CanLII (Canadian Legal Information Institute)
A freely accessible resource providing comprehensive coverage of Canadian case law, statutes, and regulations from all jurisdictions. CanLII also hosts an expanding collection of commentary, law reviews, and eText materials through CanLII Connects and the CanLII Commentary Collection. Ideal for quick access to primary sources and open-access secondary analysis.
Offers Canadian and international case law, legislation, and legal commentary. You can locate Canadian case law by browsing Sources by practice area or by exploring the legal Topic hierarchy. Nexis Uni includes caselaw digesting tools and access to specialized secondary sources, such as Halsbury’s Laws of Canada, an authoritative multi-volume legal encyclopedia.
Westlaw Edge Canada (LawSource)
Provides extensive coverage of Canadian case law, statutes, and secondary sources. Key features include The Canadian Abridgment Case Digests (summaries linking to full-text decisions) and the Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (C.E.D.), a trusted starting point for understanding legal principles. LawSource also offers access to Carswell law reporters and the Words & Phrases judicial interpretations database. Access restricted to Western Law students, faculty, and staff.
A robust collection of full-text legal periodicals, historical statutes, U.S. and international law journals, and government documents. In Canada, HeinOnline is especially valuable for accessing law reviews, the Revised Statutes of Canada, and older legislative materials not easily available elsewhere. Includes searchable PDFs of original page images.
McGill Guide: Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation
The Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation—commonly referred to as the McGill Guide—is the standard reference for citing legal materials in Canada. It provides detailed rules for referencing cases, statutes, government documents, secondary sources, and online materials in a consistent format used by courts, law journals, and legal professionals.
Location: Law Library Reserve (Call Number: KF240 .C354 2023)
Access: 2-hour loan period
If you are new to Canadian legal citation, start by identifying what kind of source you are citing (e.g., case, statute, book, journal article). The McGill Guide provides specific examples for each source type and explains how to abbreviate case names, format pinpoint citations, and cite electronic resources.
For quick reference, several Canadian law libraries provide helpful open-access online guides that summarize key McGill rules:
Accurate legal citation ensures that readers can trace the authorities you rely on and demonstrates attention to professional and academic standards. Most Canadian law schools, legal journals, and courts require McGill-style citation, so familiarity with the Guide is an essential research skill.
If you have questions about citing a particular source, Ask a Librarian for assistance, or bring your work to the Law Library service desk for help interpreting the McGill Guide.
