Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What is the role of the Federal Court of Appeal?
- Where do I call to obtain information about court’s practices or cases?
- I got a decision from a tribunal that says I can appeal to the Federal Court of Appeal. How do I do that?
- Is it possible to record, take pictures or film during proceedings?
- What are the Registry’s office hours?
- Are hearings open to the public?
- Can I obtain a copy of a hearing transcript or a recording?
- Can I have access to court records?
- Can I have access to the evidence presented at the hearing?
- How many judges sit on the Federal Court of Appeal? What are their names?
- What is a supernumerary judge?
- What is a puisne judge?
- How many judges are assigned to hear a case?
- How does one address a judge?
- What is the annual salary of a Federal Court of Appeal Judge?
- How are judges chosen for the Federal Court of Appeal?
- How do I file a complaint against a judge?
- Where can I find information for self-represented litigants?
- How do I find out the status of a case?
- How can a person be considered for a position as a law clerk/student articling position?
- What is the role of the Federal Court of Appeal?
The basic role of the Federal Court of Appeal is to provide a national appellate or review forum over the Federal Court, the Tax Court of Canada and federal boards, commissions, tribunals and administrative decision makers, to ensure that federal law is interpreted and applied consistently throughout Canada by the federal government and its agents and to supervise the legality of the decisions of federal decision makers. For more information about the role of the Federal Court of Appeal please visit the following link: Role
- Where do I call to obtain information about court’s practices or cases?
For general enquiries regarding procedural business of the Federal Court of Appeal, please contact the Registry office in Ottawa:
(613) 996-6795
1-800-565-0541
TDD: 995-4640You can also contact one of our regional offices. Please find the telephone numbers at the following hyperlink: http://www.cas-satj.gc.ca/en/operations/locations.shtml
If you want to present yourself to one of our offices, please consult the following hyperlink for addresses: http://www.cas-satj.gc.ca/en/operations/locations.shtml
You can also send an email at information@fca-caf.gc.ca . Please note that this email address should not be used to file documents, send us mail, or to pose questions with regards to any matter before the Court in which you are a party.
- I got a decision from a tribunal that says I can appeal to the Federal Court of Appeal. How do I do that?
For guidance in reviewing or appealing a decision, please contact the nearest office of the Registry of the Federal Court of Appeal.
Important: Please note that Registry officers are not allowed to provide legal advice to litigants. You should contact a lawyer, a Legal Aid Office in your area or a community legal clinic for legal advice.
- Is it possible to record, take pictures or film during proceedings?
Photography and audio / video recording in the hearing room are prohibited, except if the presiding judge, after consultation with the chief justice or his delegate, gives authorization. Photography and audio / video recording or transmission in the vicinity of the hearing room are prohibited, except if the presiding judge, after consultation with the chief justice or his delegate, gives authorization. Please consult the court’s Guidelines on Public and Media Access for more information.
- What are the Registry’s office hours?
The Registry is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. See Holidays for a list of days when the Court's Registry office is closed.
- Are hearings open to the public?
With some exceptions, the Court's hearings are open to the public. To find out when the Court will be sitting, check the Court's list of scheduled hearings.
- Can I obtain a copy of a hearing transcript or a recording?
Transcripts of hearings before the Federal Court of Appeal are not available. The Federal Court of Appeal creates and keeps an audio recording of all hearings, with the exception of hearings by teleconference, which may be recorded in the Court’s discretion.
Copies of the audio recording of a proceeding will be made available to the parties upon request. Media organizations and members of the public will be authorized, upon request, to listen to an audio recording, if they were entitled to be present in the courtroom for that proceeding. In cases where oral reasons for judgment are rendered during the hearing, the reasons will be redacted from the audio recording made available to the parties, media organizations and members of the public. A court order is required before media organizations and members of the public are able to obtain a copy of an audio recording.
In all cases, a written request must be filed with the Registry in order to have access to an audio recording of a hearing before the Federal Court of Appeal. For additional information about applicable restrictions and to access the request form, please consult the Notice to the Profession pertaining to Access to Digital Audio Recordings of Federal Court of Appeal Proceedings.
- Can I have access to court records?
Court records can be consulted at your local Registry Office. You can also request of a copy of a document by fax. Note that a $0.40 per page is applicable for copies of court documents either at the counter of by fax.
It is possible to view the Recorded Entries for a given case under the Proceedings queries database using the Recorded Entries Queries search engine on the Federal Court of Appeal website.
A Recorded Entry is a brief description of a document that has been filed or of a procedure associated with the case (e.g. a court hearing). One queries the database using the Court Number. If you do not know the court number, you may go to Indexing Queries and retrieve it from the Parties database.
- Can I have access to the evidence presented at the hearing?
Generally yes, but subject to its availability, to be confirmed by the Registry.
- How many judges sit on the Federal Court of Appeal? What are their names?
The Federal Court of Appeal consists of a chief justice called the Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Appeal, who is the president of the Federal Court of Appeal, and 12 other judges. Their names and biographies can be found at the following link: Judges of the Court
- What is a supernumerary judge?
Supernumerary Judge: In recognition of the long service required of members of the judiciary, and as an option to retirement, the Judges Act permits federally appointed judges who have continued in judicial office for at least 15 years and whose combined age and number of years in judicial office is not less than 80, or who have attained the age of 70 and who have continued in judicial office for at least 10 years, to elect supernumerary status. Judges who do so must hold themselves available to perform judicial duties assigned to them by the Chief Justice of the court of which they are members. Supernumerary judges are for all intents and purposes puisne judges of the court, and are entitled to the same salary, allowances and benefits as any other judge.
- What is a puisne judge?
Puisne Judge: A Norman-French name for a judge of a court who is not the Chief Justice or Associate Chief Justice.
- How many judges are assigned to hear a case?
Every appeal and every application for leave to appeal to the Federal Court of Appeal, and every application for judicial review or reference to that court, is heard before not fewer than three judges sitting together and always before an uneven number of judges. Otherwise, the business of the Federal Court of Appeal, such as motions, can be dealt with by a single judge as the Chief Justice may arrange.
- How does one address a judge?
Counsel may choose to address the judges of the Federal Court of Appeal as "Justice", "Mr. Justice" or "Madam Justice". In writing, the judges are addressed as "The Honourable Madam Justice" or as "The Honourable Mr. Justice".
- What is the annual salary of a Federal Court of Appeal Judge?
Please visit the Remuneration section on the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada web site.
- How are judges chosen for the Federal Court of Appeal?
To be eligible to be appointed a judge, a barrister or advocate must have has at least ten years standing at the bar of any province or is or has been a judge of a superior court. Judges are appointed by the Governor in Council and hold office during good behaviour, until he or she retires or attains the age of 75 years, but is removable for incapacity or misconduct in office before that time by the Governor General on address of the Senate and House of Commons. Of the twelve judges, the Federal Courts Act requires that at least five of the judges be appointed from Quebec.
- How do I file a complaint against a judge?
You must first determine whether your complaint is about a decision of a judge or the conduct of a judge. If it is about the decision of a judge, contact a lawyer, legal aid office or community legal clinic to determine whether or not you might be able to appeal the decision. A Faculty of Law at a nearby University may also have a program to provide legal assistance.
If you have a complaint about the conduct of a Federal Court of Appeal judge, you should write to the Canadian Judicial Council, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W8, fax 613-288-1575 providing the details of the conduct which is of concern to you. For additional information visit the Canadian Judicial Council web site.
- Where can I find information for self-represented litigants?
Please consult the Self-represented litigants section of our web site for information about Registry services to assist self-represented litigants.
- How do I find out the status of a case?
You can search our Proceedings queries database using various criteria under the Indexing Queries
Indexing Queries allows a user to query the Federal Court of Appeal database of indexed cases using the internet. You can search the database using one of four methods: by Court Number, by Party Information, by Intellectual Property or by Related Cases. The results of each query appear on the screen with a hyperlink on the Court Number that opens a new window called Additional Information. The Additional Information window contains more information about the selected court number.
You may also call a Registry Officer at:
(613) 996-6795
1-800-565-0541
TDD: 995-4640
- How can a person be considered for a position as a law clerk/student articling position?
Applications for the position of law clerk to a Judge of the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court or Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada are made through the online application form available on this website. There are currently fifty-six (56) positions available: fifteen (15) with the Federal Court of Appeal, forty (40) with the Federal Court and one (1) with the Court Martial Appeal Court. Applications will automatically be considered for all three Courts unless indicated otherwise. For more information please consult the Law Clerks Program section.