skills/cite-check/references/authority-sources/canada.md

# Canada authority sources

Use this page to acquire readable Canadian authorities for `/cite-check`. Search public services with citation metadata only. Never send a confidential brief, excerpt, record, or matter facts to a public service merely to find an authority.

## Case law

- For Supreme Court of Canada authorities, use the Court's official [judgments portal](https://www.scc-csc.ca/judgments-jugements/) and [appeal-judgment database](https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/nav_date.do). The Court explains that reliable digital versions may appear before the official bilingual Canada Supreme Court Reports; preserve the actual judgment and identify which version was checked. A Case in Brief is informational and is not part of the Court's reasons.
- [CanLII](https://www.canlii.org/) can be a supplementary discovery route when accessible. Its operator's published [API documentation](https://github.com/canlii/API_documentation), last updated in 2019, describes authorized, key-based access to collection and citation metadata; it does not establish current API availability, full-text access, or exhaustive coverage. The live terms were access-blocked and not verified during the source review. Confirm current access, coverage, terms, and permitted use, then use the issuing court's readable judgment or a lawyer-supplied copy for substantive checking.
- For Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal decisions, use the official [Federal Court files and decisions](https://www.fct-cf.ca/en/pages/court-files-and-decisions/) and [Federal Court of Appeal decisions](https://www.fca-caf.ca/en/pages/decisions) routes where applicable. For another federal court, use the issuing court's official decisions service.

## Legislation and regulations

Use the federal [Justice Laws Website](https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/) for consolidated federal Acts and regulations. Its [FAQ](https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/FAQ/) says the consolidations are official for evidentiary purposes, displays a current-to date, and warns that updates generally trail the present by about two to three weeks. Its [Important Note](https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/ImportantNote) says the original or amending enactment prevails if it conflicts with a consolidation. Use the relevant provincial or territorial official source for nonfederal law.

## Case-specific materials

The Supreme Court's [case-information search](https://www.scc-csc.ca/cases-dossiers/search-recherche/) and the Federal Court's official file search can provide docket metadata and some filed material. Public access remains subject to posting schedules, redaction, sealing orders, publication bans, privacy rules, and court-specific restrictions. Do not infer that every filing, exhibit, transcript, or lower-court record is online; obtain the complete needed record from the matter workspace or the court's authorized access process.

## Preserve the evidence boundary

Do not assume complete coverage. A database result or docket entry does not establish currentness, later treatment, precedential status, or the contents of an unavailable filing. Preserve the citation metadata, court, date, docket, source URL, retrieval date, complete readable file, version, and pinpoint. Add the file to the supplied authority set before checking what it says.