For documents, there are various kinds of incorporation by reference.
It can involve provincial or federal legislation, or the legislation of another country, indexes, numbers, internal documents, and standards. Incorporation by reference can take many forms. It is important to realize that what is accessible in one case may vary; it depends on the sector being regulated. What is accessible in one case may not necessarily be accessible in another. So it would be extremely risky to find a definition that applies equally to each regulatory sector.
We consider that documents need to be accessible with a minimum of effort. Even so, you need a certain degree of effort to access federal legislation and regulations.