This completely revised and updated edition reviews the theories and principles of statutory interpretation from the current appellate courts2 point of view. It continues the last edition2s systematic account and illustration of the rules, presumptions and techniques of statutory interpretation currently relied on by Canadian courts.

This Canadian textbook for both students and practitioners explains the principles governing the interpretation of statutes, how to resolve ambiguities, clarify obscurities and remove disharmonies. It does this by close examination of judicial decisions and sheds light on the process of reasoning used by the courts in arriving at their decisions.

This book seeks to explain to the beginner how to understand and interpret statutes. The book starts with an explanation of the nature and purpose of an Act of Parliament, including the policy considerations that may lie behind the Act.