Legal Citations – Bill Citations (McGill Guide, 2.4)

NOTE: Chapter 2 of the McGill Guide covers legislation. This module is focused solely on Canadian legislation at the federal and provincial levels. For information on how to cite international legislation, refer to chapter 7 of the McGill Guide.

A bill citation should include the following:

Bill Number,
  • The Bill Number (e.g. Bill C-35, Bill 60), followed by a comma. Federal Bills are numbered alphanumerically depending on where they originated. A federal Bill that originates in the House of Commons is preceded by "C-", whereas a Bill originating in the Senate is preceded by "S-”.
Long Title,
  • Italicize the long title of the Bill, followed by a comma.
Session,
  • Indicate the session within which the Bill was introduced (e.g. 1st Sess), capitalize and abbreviate the word "Session” to "Sess” and avoid using superscripted numeric suffixes (i.e. use 1st, not 1st). Then put a comma.
Legislature,
  • Include the number of the legislature or parliament (e.g. 40th Parl), avoid using superscripted numeric suffixes (i.e. use 1st, not 1st) and put a comma. If citing a provincial bill, then capitalize and abbreviate "Legislature” to "Leg”; capitalize and abbreviate "Parliament” to "Parl” if citing a federal bill.
Jurisdiction,
  • The jurisdiction of a federal bill can be inferred from the Bill Number. Only include the jurisdiction followed by a comma if citing a provincial bill.
Year,
  • Indicate the year of the version of the bill of which you are citing (Example: If you cite the bill at second reading, use the year it was given second reading), followed by a period, unless you are pinpointing a particular clause (put a comma), or you are including additional information.
Pinpoint
  • Abbreviate "clause” to "cl” and put a period, unless you are including additional information. Note that bills are divided into clauses, whereas statutes are divided into sections.
(Additional Information).
  • You may include additional information, including the current state of the Bill (e.g. first reading, committee stage, etc.) or the date it received Royal Assent, in parentheses, followed by a period. If the Bill has been assented to, include the statute citation as well. It is recommended to include this information.

EXAMPLE:

Bill Number, Long Title, Session, Legislature Jurisdiction, Year, Pinpoint (Additional Information).
Bill 147, An Act to proclaim Holodomor Memorial Day, 1st Sess, 39th Leg, Ontario, 2009   (assented to 23 April 2009), SO 2009, c 7.

Bill 147, An Act to proclaim Holomodor Memorial Day, 1st Sess, 39th Leg, Ontario, 2009 (assented to 23 April 2009), SO 2009, c 7.