Can I find federal laws written in French?
Yes. All federal laws (and regulations) exist in both languages. In fact, in the official version, they appear side by side. You can access federal laws and regulations in either official language at: www.gc.ca.
Last Reviewed: May 2011
Can I find my provincial /territorial laws written in French?
Not necessarily.
New Brunswick, Québec and Manitoba publish all provincial laws in both official languages. So, too, does Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Some provinces/territories publish only some of their laws in both official languages: for example, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Others still, publish only in English.
For links of provincial and territorial websites, please see our page of Additional Resources. You can also check with your provincial/territorial legislative library for any non-internet accessible translations of laws.
Last Reviewed: May 2011
Can I find my municipal laws written in French?
It depends. In New Brunswick, yes. In other municipalities, there are no constitutional requirements to provide their laws in both official languages. That said, some municipalities outside Québec, especially those created by Francophone or Acadian settlers, do offer some, or all, of their laws and/or services in French. For example, in Manitoba there are over 15 such municipalities.
Last Reviewed: May 2011
The government has proposed a new law that is currently still in the form of a bill. I would like to see the documentation, and read the debates, about it. Is this information available in French?
It depends.
In the House of Commons and the Senate, all journals, order papers, notice and minutes are kept in both official languages. So, too is the Hansard (which is the official record of the debates). The same is true in the New Brunswick, Manitoba, and the Québec legislatures.
For all other provinces/territories, it varies depending upon what they choose to do. For further information, you can contact your provincial/territorial government. For further information, see our page of Additional Resources.
Last Reviewed: May 2011
I am trying to address a legal problem that I am having, and I am trying to research cases similar to my own. I am having trouble finding court and tribunal judgments written in French. Don’t courts have to provide their decisions in both official languages?
Not necessarily.
Again due to the division of powers, it depends on the nature of the court/tribunal and the matter that it is hearing. For example: the federal courts and the Supreme Court of Canada publish all decisions in both official languages. On the other hand, not all criminal trials result in decisions being issued in both languages. In fact, most don’t. It depends on the language of the proceedings and/or the importance of, or general public interest about, the issue (sometimes, such as when the trial was in French, the decision may be published only in French). Similarly, decisions resulting from non-criminal provincial/territorial proceedings may or may not be available in both official languages, depending on the language laws of the province/territory. You may also find some decisions have been translated into French by a non-court publisher like CanLII, Westlaw or Canada Law Book.
To learn what applies in your province/territory, contact your provincial/territorial association of French-speaking lawyers or your provincial/territorial Law Society (which keeps a registry of lawyers able and willing to work in languages other than English). See our page of Additional Resources for links.
Last Reviewed: May 2011
Although I have found some of the laws I need in French, understanding the legal language is challenging. I see that, for English, governments have legal information in plain language. Does the same exist for French?
It depends.
The federal government provides much legal information in both official languages. To start your search, you can go to the federal government website and choose the language of your choice. The government of New Brunswick also offers information in both official languages. The amount of French-language legal information provided by other provincial /territorial governments depends on their individual laws and policies. For information, call your provincial /territorial government main information line, or visit its website.
For plain language legal information you can also contact a public legal education provider in your province/territory as well as your provincial/territorial association of French-speaking lawyers. Lists of both of these kinds of organizations are available on our page of Additional Resources.
Last Reviewed: May 2011
Funding for this section was provided by The Language Rights Support Program.
These FAQs were written with help from Laura Snowball, Barrister and Solicitor, and from The Centre for Constitutional Studies.
