The QR&O are issued under the authority of Section 12 of the National Defence Act, the governing statute of the Canadian Forces. Section 12 provides the Governor in Council and the Minister of National Defence with the power to make regulations for the "organization, training, discipline, efficiency, administration, and government of the Forces", so long as such regulations are not inconsistent with the NDA, common-law principles of natural justice, the Canadian Bill of Rights or the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; it also permits the Treasury Board to make regulations concerning pay, allowances, forfeitures, deductions, etc. QR&O 1.23 further authorizes the Chief of Defence Staff to issue orders and instructions "not inconsistent with the National Defence Act or with any regulations made by the Governor in Council, the Treasury Board or the Minister" in the discharge of his duties or in implementation/explanation of regulations. Each regulation or order within the QR&O is, as noted above, issued under the authority of the Governor in Council, the Minister, Treasury Board, or CDS; the issuing authority is indicated by a letter in parentheses following each regulation or order, namely,,, and, respectively.
Volumes
The QR&O is divided into four volumes, containing the indicated chapters:
Volume I contains the most wide-ranging subject matter. It contains regulations and orders for the CF to cover almost every aspect of military life, from enrolment to release, and all items in between. It comprises the following chapters:
Volume II amplifies the Code of Service Discipline and is the authoritative manual for military law in Canada. It contains the regulations governing the commission of service offences and the prosecution and punishment thereof, from summary trials to the various kinds of court-martial. It comprises the following chapters:
Volume III lays out the framework of regulations that govern the financial issues of the CF, including pay, allotments, deductions, expenses, etc. It comprises the following chapters:
Volume IV – Appendices
Volume IV contains supplementary rules and regulations. It also contains the texts of the NDA, the Security of Information Act, and other applicable Acts of Parliament. It comprises the following appendices:
