The Supreme Court of Canada
The second main building I visited as part of the Ottawa 2010 Doors Open event is the Supreme Court. Located on Parliament Hill, the imposing grey building sits in the background, close to the Ottawa River.
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian justice system. To have permission to appeal a decision made by a provincial or territorial court, the matter must be of public importance. Immigration cases can sometimes be taken to the Supreme Court, such as in Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) v. Khosa or Baker v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration). Other famous cases tackles equality, discrimination, dignity, rights etc.
The building is currently undergoing renovation (yes, it is construction season after all!), so I entered by the small door. Right after going through security, I stepped into the Grand Entrance Hall, with the logo of the Supreme Court, the “S” and the “C”.
The second floor has the Main Courtroom, an impressive room with wooden walls and red chairs. The federal court of Canada is located on the ground floor and has a similar design, even though it seemed smaller. Overall, the atmosphere was very formal and solemn. An interesting place to visit, hopefully I will never be anymore more than a visitor here!
You can see the full Doors Open 2010 set here.
 Outside the Supreme Court |
 The Supreme Court of Canada |
The Supreme Court Building
The Main Hall
 The Main Door (yes, renovation are underway!) |
 The Main Hall |
 Law Clerks Desk |
 Chairs and Desks in the Main Courtroom |
The Main Courtroom
Grand Entrance Hall
 The Federal Court |
 The Second Floor |
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Tagged with: Snapshots of Ottawa
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I’d love to visit Supreme court of Canada! I studied a bit about criminal justice system in University and I found the topic very fascinating.
I didn’t realize Ottawa had the doors open weekend. I guess all the major cities must have? I know dd and her boyfriend went round the Toronto one last year and had a great time, they were away in Vancouver this year when it was on at the end of May.
Gill
@Cynthia — I never had the chance to visit it myself before, so I took the chance
@Ghosty Kips — I guess the computer screen can show evidence etc. I bet they are also useful to display materials in both official languages.
@DianeCA — Yes, I know what you mean, in France they have a few very modern ones, but I like this old-fashioned court. I’ve always wanted to sit during a case, maybe one day.
@khengsiong — I guess it was! Canada is a “new” country but it still has a long history.
@Nigel Babu —
Probably! It’s not that big actually, but the room looks big because of the high ceiling.
@Poem — Law is an interesting subject, not my field though. It’s complicated in Canada with both the French and the English laws.
@Gill — I think it’s an event a lot of big cities have, at least in Europe.
Salut Zhu,
Hiw interesting! I have some very good reading to catch up on on this blog.
It sounds a bit like “les journées du Patrimoine”, with visits in places that are normally not visited by the general public.
Very good post idea
I like the exterior of these quaint old buildings, thank you for sharing these lovely pictures.