The Federal Court () is a Canadian trial court that hears cases arising under certain areas of federal law. The Federal Court is a superior court with nationwide jurisdiction.
History The court was created on July 2, 2003, by amendments to the Federal Court Act, which was renamed the Federal Courts Act. The amendments split the former Federal Court of Canada into two separate courts. The Trial Division of the former court became the Federal Court, while the Appeal Division became the Federal Court of Appeal.
The former Federal Court of Canada was the successor to the Exchequer Court of Canada, which was set up in 1875 by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Alexander 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 own armorial bearings by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, 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
Judges
The Federal Court consists of a chief justice, an associate chief justice, thirty-nine full-time judges, and nine associate judges. There is also a varying number of supernumerary positions, for judges who are approaching retirement.Associate Judges (Federal Court) Regulations, SOR/2023-83, s. 1.
Judges are appointed by the Governor in Council, namely the governor general of Canada acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet. To be appointed, a candidate must already be a judge of a superior court, or have at least ten years standing as a barrister or advocate in Canada. At least ten of the judges must come from Quebec.
The salaries of the judges and associate judges are reviewed every four years by the federal Judicial 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.Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada: Guide for Candidates.
Law clerks are hired for one-year terms to help the judges research and prepare decisions. They are generally assigned to a particular judge.
Sittings
Although based in Ottawa, the Federal Court holds sittings and motion days across Canada. Federal Court: Hearing Lists.Federal Court: General Sittings.
Administration
The Courts Administration Service provides registry services to several federal courts, including the Federal Court. 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. The Registry provides clerical services and other administrative support to the Court, and provides clerical services and procedural guidance to litigants.
Jurisdiction Statutory jurisdiction The Federal Court’s authority comes from the Federal 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, and never with a jury. The court hears cases in the following areas of law: Administrative law Citizenship, immigration and refugee law Judicial review of Veterans 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 Claims against the Government of Canada.
These instances of jurisdiction may either be exclusive or concurrent with provincial superior courts, depending on the statute. Generally, the Federal Court has exclusive authority of judicial review over decisions made by federal boards, commissions, and administrative tribunals, other than those assigned to the Federal Court of Appeal. The jurisdiction over civil actions against the federal government is concurrent with the jurisdiction of the provincial superior courts.
In some cases, the Federal Court may have the power of judicial review over decisions by the federal Cabinet under particular statutory provisions. For example, in 2024, the Federal Court held that the federal Cabinet did not meet the statutory requirement to invoke the Emergencies Act to respond to the Freedom Convoy in 2022.Aidan Macnab, "Invocation of Emergencies Act unreasonable, measures against Freedom Convoy unconstitutional: court", Canadian Lawyer, January 23, 2024. The Federal Court of Appeal upheld the decision.Paul Daly, "Not Such an Emergency: Canada (Attorney General) v. Canadian Civil Liberties Association, 2026 FCA 6", Administrative Law Matters, February 18, 2026.
Because it is a superior court of national jurisdiction, judgments are enforceable across Canada.
Immigration matters In 2020, more than 50% of the court's workload consisted of immigration and refugee cases, comprising 6,424 immigration-related matters commenced. By the end of 2024, that number had increased to 24,667 immigration-related matters commenced in 2024, which represented an increase of 44% over the year prior and quadruple the number of immigration-related cases prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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. In May 2025, the court published a special order extending certain deadlines for key immigration documents in order to alleviate the burden for the judiciary and court staff.
Appeal process Most decisions of the Federal Court may be appealed to the Federal 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".
In rare cases, the parties to a decision of the Federal Court can jointly seek to appeal directly to the Supreme Court of Canada, bypassing the Federal Court of Appeal in an appeal per saltum. The parties must both consent to the application, and the Supreme Court then decides whether to grant leave to appeal.
Judges and associate judges
Chief Justice and Associate Chief Justice Name Appointed Nominated by Position prior to appointment Alan Diner, Chief Justice 2026 (Chief Justice) Carney Lawyer, Baker McKenzie 2014 (Judge) Harper Martine St-Louis, Associate Chief Justice 2024 (Associate Chief Justice) TrudeauLawyer, McCarthy Tétrault 2014 (Judge) HarperSource: Federal Court — Members of the CourtFederal Court: Members of the Court; current to March 15, 2026.
Judges Name Appointed Nominated by Position prior to appointmentRussel W. Zinn (supernumerary)2008HarperLawyer, Ogilvy Renault Jocelyne Gagné 2012 (Judge) Harper Lawyer, Lavery, de Billy 2018–2024 (Associate Chief Justice) TrudeauCatherine Kane2012HarperSenior General Counsel, Department of Justice (Canada)Michael D. Manson (supernumerary)2012HarperLawyer, Smart & BiggarYvan Roy (supernumerary)2012HarperDeputy Secretary to the CabinetCecily Strickland2012HarperLawyer, Stewart McKelveyGlennys L. McVeigh2013HarperSenior Counsel, Public Prosecution Service of CanadaSimon Fothergill2014HarperCounsel, Privy Council of CanadaDenis Gascon2015HarperLawyer, Norton Rose FulbrightRichard F. Southcott2015HarperVice President and General Counsel, Irving Shipbuilding Inc.Patrick K. Gleeson2015HarperSenior Legal Advisor, Judge Advocate GeneralAnn Marie McDonald2015HarperLawyer, McInnes CooperRoger Lafrenière (supernumerary)2017TrudeauProthonotary, Federal CourtWilliam F. Pentney2017TrudeauDeputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Canada, Department of Justice (Canada)Shirzad S. Ahmed2017TrudeauLawyer, sole practitionerSébastien Grammond2017TrudeauProfessor and Dean of Civil Law, University of OttawaPaul Favel2017TrudeauLawyer, McKercher LLPJohn Norris2018TrudeauLawyer, sole practitionerNicholas McHaffie2019TrudeauLawyer, Stikeman ElliottJanet M. Fuhrer2019TrudeauLawyer, Ridout & MaybeeChristine Pallotta2020TrudeauLawyer, Borden Ladner GervaisAndrew D. Little2020TrudeauLawyer, Bennett Jones Angela Furlanetto2021TrudeauProthonotary, Federal CourtLobat Sadrehashemi2021TrudeauLawyer, Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic, VancouverAvvy Yao-Yao Go2021TrudeauClinic Director, Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, OntarioMandy Aylen2021TrudeauProthonotary, Federal CourtGuy Régimbald2022TrudeauLawyer, Gowling WLGEkaterina Tsimberis2023TrudeauLawyer, Smart & Biggar Anne M. Turley2023TrudeauDepartment of Justice (Canada)Negar Azmudeh2023TrudeauImmigration and Refugee Board of CanadaPhuong T.V. Ngo2023TrudeauGowling WLGAllyson Whyte Nowak2024TrudeauNorton Rose Fulbright CanadaAngus G. Grant2024TrudeauAssistant Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee BoardJulie L. Blackhawk2024TrudeauLawyer, Department of Justice CanadaMichael Battista2024TrudeauFounding counsel, Battista Migration Law GroupBenoit M. Duchesne2024TrudeauAssociate Judge, Federal CourtLove Saint-Fleur2024TrudeauCoordinating Member, Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee BoardMeaghan M. Conroy2024TrudeauMLT Aikins LLPDanielle Ferron2025TrudeauLanglois Lawyers LLPAndrew J. Brouwer2025TrudeauLawyer, Legal Aid Ontario Refugee Law OfficeDarren Thorne2025TrudeauMember, Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee BoardSource: Federal Court — Members of the Court
Associate judges
Name Appointed Nominated by Position prior to appointment Martha Milczynski (supernumerary) 2003 Chrétien Chair, Financial Services Commission of Ontario and the Financial Services Tribunal Kathleen M. Ring 2017 Trudeau General Counsel, Department of Justice Canada Alexandra Steele 2018 Trudeau Lawyer, Robic LLP Sylvie M. Molgat 2018 Trudeau Lawyer, Dubuc Osland Catherine A. Coughlan 2021 Trudeau Counsel, Department of Justice Canada L.E. Trent Horne 2021 Trudeau Lawyer, Aird & Berliss LLP Michael Crinson 2023 Trudeau Lawyer, Crinson Law LLP John C. Cotter 2023 Trudeau Lawyer, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt Catharine Moore 2024 Trudeau Counsel, Department of Justice Canada Kirkland G. Shannon 2025 Trudeau Director General and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Law Commission of CanadaSource: Federal Court — Members of the Court
Former judges, prothonotaries, and associate judges
Chief Justice Name Term in office Allan Lutfy July 3, 2003 – September 30, 2011 Paul S. Crampton December 15, 2011 – October 30, 2025Source: Federal Court — Members of the Court
Notes to table
Judges