Downtown Ottawa , Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Supreme Court of Canada
A Pillar of Canadian Democracy
⎯⎯⎯
La Cour suprême du Canada
Un pilier de la démocratie canadienne
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 10, 2019
1. Supreme Court of Canada Marker
Created in 1875 by an Act of Parliament, the Supreme Court of Canada is the nation's highest court and one of its most important federal institutions. It is the final general court of appeal, the last judicial resort for all litigants, whether individuals or governments. It hears appeals from courts of appeal of the provinces and territories, as well as from the Federal Court of Appeal and the Court Martial Appeal Court. Also, the Supreme Court is required to give its opinion on any question referred to it by the Governor in Council.
The First Woman Chief Justice of Canada
The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin is both the longest-serving Chief Justice of Canada (2000-17) and the first woman to hold this position. Before being appointed to the Supreme Court in 1989, she worked as a law teacher and practitioner, and served as a judge in many courts of the Canadian judicial system. She is renowned for her writings on constitutional law and for her clear and compelling decisions.
The Spirit of Art Deco
Ernest Cormier, an internationally renowned architect from Montreal, designed the Supreme Court building in the 1930s in the geometric spirit of art deco. A style that dominated the period between the two world wars, art deco drew on ancient forms of Greek and Roman architecture, but simplified and transformed them under the influence of modern artistic movements such as cubism.
The National Capital Commission and the Department of Canadian Heritage, in collaboration with the Supreme Court of Canada
Créée en 1875 par une loi fédérale, la Cour suprême du Canada est le plus haut tribunal du pays et l'une de ses plus importantes institutions fédérales. Elle est la cour d'appel générale de dernière instance, le dernier tribunal auquel peuvent s'adresser les parties à un litige, qu'il s'agisse de particuliers ou de gouvernements. La Cour entend les appels interjetés à l'encontre des décisions des cours d'appel provinciales et territoriales, ainsi que de la Cour d'appel fédérale et de la Cour d'appel de la cour martiale du Canada. Elle est de plus appelée à donner son avis sur toute question que lui soumet le gouverneur en conseil.
La première femme juge en chef du Canada
La très honorable Beverley McLachlin est la première femme à avoir été nommée juge en chef du Canada et la personne qui a le plus longtemps occupé ce poste (2000 à 2017). Avant sa nomination à la Cour suprême en 1989, elle avait exercé et enseigné le droit, et avait siégé à différents tribunaux du système judiciaire canadien. Elle est reconnue pour ses écrits en droit constitutionnel ainsi que pour ses décisions claires et rassembleuses.
L’esprit de l’Art déco
Architecte montréalais de renommée internationale, Ernest Cormier a conçu l'édifice de la Cour suprême au cours des années 1930, dans l'esprit géométrique de l'Art déco. Ce style, prédominant pendant l'entre-deux-guerres, s'inspirait des motifs anciens de l'architecture gréco-romaine, tout en les simplifiant et en les transformant sous l'influence de mouvements artistiques modernes comme le cubisme.
La Commission de la capitale nationale et le ministère du Patrimoine canadien, en collaboration avec La Cour suprême du Canada
Erected by The
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Law Enforcement • Women. In addition, it is included in the Art Deco series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1875.
Location. 45° 25.255′ N, 75° 42.257′ W. Marker is in Ottawa, Ontario. It is in Downtown Ottawa. It is on Wellington Street (Route 34) just west of Kent Street (Route 83), on the right when traveling west. Marker is located beside the sidewalk directly in front of the Supreme Court of Canada. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 301 Wellington Street, Ottawa ON K1A 0J1, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance
2. Marker detail: Judges' Conference Room /
Salle de délibérations
Salle de délibérations
• • • Dans la salle d'audience et la salle des délibérations, située à proximité, neuf juges, dont le juge en chef, délibèrent et statuent sur des affaires concernant des questions d'importance nationale.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Confederation Boulevard / Boulevard de la Confédération
Also see . . .
1. Supreme Court of Canada. The Supreme Court did not come into being until nearly a decade after Confederation. The British North America Act, 1867, the country's founding constitutional statute, included a provision for Parliament to establish a “General Court of Appeal for Canada.” However,
Roy Grogan, Supreme Court of Canada collection
3. Marker detail: The Right Honourable Beverly McLachlin
2. The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, P.C., C.C. Her judicial career began in April 1981 when she was appointed to the Vancouver County Court. In September 1981, she was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia. She was elevated to the British Columbia Court of Appeal in December 1985 and was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in September 1988. Seven months later, in April 1989, she was sworn in as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. On January 7, 2000, she was appointed Chief Justice of Canada. She is the first woman in Canada to hold this position. She retired on December 15, 2017. (Submitted on June 1, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Ernest Cormier. In 1938, at the end of the Great Depression, Ernest Cormier was put in charge of the new Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa, a building whose simple classicism illustrates his understanding of modernism. A few years later, Cormier became a member of the international
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 10, 2019
4. Marker detail: Supreme Court Crest
(at bottom center of marker)
(at bottom center of marker)
• • •
L'architecte Ernest Cormier a aussi dessiné, pour la Cour suprême du Canada. Un monogramme formé d'un « C » et d'un « S » stylisés, encerclés d'une guirlande de feuilles classiques. On peut admirer ce monogramme reproduit en terrazzo au centre du hall d'honneur de la Cour suprême du Canada.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 10, 2019
5. Supreme Court of Canada /
La Cour suprême du Canada Marker
La Cour suprême du Canada Marker
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 10, 2019
6. Supreme Court of Canada /
La Cour suprême du Canada Marker
La Cour suprême du Canada Marker
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 10, 2019
7. Supreme Court of Canada / La Cour suprême du Canada
Credits. This page was last revised on January 24, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 29, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 309 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 31, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 5. submitted on June 1, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 6. submitted on May 31, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 7. submitted on June 1, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
