Archived Content

This archived Web content remains online for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It will not be altered or updated. Web content that is archived on the Internet is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats of this content on the Contact Us page.

Handout 1.1					                Name: ___________________

Introduction: What is the Canada Gazette?

The Canada Gazette is the official newspaper of the Government of Canada. It has been published regularly since 1841. The contents of the Canada Gazette include new statutes and regulations, proposed regulations, decisions of administrative boards (such as the Board of Railway Commissioners), federal government notices (such as tenders for publicly owned transportation), as well as notices of private businesses that are required by statute to be published by the Canada Gazette. An example of a private business notice would be the stockholders’ meeting of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. 

It is the responsibility of the Queen’s Printer to publish the Canada Gazette. The Queen’s Printer is the official printer of the Government of Canada. It has published the Gazette every Saturday since 1841, 26 years before Confederation. In addition to this publication, there are extras and supplements published periodically. When it first began, the Gazette was printed in one volume. But as Canada grew in population and complexity, the publication was divided into three parts: 

Part I - Published weekly, it contains information required by federal law or regulation, including private business notices and proposed regulations. 

Part II - Published bi-weekly, it includes regulations and documents related to government departments. 

Part III - This section contains the acts of Parliament, which are published as soon as the acts receive royal assent. 

You will discover the ways in which the Canada Gazette can be used as a research tool for certain historical events in Canada. Documents have been chosen to show how the Canada Gazette can be used to get information related to the commerce of the nation. The Canada Gazette provides some of the legal threads that help historians understand their topics.