Judicial Councils — Federal & Provincial Registry
Judicial Councils — Federal & Provincial Registry. Sourced file on judicial councils — open the primary instruments cited on the page, not the summary alone.
Scope & limits (M18, M21, M22): this page is a directory of institutions and the statutes that create them. It does not reference, summarize, or assess any specific judicial conduct file, complainant, judge under review, or council decision. Where a council publishes a decisions registry, the link points to the process description, not to any individual case. Judicial independence is constitutional (s.99 Constitution Act, 1867; Reference re Remuneration of Judges, [1997] 3 SCR 3). The presence of a council on this list does not imply criticism of the judiciary or of any judge. Right of reply: corrections@tenet5.example.
Federal judiciary administration
| Body | Role | Governing statute | Primary source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) | Statutory council of the chief justices and associate chief justices of Canada's superior courts. Administers the conduct-review process for federally appointed judges; promulgates ethical principles for judges. | Judges Act, RSC 1985, c. J-1, ss. 59–71 (as amended by SC 2023, c. 19) | cjc-ccm.ca |
| Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs (FJA) | Federal department supporting the independence of the federally appointed judiciary; administers judicial appointments process, judges' compensation and benefits, language training, and the international programs. | Judges Act, RSC 1985, c. J-1, ss. 73–78 | fja-cmf.gc.ca |
| National Judicial Institute (NJI) | Independent non-profit established by the CJC and the Canadian Bar Association; designs and delivers continuing judicial education for federally and provincially appointed judges. | Federal not-for-profit corporation; mandate set by founding members (CJC, CBA) | nji-inm.ca |
| Canadian Council of Chief Judges (CCCJ) | Council of the chief judges of Canada's provincial and territorial courts. Coordinates inter-jurisdictional issues affecting provincially appointed judges; not a conduct-review body. | Voluntary association; no enabling statute | ccm-cccj.ca |
| Independent Judicial Advisory Committees (JACs) | Federal advisory committees, one per province/region, that screen candidates for federally appointed judicial positions and recommend to the Minister of Justice. Administered by the FJA. | Established by Order in Council; administered under Judges Act, ss.73–78 | fja-cmf.gc.ca / committees |
CJC process layer (no case data)
| Process | What it does | Process URL |
|---|---|---|
| Judicial Conduct Review Procedures | Statutory complaint-handling process under the 2023 amendments to the Judges Act: screening, review panel, hearing panel, reduced or full panel, appeal panel. | cjc-ccm.ca / judicial-conduct |
| Ethical Principles for Judges | The published ethical guidance promulgated by the CJC for federally appointed judges. Updated 2021. | cjc-ccm.ca / judicial-ethics |
| How to file a complaint | Public process page describing what may be complained about, the form, and what is excluded (judicial decisions are not reviewable through the conduct process; appeal is the remedy). | cjc-ccm.ca / file-complaint |
Provincial & territorial judicial councils
| Council | Jurisdiction | Governing statute | Primary source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judicial Council of British Columbia | British Columbia | Provincial Court Act, RSBC 1996, c. 379, ss. 21–25 | provincialcourt.bc.ca / judicial-council |
| Alberta Judicial Council | Alberta | Judicature Act, RSA 2000, c. J-2, ss. 32–39 | albertacourts.ca / judicial-council |
| Judicial Council of Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan | Provincial Court Act, 1998, SS 1998, c. P-30.11, ss. 60–72 | sasklawcourts.ca / judicial-council |
| Judicial Council of Manitoba | Manitoba | Provincial Court Act, CCSM c. C275, ss. 28–39.5 | manitobacourts.mb.ca / judicial-council |
| Ontario Judicial Council | Ontario | Courts of Justice Act, RSO 1990, c. C.43, ss. 49–51.13 | ontariocourts.ca / ojc |
| Conseil de la magistrature du Québec | Québec | Loi sur les tribunaux judiciaires, RLRQ c. T-16, art. 247 et seq. | conseildelamagistrature.qc.ca |
| Judicial Council of New Brunswick | New Brunswick | Provincial Court Act, RSNB 1973, c. P-21, ss. 6.1–6.11 | courtsnb-coursnb.ca / provincial |
| Nova Scotia Judicial Council | Nova Scotia | Provincial Court Act, RSNS 1989, c. 238, ss. 16–26 | courts.ns.ca / NSPC_judicial_council |
| Judicial Council of Prince Edward Island | Prince Edward Island | Provincial Court Act, RSPEI 1988, c. P-25, ss. 4–10 | courts.pe.ca / provincial-court |
| Judicial Council of Newfoundland and Labrador | Newfoundland & Labrador | Provincial Court Act, 1991, SNL 1991, c. 15, ss. 18–28 | court.nl.ca / judicial-council |
| Judicial Council of Yukon | Yukon | Territorial Court Act, RSY 2002, c. 217, ss. 30–38 | yukoncourts.ca / territorial-court |
| Judicial Council of the Northwest Territories | Northwest Territories | Territorial Court Act, RSNWT 1988, c. T-2, ss. 31.1–31.13 | nwtcourts.ca / territorial-court |
| Judicial Council of Nunavut | Nunavut (Nunavut Court of Justice is unified s.96 + s.92.14 court; conduct review via CJC for the s.96 side and the territorial council for the s.92 side) | Nunavut Act, SC 1993, c. 28; Judicature Act, SNu 2008, c. 8 | nunavutcourts.ca |
Why this page exists
Judicial councils are the institutional mechanism by which judicial conduct (as distinct from judicial decisions) is reviewed in Canada. The conduct process is constitutional in design: judges cannot be removed at will by government; removal of a federally appointed judge requires a joint address of the Senate and House of Commons after a CJC hearing-panel report (Constitution Act, 1867, s. 99). This page makes the institutional and process layer findable. It does not, and will not, host case-level content about any specific judge or complaint.
Statute citations are at the section level for findability. Statutes are amended; verify at CanLII or the relevant provincial e-Laws source before relying on a citation in legal proceedings. The CJC conduct process was substantially restructured by the Act to amend the Judges Act (SC 2023, c. 19), in force 2024-06-17.
Right of reply: corrections@tenet5.example
Related: Law Societies · Appointments Registry · Provincial Oversight · Federal Ombudsmen
Primary records on this file.
Judicial Councils — Federal & Provincial Registry.