Federal Court
Coat of Arms of the Federal Court granted in 2008
Interactive map of Federal Court
Established	2003
Jurisdiction	Canada
Location	Ottawa,Ontario
Authorized by	Constitution Act, 1867 Federal Courts Act Courts Administration Service Act
Appeals to	Federal Court of Appeal
Number of positions	32
Website	Federal Court
Chief Justice
Currently	Paul S. Crampton
Since	December 15, 2011
Associate Chief Justice
Currently	Martine St-Louis
Since	December 11, 2024

TheFederal Court (French:Cour fédérale) is a Canadiantrial court that hears cases arising under certain areas offederal law. The Federal Court is asuperior court with nationwide jurisdiction.

The court was created on July 2, 2003, by amendments to theFederal Court Act, which was renamed theFederal Courts Act. The amendments split the formerFederal Court of Canada into two separate courts. The Trial Division of the former court became the Federal Court, while the Appeal Division became theFederal Court of Appeal.^[1]

The former Federal Court of Canada was the successor to theExchequer Court of Canada, which was set up in 1875 by the Liberal government of Prime MinisterAlexander Mackenzie. That court was primarily a revenue court, to govern disputes over federal taxation, and also civil claims against the federal government. It was succeeded in 1971 by the Federal Court of Canada, with the two divisions, trial and appellate, and a much-expanded jurisdiction, to cover matters such as immigration, patents and copyrights, and judicial review of federal boards, commissions and agencies. The 2003 amendments split the Federal Court of Canada into the current Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal.

On October 24, 2008, the Federal Court was given its ownarmorial bearings by theGovernor General, the third court in Canada to be given its owncoat of arms – after theCourt Martial Appeal Court of Canada andOntario 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.^[2]

The Federal Court consists of achief justice, an associate chief justice, and 35 full-time judges, along with ninesupernumerary judges, and eightassociate judges.^[3]

The salaries of the judges and associate judges are reviewed every four years by the federalJudicial Compensation and Benefits Commission. As of April 1, 2025, the chief justice and associate chief justice receive $455,000 while other judges receive $414,900 annually.^[4]

Law clerks are hired for one-year terms to help the judges research and prepare decisions. They are generally assigned to a particular judge.

The Courts Administration Service provides registry services to several federal courts, including the Federal Court.^[5] The Federal Court Registry is located in Ottawa, with regional offices throughout the country. The Registry in Ottawa maintains all original court files, with certified copies maintained in regional offices.^[6] The Registry provides clerical services and other administrative support to the Court, and provides clerical services and procedural guidance to litigants.^[7]

The Federal Court’s authority comes from theFederal Courts Act. The court can only hear cases where a federal statute confers jurisdiction on the court to hear cases of that type. The subject-matter of a grant of jurisdiction must be within federal legislative authority.

The Federal Court's jurisdiction is civil in nature. Trials and applications are conducted by a single judge,^[9] and never with a jury.^[10] The court hears cases in the following areas of law:^[11]

• Administrative law
• Citizenship,immigration andrefugee law
• Judicial review ofVeterans Review and Appeal Board of Canada decisions,
• Intellectual property law,
• Admiralty (maritime) law,
• National security law,
• Cases involving federally-regulated industries such as railway tariff disputes,
• Aboriginal law, and
• Claims against theGovernment of Canada.

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 against the federal government.

Because it is asuperior court of national jurisdiction, judgments are enforceable across Canada.^[12]

More than 50% of the court's workload consisted of immigration and refugee cases in 2020, comprising 6,424 immigration-related matters commenced.^[13] By the end of 2024, that number had increased to 24,667 immigration-related matters commenced in 2024,^[14] which represented an increase of 44% over the year prior and quadruple the number of immigration-related cases prior to theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[15] In March 2025, the Court published a notice regarding the backlog and delays in document processing times, due primarily to the increase in the number of immigration-related matters.^[16] In May 2025, the court published a special order extending certain deadlines for key immigration documents^[17] in order to alleviate the burden for the judiciary and court staff.^[18]

Most decisions of the Federal Court may be appealed to theFederal Court of Appeal. However, decisions relating to immigration and citizenship may not be appealed unless the Federal Court certifies that the decision raises a "serious question of general importance".^[19][20]

In rare cases, the parties to a decision of the Federal Court can jointly seek to appeal directly to theSupreme Court of Canada, bypassing the Federal Court of Appeal in an appealper saltum. The parties must both consent to the application, and the Supreme Court then decides whether to grant leave to appeal.^[21]

Source: Federal Court: Members of the Court^[22]

Source: Federal Court: Members of the Court^[22]

• Federal Court of Appeal
• Tax Court of Canada

• Federal Court website

• 2003 establishments in Canada
• Federal Court of Canada
• Courts and tribunals established in 2003

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