Frequently Asked Questions

Research

How do I find a notice or regulations?

How do I access issues of the Canada Gazette published before 1998?

How do I access the HTML format of the Acts of Parliament (Part Ⅲ)?

What section of the Canada Gazette contains notices of vacancy with the National Parole Board?

Which formats of the Canada Gazette are official?

Why is my name published in the Canada Gazette under Banks, Trust Companies and Loan Companies — Unclaimed balances?

Notices and Regulations

I have a question about the content of a notice or regulations published in the Canada Gazette. Whom should I contact?

I would like to submit my comments on proposed regulations. To whom should I send my comments?

Subscriptions

How do I subscribe to the Canada Gazette or obtain a recent issue?

I subscribe to the Canada Gazette and have not received the latest issue. Whom should I contact?

Submissions

As a federal government client, how do I access the request for insertion form?

As a non-federal government client, do I have to complete a request for insertion form?

Can I submit my notice by email?

Do all notices in the Canada Gazette have to be published in English and French?

My notice is ready to be submitted. What electronic formats do you accept?

What is the deadline for submitting a notice to be published in the Canada Gazette, Part Ⅰ?

Publication

What are the costs associated with publishing a notice in the Canada Gazette?

How often is the Canada Gazette published?

What circumstances warrant the publication of extra editions?

Research

How do I find a notice or regulations?

Step one: Determine in which part of the Canada Gazette you should look to find the notice or regulations in question. The Canada Gazette is made up of three parts: Part Ⅰ, Part Ⅱ and Part Ⅲ.

Part Ⅰ is most often divided into the following six categories:

• Government house: contains notices of orders, decorations, medals and mention in dispatches awarded to Canadians.
• Government notices: contains notices published by federal departments.
• Parliament: contains notices published by the House of Commons, the Commissioner of Canada Elections, the Senate, and the Chief Electoral Officer.
• Commissions: contains notices published by federal agencies, boards and commissions.
• Miscellaneous notices: contains notices published by municipal and provincial governments as well as law firms, companies, non-profit organizations and individuals from the private sector.
• Proposed regulations: contains regulations that have not been enacted and that can be commented on through the consultation process (current consultations can be accessed from the “Consultation” menu on the left-hand side of the Canada Gazette Web site).

Part Ⅱ contains regulations that have been enacted as well as other classes of statutory instruments, such as orders in council, orders and proclamations. Each document has an SOR (Statutory Orders and Regulations) number or an SI (Statutory Instrument) number. Only government departments and agencies publish in Part Ⅱ.

Part Ⅲ contains the most recent public Acts of Parliament (bills) and their enactment proclamations.

Step two: Look in recent issues of Part Ⅰ, Part Ⅱ or Part Ⅲ or use our Search engine to find the document you are looking for. You can also visit our online Archives to find issues from previous years, going back to January 1998. All archived issues of Part Ⅰ and Part Ⅱ are available in PDF and HTML formats. Part Ⅲ issues, however, are available in PDF format only. For an alternate version of the Acts published in Part Ⅲ, please consult the Department of Justice Web site.

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How do I access issues of the Canada Gazette published before 1998?

Issues of the Canada Gazette published before 1998 may be consulted in most public libraries and in depository libraries of Canadian government information. For a complete list of depository libraries in Canada and around the world, see the Depository Services Program Web site under Depository Libraries.

Please note that by the end of 2011, all issues of the Canada Gazette published before 1998 will be available online on the Library and Archives Canada Web site.

How do I access the HTML format of the Acts of Parliament (Part Ⅲ)?

To access the HTML format of the most recent Acts of Parliament, please visit the Parliament of Canada Web site.

The Department of Justice also maintains an online database of consolidated statutes and consolidated regulations.

What section of the Canada Gazette contains notices of vacancy with the National Parole Board?

All notices of vacancy appear in the Canada Gazette, Part Ⅰ, under the main category “Government Notices.” Please note that these notices are published as needed and do not appear in every issue of the publication.

Questions regarding the content of a recent notice of vacancy should be addressed to the contact person listed at the end of the relevant notice. Please visit the Privy Council Office Web site for more information about Governor in Council appointments.

Please note that you may receive instant updates on new notices of vacancy published in the Canada Gazette, Part Ⅰ, as soon as it is available online by subscribing, free of charge, to our Notices of Vacancy RSS feed.

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Which formats of the Canada Gazette are official?

The print version and, since April 1, 2003, the electronic PDF version of the Canada Gazette are official. All issues posted on the Canada Gazette Web site in PDF format prior to this date, along with all those posted in HTML format, are not considered official versions.

Why is my name published in the Canada Gazette under Banks, Trust Companies, and Loan Companies — Unclaimed balances?

Previously, in accordance with the Bank Act, the Canada Gazette published the Banks, Trust Companies and Loan Companies — Unclaimed balances once a year on behalf of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. If your name is published under this heading, you may be entitled to an unclaimed balance.

However, subsequent to an amendment to the Bank Act in 2007, please note that unclaimed balances are no longer published in the Canada Gazette. For more information on this matter, please visit the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Web site or call 1-800-385-8647. To search for an unclaimed balance, please visit the Bank of Canada Web site or call 1-888-891-6398.

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Regulations

I have a question about the content of a notice or regulations published in the Canada Gazette. Whom should I contact?

The Canada Gazette Directorate is responsible for publishing the Canada Gazette; however, we are not responsible for interpreting the content of the notices or regulations. We therefore cannot answer any questions about the content of a notice or regulations, nor can we answer questions on the related consequences of a notice or regulations. If you have questions of a legal nature, you should consult a lawyer.

If the regulations are still at the proposal stage and are published in the Canada Gazette, Part Ⅰ, you may contact the person responsible for the proposed regulations in question. The name and contact information of the person responsible for proposed regulations is found at the end of each regulatory impact analysis statement that accompanies the regulations, in the “Contact” section.

I would like to submit my comments on proposed regulations. To whom should I send my comments?

Comments concerning proposed regulations should be sent to the department or agency responsible for the enforcement of the regulations. The name and contact information of the person responsible for a text of regulations is found at the end of each regulatory impact analysis statement that accompanies the proposed regulations, in the “Contact” section. A list of ongoing consultations on proposed regulations can be found on our Consultation page.

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Subscriptions

How do I subscribe to the Canada Gazette or obtain a recent issue?

To subscribe to the Canada Gazette or to obtain a recent issue, please see our Subscription Information page or call Canadian Government Publishing at 613-941-5995 or 1-800-635-7943 (toll free).

I subscribe to the Canada Gazette and have not received the latest issue. Whom should I contact?

For questions related to your subscription, please contact the Canadian Government Publishing sales counter at 613-941-5995 or 1-800-635-7943 (toll free).

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Submissions

As a federal government client, how do I access the request for insertion form?

As a federal government client, you can access the Request for Insertion Form — Federal Departments and Agencies on the Canada Gazette Web site. The Canada Gazette Directorate strongly encourages you to use the official PDF form whenever possible to ensure the efficient processing of requests. Please make sure that you have obtained the proper financial coding from your departmental financial officer before submitting a notice for publication. Should you require assistance completing the form, please consult the guidelines for federal government clients.

As a non-federal government client, do I have to complete a request for insertion form?

Yes. As a non-federal government client (that is provincial and municipal governments, as well as law firms, companies, non-profit organizations and individuals from the private sector), you are asked to submit a Request for Insertion Form — Non-federal Government Clients. The Canada Gazette Directorate strongly encourages you to use the official PDF form whenever possible to ensure the efficient processing of requests. To make sure you follow all the necessary steps, please refer to the Publishing Requirements. Should you require assistance completing the form, please consult the guidelines for non-federal government clients.

You will be billed after your notice is published. If you prefer to pay by credit card, please contact the cashier’s office at 613-947-1701 once you have received your invoice.

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Can I submit my notice by email?

For security reasons, the Canada Gazette Directorate does not accept notices submitted by email. Notices must be kept confidential until their publication.

Do all notices in the Canada Gazette have to be published in English and French?

Yes. All notices published in the Canada Gazette must be published in both official languages, in accordance with the Official Languages Act and the Statutory Instruments Act.

My notice is ready to be submitted. What electronic formats do you accept?

Notices must be submitted in Microsoft Word format on a diskette, CD-ROM or USB key. Please save your graphics and images in .jpeg, .tiff or .eps format. For security reasons, we do not accept notices submitted by email.

What is the deadline for submitting a notice in the Canada Gazette, Part Ⅰ?

Notices (6 pages or less) must be received by us before 12 noon (Eastern Time) on Friday, 6 business days before the date of publication. For more information, please see our publishing requirements under “Deadline Schedule.”

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Publication

What are the costs associated with publishing a notice in the Canada Gazette?

For information on the costs of publishing a notice in the Canada Gazette, please call our Administration Support Section at 613-996-2495 or 613-996-1239 or 613-944-6435. Our office is open from Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern Time. Approximate rates for publishing some of the most common notices can be found on our Insertion Rates page.

How often is the Canada Gazette published?

Part Ⅰ is published every Saturday. Part Ⅱ is published every other Wednesday. Part Ⅲ is published as soon as is reasonably practicable following Royal Assent.

For more information on Part Ⅰ, Part Ⅱ and Part Ⅲ and what is published in each part, please see Learn more about the Canada Gazette.

What circumstances warrant the publication of extra editions?

The publication of extra editions in the Canada Gazette, Part Ⅰ and Part Ⅱ, shall be warranted under the following circumstances:

1. Extra edition is specified in a statute or in regulations.
   
2. The Clerk of the Privy Council is the originator of the request.
   
3. The Governor General, the House of Commons or the Senate are the originators of the request.
   
4. Prevention of substantial damage to the Crown.
   
5. Prevention of danger to public and/or national health and safety.
   
6. Protection of public and/or national health and welfare.
   
7. Protection of public and/or national security.
   
8. Emergency legislation.

Items 4 to 8 must be substantiated in writing by an official of the respective organization who has the authority to speak for, or on behalf of, the Minister responsible prior to the publication of an extra edition.

In cases not applying to items 1 through 8, the Canada Gazette Directorate must obtain a written request from the Minister’s Office.

Part Ⅰ extra editions cannot be published on the same date as a regular Part Ⅰ issue (every Saturday).

Part Ⅱ extra editions cannot be published on the same date as a regular Part Ⅱ issue (every other Wednesday).

Extra editions are preferably NOT published on a Sunday.