PART 4
DRAFTING AND FORMAT RULES

This part was updated in 2008 and partially revised in 2010 and 2011.

INTRODUCTION

Part 4 of this Manual set out the main rules for drafting and formatting delegated legislation at the federal level. Its aim is to help drafters prepare documents that are as clear, concise and uniform as possible.

The rules discussed in this Part apply primarily to regulations, statutory instruments and other documents subject to the examination, registration and publication requirements of the Statutory Instruments Act. They also apply to other instruments made under an Act of Parliament or under the royal prerogative. For the sake of simplicity, the term “regulations” is used, except where otherwise indicated, in its generic sense to denote regulations, statutory instruments and other documents made under an Act of Parliament or under the royal prerogative. For information on the difference between “regulations” and "statutory instruments" as defined in the Statutory Instruments Act, please refer to Part 2 of this Manual.

The rules are dealt with in separate articles presented in alphabetical order that provide models and practical solutions to the problems faced by legislative counsel when drafting or examining regulations. Numerous examples illustrate the principles explained.

However, readers should not expect these rules to provide solutions to every problem they may encounter in a given context or in the interpretation of a specific enabling authority, nor should they assume that systematic and slavish application of these rules will alone suffice to produce a flawless text.

Legislative counsel faced with a drafting problem should, in addition to consulting the articles in Part 4, consult the Legislation Deskbook, Legistics, Le Guide fédéral de jurilinguistique législative française and the other resources available on the Intranet site of the Legislative Services Branch.

Part 4 – Table of contents