language
What are the differences between the terms &quot;act&quot;, &quot;law&quot;, and &quot;regulation&quot;?
<p>Is there any difference between "act", "law", and "regulation"? Are they interchangeable?</p>

<p>Is "law draft" acceptable to use to refer to a "bill"? Is that legalese and common to use in legal documents?</p>

<p>In the US, Congress may pass an act, and this creates one kind of law (if it is promulgated: signed, ignored, or re-passed with a super-majority). Some of those acts direct the executive branch to do things, and pursuant to that act, a regulation is promulgated. Together with case law, the whole thing is "law". A bill (in the House, or the Senate) may result in an act being passed by both houses. It may go through a number of drafts between the point when it is first introduced and the time it becomes an act.</p>

<p>I would say @ErikF's assesment of Canada Law is similar to the United States (as well as Common Law Jurisdictions the world over).</p>

<p>The law is the collected legal body of laws as determined by the Legislature and Interpreted by the Courts and enforced by the Executive here too.</p>

<p>An Act is a change to the law either by addition, deletion, or other modification that has been passed by the Legislature and was not vetoed.  In Common Law Systems, a law need not pass in order for it to be a law.  For example, in a few jurisdictions in the U.K. and the United State, no legislature ever passed a law that made murder illegal.  This is because Common Law uses Precedence (Also known as Case Law).  In this system, if a court decides something is illegal, then all cases that are similar in nature are also illegal (if it's legal, all similar cases are also legal).  This covers every court beneath the ruling court's decision making power (An applent court can over turn a ruling, and all cases are overturned for every court that appeals to it).  They can also look to see what other common law jurisdictions have done (with exception... some laws do not port for any number of reasons).  In these jurisdictions, they did not have "Statutory Murder" which is basically a bunch of guys getting together and making a law saying "Murder is bad and should be punished."  Instead, they have Common Law Murder, which is a bunch of guys coming to a judge and saying "Bob killed someone.  When Alice Killed someone, we punished her.  Punish Bob the same way."</p>

<p>A regulation is a specific Act that says if you want to do X thing, you must follow these rules or be punished. (i.e. You must pay a fee from the sale of all alcoholic beverages above the sales tax.  Your building must include these safety features.  You must server tap water and ice without charge...).  Here the idea is that we are ensuring that no one is cutting costs on certain elements to offer a better deal to the customer... you must equally follow these rules or you cannot participate in the action.</p>

<p>In Canada, the three are not interchangeable. Law is the entire collection of rules and decisions of the land, an Act (or Statute) is the part of law that has been passed by either the federal, provincial or territorial governments, and regulations are rules that have been made as <em>delegated instruments</em> (i.e. an Act has authorized someone to make them.)</p>

<p>As an example, this is part of the text of the <a href="https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/laws/stat/sa-2004-c-r-17.1/latest/sa-2004-c-r-17.1.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Residential Tenancies Act</em> SA 2004 c. R-17.1</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative
  Assembly of Alberta, enacts as follows:</p>
  
  <p>[...]</p>
  
  <p>70(1)  The Minister may make regulations</p>
  
  <p>(a) establishing forms that may be used by landlords and tenants for leases,
  inspection reports, notices of default and other documents under this Act;</p>
  
  <p>(a.1) prescribing the maximum period of time after a default within which a
  landlord may serve a tenant with a notice of default and the minimum
  period of notice that must be provided in the notice of default within
  which the tenant must vacate the residential premises;</p>
  
  <p>(b) prescribing the reasons for which a landlord may terminate a periodic
  tenancy under Part 1;</p>
  
  <p>(c) prescribing the minimum amount of time
  between increases in rent for periodic tenancies and for fixed term
  tenancies;</p>
  
  <p>(c.1) modifying any period of notice required by section 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 or 14;
  [...]</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Legislation being considered is not an Act but is instead a Bill until it gets royal assent. Legislation that hasn't even gotten to Parliament or a legislature is generally just called <a href="https://www.fin.gc.ca/legislation/draft-avant-eng.asp" rel="nofollow noreferrer">draft legislation</a>.</p>

<p>A regulation would look like the following (<a href="https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/laws/regu/alta-reg-189-2004/latest/alta-reg-189-2004.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Residential Tenancies Exemption Regulation</em> Alta Reg 189/2004</a>):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Exemptions</p>
  
  <p>1   The following are exempt from the application of the <em>Residential Tenancies Act</em>:</p>
  
  <p>(a)    an approved hospital as defined in the <em>Hospitals Act</em>;</p>
  
  <p>(b)    a provincial cancer hospital operated by the Provincial Cancer Hospitals Board under the <em>Cancer Programs Act</em>.</p>
  
  <p>Refusal of assignment/sublease</p>
  
  <p>2   The Banff Housing Corporation may refuse to give its consent to
  the assignment or sublease of a residential tenancy agreement under
  section 22(3) of the Act if</p>
  
  <p>(a)    the assignment or sublease is to a person who does not qualify as a bona fide resident under the terms
  of that agreement,</p>
  
  <p>(b)    the assignment or sublease is to a person who does not meet the eligible resident requirements defined
  in the National Parks of Canada Lease and Licence of Occupation
  Regulations SOR/2002-237 under the <em>Canada National Parks Act</em> (Canada),</p>
  
  <p>(c)    the tenant has not obtained the consent in writing of the Minister of Environment of the Government of
  Canada, or</p>
  
  <p>(d)    the Banff Housing Corporation has reasonable grounds to believe that the assignment or sublease is to a
  person who does not meet the Corporation’s qualification requirements
  to acquire an interest in a residential tenancy agreement.</p>
  
  <p>Repeal</p>
  
  <p>3   The <em>Residential Tenancies Exemption Regulation</em> (AR 227/92) is
  repealed.</p>
  
  <p>Expiry</p>
  
  <p>4   For the purpose of ensuring that this Regulation is reviewed for
  ongoing relevancy and necessity, with the option that it may be
  repassed in its present or an amended form following a review, this
  Regulation expires on July 31, 2018.</p>
  
  <p>AR 189/2004 s4;142/2014;117/2016</p>
  
  <p>Coming into force</p>
  
  <p>5   This Regulation comes into force on November 1, 2004.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This regulation, by itself, has no force of law; it only has any legal force because an Act (the <em>Residential Tenancies Act</em> here) authorized it.</p>

<p>The word "law" refers to, in order of their authority:</p>

<p>The Constitution, statutes (laws passed by elected lawmakers), treaties, case law, agency regulations, and executive orders.</p>
