Courts of Canada
A national top court above provincial and federal courts. The provinces run most courts, and the federal government runs some specialised ones.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Provincial and territorial courts
Federal courts
Worth knowing
- The provinces appoint the judges of the provincial courts. The federal government appoints the judges of the superior courts and the federal courts.
- Quebec's private law is civil law, but its court structure follows the same pattern.
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Read the Canada profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Sources
Other systems
African Court on Human and Peoples' RightsArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBangladeshBelgiumBrazilChileChinaColombiaCzechiaDenmarkEgyptEngland and WalesEuropean Court of Human RightsEuropean UnionFinlandFranceGermanyGhanaGreeceHong KongIndiaIndonesiaInter-American Court of Human RightsInternational Court of JusticeInternational Criminal CourtIranIrelandIsraelItalyJapanKenyaMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNigeriaNorwayPakistanPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSaudi ArabiaScotlandSingaporeSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanThailandTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesVietnam
TheLawToKnow Tools’s court-structure diagrams are simplified on purpose and are not legal advice. Report a mistake.
