How to read legal citations in Canada

R v Oakes, [1986] 1 SCR 103

1. Case name R v Oakes
   R means the Crown (Regina or Rex). In criminal cases the prosecution is the Crown.
2. Year in square brackets [1986]
   The year of the volume of the report series.
3. Volume 1
   Volume 1 for that year.
4. Series SCR
   Supreme Court Reports, the official reports of the Supreme Court of Canada.
5. First page 103
   The page where the report begins.

R v Jordan, 2016 SCC 27

1. Case name R v Jordan
   The parties.
2. Year 2016
   The year of the judgment, with no brackets.
3. Court SCC
   Supreme Court of Canada. Other examples: ONCA (Court of Appeal for Ontario) and BCCA (British Columbia).
4. Number 27
   The running number of the decision in that court for that year.

Criminal Code, RSC 1985, c C-46, s 718

1. Title Criminal Code
   The short title of the Act.
2. Revised Statutes RSC 1985
   Revised Statutes of Canada, a consolidation of federal statutes, with the year of the revision.
3. Chapter c C-46
   The chapter number given to the statute in that revision.
4. Section s 718
   A section of the Act.

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, s 7, Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (UK), 1982, c 11

1. Instrument Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
   Canada's bill of rights, since 1982.
2. Section s 7
   Section 7 protects life, liberty and security of the person, and the right not to be deprived of them except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.
3. Part of the Act Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982
   The Charter is Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982.
4. Where it is found being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (UK), 1982, c 11
   The Constitution Act, 1982 is itself a schedule to a United Kingdom Act. That is how Canada's constitution was 'brought home'.

Carter v Canada (Attorney General), 2015 SCC 5, [2015] 1 SCR 331

1. Case name Carter v Canada (Attorney General)
   The parties. The Attorney General of Canada represents the federal government.
2. Neutral citation 2015 SCC 5
   The year, the court (Supreme Court of Canada) and the number of the judgment.
3. Official report [2015] 1 SCR 331
   The Supreme Court Reports: year, volume and first page. The official report is the one to prefer when you give both.

Limitations Act, 2002, SO 2002, c 24, Sch B, s 4

1. Title and year Limitations Act, 2002
   The title, including the year, as it appears in Ontario's statute book.
2. Statutes of Ontario SO 2002
   SO means Statutes of Ontario, followed by the year.
3. Chapter c 24
   Provincial statutes are numbered by chapter within each year.
4. Schedule Sch B
   A schedule is a separate part attached to the statute. Here the limitations rules are in Schedule B.
5. Section s 4
   Section 4 is the basic limitation period: two years from when the claim was discovered.