Definitions in English Canadian Federal Legislative Drafting (on demand self-paced) (LEG00268)

Overview

Delivery method

Online Self-Paced

Duration

1 hour 10 minutes

Audience

Legal Professionnals

Description

This course is intended for those interested in the drafting of legislative texts in English. Jurilinguists and legistic revisors are encouraged to take this course as well.

Definitions are a key component for conveying meaning in a legislative text and have a real impact on the clarity of the entire legislative text. Consequently, drafting definitions is often one of the most complex tasks of the legislative counsel.

This course explores the principles governing the use of definitions in the English version of federal legislative texts and good practices to implement and pitfalls to avoid in drafting definitions.

Note: This course addresses principles applicable to legislative drafting in English. If you are interested in the specific principles applicable to legislative drafting in French, please register for the course Definitions in French Canadian Federal Legislative Drafting (on demand self-paced) (LEG00269).

Topics covered

• Context – Interpretation Act
• Function of a definition
• Rules for drafting definitions
• How to draft definitions (placement, arrangement, etc.)
• Other interpretative provisions
• Defining adjectives
• Exercises

Accommodation measures: The Department of Justice is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free learning environment. If you have any accessibility needs in order to fully participate in the training activity, please contact your manager to discuss your needs. You may also call upon the services of the Centre for Workplace Access-Ability, Health and Wellness to help identify what type of accommodation measures you require.

For more information: Contact the Centre for Legal Education Services.

For information about the continuing professional development (CPD) hours for this course, please consult the 2025 Accreditation Summary.

If you have questions concerning the accreditation process, please contact our accreditation team by email (Accreditations@justice.gc.ca).