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Law Resources: The Basics: Canadian

What is it?

Canadian Law is based on precedence; the decisions made by judges in court or tribunals are based on previous cases. Therefore Canadian Case Law is the written decisions of judges in court or tribunals. It is the law as established by the outcome of former cases. Case law comes from all levels of court in Canada. 

Topical Reporters (available in print and online)

How to use it:

  • Arranged topically by different subject areas of law (ex. Canadian Criminal Cases, Canadian Native Law Reporter, Reports of Family Law, etc.)
  • Courts send reports to publishers
  • Good sources of case law on a specific area of law (ex. if you want to see cases on family law topics, see: Reports of Family Law)
  • Contain head notes: notes that are placed at the head (beginning) of the reported law case summarizing or commenting on the content (N.B. these are copyrighted by the publisher) 

How to access it:

  • Online versions of these titles can be searched using the databases listed on the right.
  • For print versions of these titles, portions can be requested via Scan and Send service.
  • For help finding these titles, please email library.services@usask.ca.

Territorial Reporters (available in print and online)

How to use it:

  • Arranged by territory, either nationally or regionally
  • Good sources of case law by territory
  • Western Weekly Reports – these cover the Western provinces and the Territories
  • Dominion Law Reports and National Reporter – cover all of Canada
  • Supreme Court Reports – these are the “official Canadian” law reports as they are published by the Supreme Court of Canada

How to access it:

  • Online versions of these titles can be searched using the databases listed on the right.
  • For print versions of these titles, portions can be requested via Scan and Send service.
  • For help finding these titles, please email library.services@usask.ca.

Provincial Reporters (available in print and online)

How to use it:

  • Arranged by province (ex. Alberta Reports)
  • Good sources of case law by province

How to access it:

  • Online versions of these titles can be searched using the databases listed on the right.
  • For print versions of these titles, portions can be requested via Scan and Send service.
  • For help finding these titles, please email library.services@usask.ca.

Online Access