What is the Registry?

The Federal Court of Appeal is served by a Registry with offices across Canada . The Registry is staffed and operated by the Courts Administration Service .

The Registry is the nerve centre of the Court's operations. It is the hub of most procedural and documentary activities at the Court. The Registry is responsible for processing, recording and directing the flow of all documents in a court file, as well as recording all steps and events during the life of a proceeding. The Registry maintains the court record and a registry officer fulfills an important role at every court hearing.

It is important to understand what Registry staff can and cannot do.

Registry staff can:

• Provide general information about the Federal Court of Appeal;
• Provide general information about court practices and procedures;
• Help parties locate forms for use in court proceedings;
• Provide access to court files and copies of documents from court files;
• Provide updates on the status of a proceeding;
• Arrange interpreters for a hearing; and
• Administer oaths and affirmations for any affidavits prepared for filing with the Federal Court of Appeal, free of charge.

Registry staff cannot:

• Provide any legal advice. It is strongly recommended that you seek and obtain legal advice from a qualified and competent lawyer. A list of resources that may assist you in finding legal help is availablehere;
• Recommend a lawyer;
• Advise about which court to file an appeal or application in or what procedure to follow;
• Assist with writing court documents and affidavits;
• Calculate filing deadlines for parties or remind parties when their documents are due to be filed;
• Advise whether enough information or the right information is included in a filing;
• Advise on what to say in court or how to make legal arguments;
• Relieve a party from paying filing fees or costs;
• Provide any opinion or comment about what the decision of the Court might be;
• Explain or interpret orders or decisions of the Court;
• Change a decision that has been made by the Court; or
• Allow a party to communicate with a judge at any time, other than at a scheduled hearing.

The Court maintains a list of helpful resources for unrepresented litigants.

Access to Court Documents: As a general rule, all documents on the court record may be examined by members of the public unless a law or court order directs that a document be treated as confidential. Depending on the format of the document and any applicable court orders, access may be granted by attending at a Registry Office during business hours to view a document in person or through electronic means. Please contact the Registry for further information.

The Court File Database is a tool that generally allows anyone to search through the recorded entries on a court file to see what documents have been filed and what procedural steps have been taken. The Court’s decisions are also available on the Court’s website.

Contact information for the Registry appears in the footer of this webpage.