Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Laura Miller
Statutory Interpretation
“Today there is only one principle or approach, namely, the words of an Act are to be read in their entire context
and in their grammatical and ordinary sense harmoniously with the scheme of the Act, the object of the Act, and
the intention of Parliament”
Preamble: Useful in showing legislative intent. Not all legislation has a preamble.
Democratically enacted
Common law authority: Re Anti-Inflation Act
Statutory authority: BCIA s9, CIA s13
Headings: Sub-titles within a statute. Frail evidence but better that marginal notes
Common law authority: R v Lohnes and R v Basarba
Statutory authority: None
Charter headings are apart of the document and democratically enacted (R v Wigglesworth)
Marginal Notes (and head notes): added editorially for convenience only
Common law authority: Used in McLachlin’s dissent in McIntosh, R v Basaraba says not to use them
Statutory authority: BCIA s11(1) says NOT to use head-notes, CIA s14 says NOT to use marginal notes
Schedules: An appendix flowing the statute including things such as house forms which would clutter the statute.
Are apart of the statue and may be used but given less weight than the body of a statute
Common law authority: Houde v Quebec Catholic School Commission
Statutory authority: None
Changes to legislation
* Note there is uncertainty in some areas on this from the BCIA *
Expiration: occurs when a statute no longer has practical significance.
o Expo 86 Act was not repealed until years after the event ended
o BCIA s. 4(4) states that a statute that no longer has an effect is deemed to be repealed.
Amendment: changes to a statute that may take many different forms
o BCIA s. 37(2) states that amendments cannot be assumed to be substantive. They also cannot be
assumed to be declaratory
Repeal: Principles set out in BCIA s. 35
o BCIA s. 35(1)(a): the Common Law in an area does not come back into force if an enactment is
repealed
o BCIA s. 35(1)(b): Acts that were lawful under the repealed statute that occurred when it was in force
cannot be challenged.
o BCIA s. 35(1)(c): repeal does not affect accrued or accruing rights
o BCIA s. 35(1)(d): repeal does not affect offences committed when the act was in force subject to s.
36(1)(d)
o BCIA s. 35(1)(e): proceedings relating to vested rights or offences can be continued, initiated or
enforced following repeal subject to s. 36(1) as stated in s. 35(2)
Repeal and Replacement: Principles set out in BCIA s. 36, but since it also involves a repeal s. 35 applies
too. LOOK CAREFULY AT BOTH ACTS
o BCIA s. 36(1)(a): personnel appointed under the old enactment continue to serve as if appointed
under the new one
o BCIA s. 36(1)(b): proceedings in progress will continue with procedures from the new enactment
o BCIA s. 36(1)(c): new procedures are to be used
o BCIA s. 36(1)(d): when there is a mitigated penalty in the new enactment it is to be used for any
punishment imposed following the replacement – this includes proceedings in progress and offences
committed under the old act.
o BCIA s. 36(1)(e): regulations made under the old statute continue to be in force so long as they
comply with the new one
o BCIA s. 36(1)(f): any referential incorporation referring to the old statute is deemed to be a
reference to the new statute.
Presumption against retro application:
o Retroactive: when a law imposes past consequences to past action. Presumption against this is
strong.
o Retrospective: when a law imposes new future consequences to past actions. There is a presumption
against this but it is weaker. Presumption stated in Gustavson Drilling
o This can often depend on the characterization of events. There is no problem with immediate
application for events in progress.
o Mackenzie v. British Columbia shows the presumption against retrospective application rebutted
o The presumption against retrospective application does not apply to procedural, beneficial or
protective laws (Sullivan).
Presumption against interfering with vested rights: stated in Gustavson Drilling. Only applies when
there is no clear intent by the legislature to affect rights.
o “Concrete rights definitively acquired by the person before the legislation came into force” –
Sullivan
o “legal situation must have been sufficiently constituted at the time of the new statute’s
commencement” – Dirkranian quoting Cote.
o Accruing rights protected in Scott v. College of Physicians and Surgeons. Test was that he had taken
substantial steps.
Sullivan’s Steps for Temporal Analysis:
Establish the coming into force date
Identify the key facts
Situate the facts in time
Determine if the facts were complete, ongoing, or not yet commenced when the provision came into
force
Determine whether applying the provision would interfere with vested rights
If there is retro-application or vested rights are there grounds to rebut the provision.