The term "Statutes" is interchangeable with the terms "Acts" and "Legislation". According to Duhaime.org legal dictionary Statutes are: "the written law approved by legislatures, parliaments, or elected or appointed houses of assembly"
Statutes are published annually at the end of each parliamentary session. On occasion, all of the sessional volumes are pulled together along with all existing statutes, into one complete set of statutes in alphabetical order, called the Revised Statutes.
The following should be included when citing:
The statutes of British Columbia were last revised in 1996. Any statute in effect at that time is cited to the RSBC 1996, for Revised Statutes of British Columbia, 1996.
If a British Columbia statute was passed after 1996 and is in an annual volume (also called sessional), it is cited as SBC, for Statutes of British Columbia.
Basic legal citation form for provincial legislation:
Short Title, Statute Volume Jurisdiction Year, Chapter Number, Section Number (Subsection if needed).
Example of the different types of Provincial Legislation citations are found below.
Revised Statues of British Columbia
Treaty Commission Act, RSBC 1996, c 461, s 5(1). cited to the official print version.
Treaty Commission Act, Revised Statutes of British Columbia 1996, chapter 461, section 5, subsection 1, cited to the official printed version.
APA In Text/ Parenthetical Citation: (Title of Act, Year)
Example: (Treaty Commission Act, 1996)
Statutes of British Columbia
If a British Columbia statute was passed after 1996 and is in an annual volume (also called a sessional volume), it is cited as SBC, for Statutes of British Columbia.
Apology Act, SBC 2006, c 19.
Apology Act, Statutes of British Columbia 2006, chapter 19, cited to the official printed version.
APA In Text/ Parenthetical Citation: (Title of Act, Year)
Example: (Apology Act, 2006)
British Columbia does not have an official online version of its statutes. An unofficial database is maintained at www.bclaws.ca. Whenever possible, cite to the official printed version.
Provincial statutes are available in electronic databases, such as CanLII, QuickLaw and BC Laws (only BC statutes). If citing to an electronic database such as these, put CanLII, QL or BCLaws in brackets at the end of the citation.
Parental Responsibility Act, SBC 2001, c 45, s 2(1), (BCLaws).
Parental Responsibility Act, Statutes of British Columbia 2001, chapter 45, section 2, subsection 1, found in BC Laws.
APA In Text/ Parenthetical Citation: (Title of Act, Year)
Example: (Parental Responsibility Act, 2001)
The Statutes of Canada were last revised in 1985. Any statutes in effect at this time will be cited as the RSC 1985, for Revised Statutes of Canada. The chapter number includes the initial letter of the name of the act.
If a federal statute was passed after 1985, it is cited as SC for Statutes of Canada. In this case, chapters are indicated by numbers only, with no initial letters. If citing a section of an act, add the section number at the end.
Basic legal citation form for federal legislation:
Short Title, Statute Volume Jurisdiction Year, Chapter Number, Section Number (Subsection if needed).
The Government of Canada’s Consolidated Statutes and Regulations are available online. Frequently Accessed Acts and Regulations are also listed on this website. Statutes are generally updated weekly. As of June 1, 2009, all consolidated acts and regulations on the Justice Laws website are considered to be "official", meaning that they can be used for evidentiary purposes. When an official version of any legislation is in electronic format, the regular format for citing legislation is used. You do not need to indicate the electronic source.
Revised Statutes of Canada
The Statutes of Canada were last revised in 1985. Any acts in effect at this time will be cited as the RSC 1985, for Revised Statutes of Canada. The chapter number includes the initial letter of the name of the act.
Example: Privacy Act, RSC 1985, c P-21.
Privacy Act, Revised Statutes of Canada 1985, chapter P-21, cited to the official printed version.
APA In Text/ Parenthetical Citation: (Title of Act, Year)
Example: (Privacy Act, 1985)
Statutes of Canada
If a federal act was passed after 1985, it is cited as SC for Statutes of Canada. In this case, chapters are indicated by numbers only, with no initial letters. If citing a section of an act, add the section number at the end.
Example
Nunavut Act, SC 1993, c 28, s 5(2).
Nunavut Act, Statutes of Canada 1993, chapter 28, section 5, subsection 2, cited to a sessional volume of the official printed version.
APA In Text/ Parenthetical Citation: (Title of Act, Year)
Example: (Nunavut Act, 1993)
The Statutes of Canada are also available online in the CanLII and Quicklaw databases. If citing to a database such as these, which are not an official version, put CanLII or QL in brackets at the end of the citation.
Youth Criminal Justice Act, SC 2002, c 1, s 38(2), (QL).
APA In Text/ Parenthetical Citation: (Title of Act, Year)
Example: (Youth Criminal Justice Act, 2002)