The article “How to find Orders-in-Council at Library and Archives Canada” explains how to find complete references to these Orders-in-Council (OICs). But then how do you access the OICs that interest you?

You have several choices: consult the originals on site, search in the Canada Gazette, consult the OICs on microfilm, or request a reproduction.

For OICs that are discoverable and accessible online, see the article on “Orders-in-Council: What you can access online.”

Consult the originals on site

You can consult the original OICs on site at our building at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa. To prepare, read the article “The Top Five Things You Need to Know Before You Visit.”

Note that access to OICs approved after 1970 is limited by the Access to Information and Privacy legislation. You need to send a request form to consult them. To find out more, read the article “Access to Information and Privacy requests can now be made online.”

Search in the Canada Gazette

Some OICs approved by the Privy Council have appeared in the Canada Gazette, where they can be consulted. The Canada Gazette is available at Library and Archives Canada, in several Canadian libraries, and online at the following sites:

• Canada Gazette – 1841-1997
• Canada Gazette

Consult the microfilms

Some OICs have been microfilmed. You can consult them on site at Library and Archives Canada. The FA 2-1 finding aid lists them.

Under the Canadiana Héritage project, a number of microfilms have been digitized and are available online. You can access them by typing their number in the Search box, or by consulting the list of reels on the Heritage site.

Request a reproduction

Use the Order Form for Reproductions to obtain reproductions of OICs (restricted and non-restricted); for restricted orders, you can also submit the form for a Request under the Access to Information Act.

You can also read the article “How to Order Digitized Reproductions and Help Build the Digital Collection.”

Do you have any questions or comments? Feel free to contact us!