The Supreme Court Of Canada

A note to those in the area: Ottawa Buskerfest is this weekend, from Friday to Sunday. 

Each year, the federal government puts on a display series on Plaza Bridge, here at Confederation Square, with a different historical subject. This year it is the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Supreme Court of Canada. This view from the west takes in the former main train station, turned Government Conference Center, which these days is temporary home to the Senate.

The Supreme Court itself is to the west of Parliament Hill, with its current building an Art Deco masterpiece that was started in 1939. 

It originally was housed in committee rooms in Centre Block, and then stood east of its current location, roughly where the Confederation Block would be today, in the old Supreme Court Building, seen here.

The court has evolved over time, from six judges to nine. With the mix of English and French influences, and the bilingual nature of the country, three judges are from Quebec, three are from Ontario, two from the west and the north, and one from Atlantic Canada.

It was Queen Elizabeth, mother of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who laid the cornerstone for the current building during a state trip with her husband King George VI in 1939, mere months before World War Two. Here they are both seen at the ceremony, with the Canadian Prime Minister of the time, William Lyon Mackenzie King.

By the 1940s, the Supreme Court was the final avenue of appeal for Canada. It had been possible beforehand to appeal to the Privy Council in the United Kingdom.

Here we see the main courtroom during a case. The Court decides which cases to hear, or to decline. They are not required to give a reason as to why a case might be declined.

The Court even has its own institutional flag.

Judicial influence is a key factor in the Supreme Court. While justices are appointed through the government, it is a rigorous process that does not favour partisanship in potential justices. The current Chief Justice is Richard Wagner.

The nine justices take part in attending the Throne Speech at Parliament.

A wider view, including the presence of the Rideau Canal, which flows beneath Plaza Bridge.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is an integral part of the Canadian constitution, and a core issue for the Court in determining if rights have been violated in legal proceedings.