions of the Criminal Code , see:
- Acts of the Parliament of the Dominion of Canada, relating to criminal law, to procedure in criminal cases and to evidence 1887
[online resource]
- Revised Statutes of Canada 1906, volume III, chapter 146
REF KE 89 C36
- Revised Statutes of Canada 1927, volume I, chapter 36
REF KE 89 C36 1927
- Statutes of Canada 1953-54, volume I, chapter 51
REF KE 89 C36 1953/54
- Revised Statutes of Canada 1970, volume 2, chapter C-34
REF KE 89 C361 1970
- Revised Statues of Canada 1985, volume 3, chapter C-46
REF KE 89 C361 1985
- Consolidated Statutes and Regulations of Canada
Royal Commissions, Task Forces, Commissions of Injury
Royal commissions are a form of official inquiry into matters of public concern. Closely related to them are other kinds of public inquiry such as commissions of inquiry or task forces. All of these inquiries can lead to changes in the law.
Federal royal commission in Canada, 1867-1966: a checklist
REF JL 94 1967 Z94
Canadian federal royal commission reports
A microfiche collection of the 301 reports in the checklist above. Also check the library catalogue under the author Canada Royal Commission or the keyword phrases "task force'' or "commission of inquiry" for printed reports. (Use the quotation marks around a keyword phrase when online searching to ensure an exact phrase match.)
Government of Canada website
Search using the keyword phrases "royal commission", "task force" or "commission inquiry".
Library Catalogue
Search the
library catalogue under these subject headings:
Abortion - Law and Legislation - Canada
Cannabis - Law and Legislation - Canada
Criminal Justice, Administration of - Canada - History
Criminal Law - Canada - Codification
Criminal Law - Canada - History
Gambling - Canada
Juvenile Justice, Administration of - Canada
Law - Canada - History
Law - History
Marijuana - Law and Legislation - Canada
Narcotics, Control of - Canada
Rape - Canada
Sex Crimes - Canada
Youth - Legal Status, Laws, Etc. - Canada
You may also wish to browse the book or video stacks in the following classification areas:
KE 394 - KE 417 
History of law in Canada
KE 8809 - DE 8813 Administration of justice in Canada
Suggested titles in the history of law:
Ancient Law
K 190 Z9 M356 1917
Annual review of criminal law
KE 8802 G64 1982 -
Courts and country: the limits of litigation and the social and political life of Canada
KE 444 B643 1994
Criminal law in Canada: an introduction to the theoretical, social and legal contexts
KE 8808.2 I587 2002
The genesis of the Canadian Criminal Code of 1892
KE 8809 B768 1989
A history of the criminal law of England
KD 7850 S746 1967 v.1-3
Law, society and the state: essays in modern legal history
KE 394 L387 1995
Learning Canadian criminal law
KE 8809 L438 2004
People and place: historic influences on legal culture
KE 394 P467 2003
Roman Law
K 435 W643 1951
The rule of law, justice and interpretation
KE 4238 T747 1997
Article Databases
Canadian Newsstand
Contains newspaper articles in full text from most major Canadian newspapers, from 1985 to the present (usual two day delay).
Canadian Periodical Index
Print Index located in the reference stacks at the New Westminster campus. This database indexes articles in Canadian magazines from 1920 to 1996.
CBCA Complete
Contains full text articles, citations and abstracts with emphasis on Canadian content and current affairs, from 1982 to the present.
CPI.Q
Contains full txt articles, citations and abstracts from Canadian periodicals including selected articles from the Globe and Mail newspaper, from 1988 to the present.
Index to Canadian Legal Periodical Literature
Print index located in the reference stacks at the New Westminster campus. This database indexes articles in Canadian law journals and case reports from 1961 to 2002.
Online Sources
Canadian Justice System
Gives information on how the Canadian legal system works.
LEGISINFO
An online research service from the Library of Parliament of Canada. Useful for finding information on bills currently before Parliament and on legislation introduced after January 2001. Provides electronic access to a wide range of information about individual bills, such as:
- text of the bill at various stages
- government press releases and backgrounders (for government bills)
- legislative summaries from the Parliamentary Information and Research Service
- important speeches at second reading
- votes and coming info force data
Judges, Judicial Independence
International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court was established to promote the rule of law and ensure that serious international crimes do not go unpunished. The jurisdiction and functioning of the Court are governed by the provision of the Rome Statute.
Canadian Bar Association Provincial Court of British Columbia Department of Justice Canada Canadian Judicial Council Supreme Court of Canada: Judges of the Court The Law Connection: The Role of Judges 
