Federal Court (Canada)


The Federal Court is a Canadian trial court that hears cases arising under certain areas of federal law. The Federal Court is a lower court with nationwide jurisdiction.

History

The Court was created on July 2, 2003 by the when it and the Federal Court of Appeal were split from their predecessor, the Federal Court of Canada. The Court's authority comes from the Federal Courts Act.
On October 24, 2008, the Federal Court was given its own armorial bearings by the Governor General, the third court in Canada to be given its own Coat of Arms – after the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada and Ontario Superior Court of Justice. The coat of arms features a newly created fantastical creature, the winged sea caribou, as the supporters, representing the provision of justice on air, land and sea.

Structure

The Federal Court consists of a Chief Justice, an Associate Chief Justice, and 35 full-time judges, along with nine supernumerary judges, and eight prothonotaries.
Law Clerks are hired for not more than a one-year terms to help the judges research and prepare decisions. They are generally assigned to a particular judge.
Judges' salaries are determined annually by the Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission. Chief Justice receives $315,900 while other judges receives $288,100 annually.

Jurisdiction

The Federal Court cannot hear any case unless a federal statute confers jurisdiction on the Court to hear cases of that type.
Some examples of the sort of cases heard by the Federal Court are:
These instances of jurisdiction may either be exclusive or concurrent with provincial superior courts, depending on the statute. The Court has the authority to judicially review the decisions made by federal boards, commissions, and administrative tribunals, and to resolve lawsuits by or against the federal government.
More than 50% of the Court's workload consists of immigration and refugee cases.
Decisions of the Federal Court may be appealed to the Federal Court of Appeal. Because it is a superior court of national jurisdiction, judgments are enforceable across Canada without the need for certification by the courts of a specific province.

Judges and prothonotaries

NameAppointedNominated byPosition prior to appointment
Paul S. Crampton 2009
2011 		HarperLawyer at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Sandra J. Simpson 1993MulroneyLawyer at Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP
Douglas R. Campbell 1995ChrétienProvincial Court of British Columbia
Elizabeth Heneghan1999ChrétienLawyer
Luc Martineau2002ChrétienLawyer
Simon Noël 2002ChrétienLawyer at Noël & Associates
James Russell 2002ChrétienLawyer at McDougall, Gauley LLP
James O'Reilly2002ChrétienExecutive Legal Officer of the Supreme Court of Canada
Sean J. Harrington 2003ChrétienLawyer at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Richard Mosley2003ChrétienAssistant Deputy Minister, Criminal Law and Social Policy
Michel M.J. Shore 2003ChrétienImmigration and Refugee Board
Michael L. Phelan 2003ChrétienLawyer at Ogilvy Renault LLP
Anne L. Mactavish2003ChrétienChair of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
Robert L. Barnes2005MartinLawyer at Burchell, Hayman, Parish
Leonard S. Mandamin 2007HarperProvincial Court of Alberta
Russel W. Zinn2008HarperLawyer at Ogilvy Renault LLP
Jocelyne Gagné2012HarperLawyer at Lavery, de Billy LLP
Catherine Kane2012HarperDepartment of Justice Senior General Counsel
Michael D. Manson2012HarperLawyer at Smart & Biggar
Yvan Roy2012HarperDeputy Secretary to the Cabinet
Cecily Strickland2012HarperLawyer at Stewart McKelvey LLP
Peter Annis2013HarperOntario Superior Court of Justice
Glennys L. McVeigh2013HarperSenior Counsel at the Public Prosecution Service of Canada
René Leblanc2014HarperDepartment of Justice Senior General Counsel
Martine St-Louis2014HarperLawyer at McCarthy Tétrault
George R. Locke2014HarperLawyer at Norton Rose Fulbright
Henry S. Brown2014HarperLawyer at Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP
Keith M. Boswell2014HarperLawyer at Stewart McKelvey LLP
Alan Diner2014HarperLawyer at Baker & McKenzie LLP
Simon Fothergill2014HarperCounsel with the Privy Council of Canada
B. Richard Bell2015HarperCourt of Appeal of New Brunswick
Denis Gascon2015HarperLawyer at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada
Richard F. Southcott2015HarperVice President and General Counsel at Irving Shipbuilding Inc.
Patrick K. Gleeson2015HarperSenior Legal Advisor at Judge Advocate General
Susan Elliott2015HarperLawyer at Good Elliott Hawkins LLP
Sylvie E. Roussel2015HarperCounsel at Security Intelligence Review Committee
Ann Marie McDonald2015HarperLawyer at McInnes Cooper
Roger Lafrenière2017TrudeauProthonotary at Federal Court
William F. Pentney2017TrudeauDeputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Canada
Shirzad S. Ahmed2017TrudeauLawyer
Sébastien Grammond2017TrudeauProfessor and Dean of Civil Law at University of Ottawa
Paul Favel2017TrudeauLawyer at McKercher LLP
Elizabeth Walker2018TrudeauChair, RCMP External Review Committee
John Norris2018TrudeauLawyer, Sole Practitioner

The prothonotaries of the court by seniority are:
;Chief Justice
;Puisne judges
NameDate of appointment
Paul U.C. RouleauJuly 3, 2003 – July 25, 2007
Max M. TeitlebaumJuly 3, 2003 – January 27, 2007
W. Andrew MacKayJuly 3, 2003 – March 20, 2004
Frederick E. GibsonJuly 3, 2003 – August 30, 2008
James K. HugessenJuly 3, 2003 – July 26, 2008
Pierre Blais, P.C.July 3, 2003 – February 19, 2008
Eleanor DawsonJuly 3, 2003 – December 26, 2009
Carolyn Layden-StevensonJuly 3, 2003 – December 12, 2008
Johanne GauthierJuly 3, 2003 – October 21, 2011
Konrad W. von FinckensteinAugust 14, 2003 – January 25, 2007
Robert M. MainvilleJune 16, 2009 – June 18, 2010
Yvon Pinard, P.C.June 19, 1984 – July 1, 2013
Robin CampJune 26, 2015 – March 9, 2017