Court of Quebec
| Court of Québec | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Established | August 31, 1988 |
| Website | http://www.tribunaux.qc.ca/mjq_en/c-quebec/index-cq.html |
| Chief Judge | |
| Currently | Lucie Rondeau |
| Since | October 26, 2016 |
The Court of Québec (French: Cour du Québec) is a court of first instance that has jurisdiction over civil matters, criminal and penal matters as well as over youth matters in the Province of Québec, Canada. The Court sits in administrative matters as well, and in appeal, on cases provided for by the law.
The Court of Québec owes its origins to the Québec Act of 1774, which re-established French law in civil matters and confirmed English law in criminal matters for the Province of Québec. At that time, the judicial system consisted of the Court of Common Pleas, circuit courts, a Court of Appeal and the Court of King’s Bench, for criminal cases. (For a historical review of the administration of justice in Québec before 1774, see the website of the Ministry of Justice)
Over the centuries, the Québec courts underwent many changes to their organizational structure as well as to the scope of their jurisdiction. The Magistrate’s Court, created in 1869, was renamed the Provincial Court in 1962. The Court of Sessions of the Peace was established in 1908. The first court for children in Québec was created in 1910. It then became the Juvenile Court in 1932 and the Social Welfare Court in 1950. It was later replaced by the Youth Court in 1977. In 1969, the Labour Court was created, with judges from the Provincial Court. In 1973, the Expropriation Tribunal was formed and some of its members were judges of the Provincial Court. The Professions Tribunal was established in 1973.
The Court of Québec was established in 1988, upon the unification of the Provincial Court – whose jurisdiction was mainly civil, the Court of Sessions of the Peace – responsible for criminal cases; and the Youth Court – which had the responsibility of hearing all cases involving minors.
In 1988, the Court consisted of two regional sections: one in Montréal and the other in Québec City. Each one had a Civil Division, a Criminal and Penal Division as well as a Youth Division. At that time, the Court also had an Expropriation Division.
At the outset, the Court was managed by a Chief Judge, who was assisted in each of the regional sections by a Senior Associate Chief Judge, who in turn benefited from the assistance of Associate Chief Judges (three in Québec City and four in Montréal). Nineteen Coordinating Judges, residing in the towns designated as administrative centers of the main judicial districts of Québec, completed this management team.
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Wikipedia