 Judges are required to interpret laws in the light of section 9A ( 1 ) of the Interpretation Act , which requires an interpretation that would " promote the purpose or object " underlying written law is to be " preferred " over an interpretation that would not , thus mandating a purposive interpretation . The Interpretation Act provides for the types of extrinsic materials and the circumstances under which such extrinsic materials can be referred to , to aid judges in determining the purpose of the statute . Thus , when determining the purpose of a statutory provision , a judge can refer to relevant extrinsic materials such as the explanatory statement relating to the bill in which the provision appears and the speech made in Parliament by a minister moving a motion for the second reading of the bill , when circumstances call for it . 
