Historical Statutory Research - Federal Law Library University of British Columbia

2 Federal Acts are published in annual volumes that have been consolidated & revised six times – 1886, 1906, 1927, 1952, 1970 & 1985 Annual Revised

3 To research an Act from the present to a date in the past, start with the Table of Public Statutes.

4 It is available in print or online. Law Reference KE106.5.T33

5 Example: Judges Act Note: R.S., 1985 stands for Revised Statutes of Canada (RSC) Note: 1990 stands for Statutes of Canada (SC) You will find references to the complete act and any amendments.

6 RSC 1985 Historical note indicating that the previous version of this section will be found in the RSC 1970.

7 RSC 1970 Historical note indicating that the previous version of this section will be found in the RSC 1952.

8 RSC 1952 The previous version of this section will be found in SC 1946.

9 SC 1946 There is no historical note. While the Judges Act, 1946 looks like the original Act, be sure to check for repeal provisions near the end of the Act.

10 SC 1946 The previous version of the Act will be found in RSC 1927.

11 Point in time Research Between Statutory Revisions (e.g. RSC 1952 and RSC 1970) To find what the Judges Act looked like as of 1959, consult the Table of Public Statutes immediately prior to the RSC You would need to look at RSC 1952 plus the SC volumes indicated from SC through SC 1959.