Supreme Court of Canada

Having often heard about rulings and decisions from the Supreme Court of Canada in the news, it was great to finally visit in person. The building is impressive from the outside, with a dignified and stately presence. The interior is equally striking, elegant, thoughtfully designed, and truly fitting for the country’s highest court. A meaningful and memorable visit.

Got a tour of this hallowed court on Canada Day 🇨🇦 you learn about the legal system and where the highest court comes in! SPOILER: at the very end and for only 5 - 10 % of the cases that request to be there. All of the tour guides are current law students who are kind of research aids to the Supreme Court…supremes ? Is that the term ? Judges I guess! JUSTICES! The washrooms are super fancy and I believe each judge has their own locker. For obvious reasons, you do have to go through an airport style security check, but it usually goes by pretty quick!

A beautiful place with amazing energy! I have to give a shoutout to the tour guides for their professionalism. I had very little time to explore Ottawa, but they helped me find my way, book tickets for other tours, and navigate through a big crowd of students. Now, sitting at the airport, I realize this city is not just about its stunning architecture but also about the kind and big-hearted people! (25 June 2024)

Went on a nice tour here. The law student (Elsa) who took us around was knowledgeable and friendly. We enjoyed hearing her talk about our legal system and showing us the various areas of the Supreme Court. Really interesting and glad we did it. And it’s free! When we first arrived earlier in the day there were two people outside who answered questions for us and then directed us inside. Everyone there was super friendly and helpful. I almost am not used to that level of treatment to be honest. In any event a super tour, great staff throughout. Glad we went.

Alexandra was very knowledgeable and helpful. We had an amazing time, all thanks to Alexandra. She showed us the court rooms. Highly recommended.

Beautiful architecture and amazing building!! We couldn't see it from inside because of restrictions due to covid-19. Would definitely visit in future. A great place to visit with family and get photos for the trip to cherish.. and a nice place to walk around with family

Super impressive building. Free guided tours. The staff is really happy to share info on the legal system.

please do the right thing and rule in favor for the ostsriches and the family in BC the cfia has been nothing but abusive neglectful and have not adhered to the stay order... they will be dealt with im sure , no matter the outcome

Beautiful architectural design for a supreme court. No known tours for this place.few mins. Walk from house of commons

The tour took us to the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada courtrooms. All the material in areas accessible to the public are foreign and expensive building material while the washrooms and non-publicly accessible areas used Canadian building material. The ceilings of the court are high to express the stature and importance of the Supreme Court of Canada. I have to say, the washrooms were nice too. Security staff were courteous, unlike the Supreme Court of the United States - think that says much about Canada. :) Interestingly, the chairs of the judges of the SCC are all custom made so that all the judges sit all around at the same level. As a lawyer, you only get an hour to make a concise argument for your case so the importance of written factums (written submissions) are very important. Typically cases are heard in 1 day, but there are cases that take 2 days to be heard due to the high number of intervenors. The library, which is not accessible to the public, takes up most of the third floor of the building. For the general public, the library isn't probably somewhere you'd want to see or check out. It's has the legislation of all provinces/territories, secondary sources, and also European/British sources too. You can only borrow books for typically 24 hours.

We came here for a tour yesterday and it was a great experience - definitely something that should be on everyone's Ottawa bucket list! From May to August, the courts are open to the public from 9:00AM - 5:00PM all week long. English tours run on the hour and French tours run on the half hour. There are no tours between 12:00PM - 1:00 PM so make sure that you book your visit accordingly. Oh, and no need to call in advance to book a tour in the summer - unless you are a group of more than 10 people. Additionally, from September to April, you will need to call to arrange a tour, as they don't run regularly like they do in the summer. The building is absolutely stunning and beautiful. It is totally symmetrical and composed of marble and wood from many parts of the world. Our tour guide was also very friendly and knowledgeable and explained many things about the Canadian legal system that I did not know about. We were taken into the Federal Court of Appeal where we were allowed to sit on the Judge's bench, try on their formal robes, and take photographs. We were also taken into the Judge's gallery and finally up to the Supreme Court itself. I was surprised at how small the actual court room is compared to how it looks on television! The tour lasted about 30 minutes altogether and was completely free. I highly recommend this place to any tourists and locals wanting to get to know their city better.

I visited the Supreme Court during doors open. There's a lot of parking space and the parking is free. Today, there were lots of people who explained how the court works and there were tours. It's possible to assist the hearings. There are a few seats in the actual courthouse, but everything is filmed, so it's possible to watch online or in the audiovisual room. The whole building is incredibly beautiful. The building is very symmetrical and it's all built using exotic materials. There's a beautiful fountain in the back and 2 magnificent statues. It's a fun and important place to visit!