Supreme Court of Canada Review

Free guided tours are available to the public, but must be pre-arranged if visiting off-season (September - April). Walk around behind the building, for a different view of the parliament buildings & the Ottawa River.

Very nice building. Beautiful and impressive architecture. Worth to get close and visit the interior.

The architecture is amazing. Super cool building to see for a tourist myself. Too bad the case didnt go my way, brother in jail for 1st degree murder >:

Beautiful building and really awesome that they give such informative tours, every half hour.

When the big legal arguments are to be made, the stuff that will impact you and I, this is the place!

Guided tours and history of the court make for an interesting visit. Only takes 20-30min to explore all the public areas though.

How does one renounce their British National Overseas (in Canada) citizenship but keep the travel document?

The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada, the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts. Its decisions are the ultimate expression and application of Canadian law and binding upon all lower courts of Canada, except to the extent that they are overridden or otherwise made ineffective by an Act of Parliament or the Act of a provincial legislative assembly pursuant to section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the "notwithstanding clause").

One of my favorite buildings in Ottawa. An essential institution. The guided tour is free.

Great little tour! The building is truly marvellous..a must see if you're visiting Parliament Hill!

It was a little lackluster. This is from a tourist perspective.

Came here in Mid-April during our grad trip. There are 2 flags in front of the building. The flag to the west is hoisted up everyday while the other is hoisted up when court is in session. There are 2 statues named Ivstitia (Justice) and Veritas (Truth). On the day we went there was second flag was hoisted up which meant there was court in session so we had to be quiet. When went inside, we had to get security checked for safety reasons. Inside, was so beautiful and I admire the architecture. Our tour guide was nice and we learned a lot. We did a mock trial which was awesome. I would recommend this place to visit if you're ever in Ottawa.

The Supreme Court has lost it way and needs reform. Government of this country is to be undertaken by Parliament not the Court. Recent opinions rendered by the Court are items of governance, through parliamentary laws and medical protocol. The Court has overstepped its mandate.

Recent clashes with our Prime Minister over legal appointments has made it clear to me there are issues. I believe the Court has the brain power and the will to reform itself. I for one would get comfort from some internal dissention being expressed.

An interesting tour. Having visited the supreme court in the USA a few years ago, I found this tour to be a little bit better. In addition to hearing about how the court functions, it was interesting to hear the interesting stories and little known facts and have some interaction with the group.

For example they explained the history of the building, the history of the supreme court in Canada, how the court receives cases, the history of the judges (esp. Beverley McLachlin), the historical tie to England judicial system, etc.

Tours are in either French or English.

The tour was very interesting. The building, so the old construction, is very beautiful!

Free admission to exhibits, call ahead to join a guided tour

Very limited access on the tour of course, but an interesting thing to do in Ottawa.

Very nice looking building. Definitely a must see if you are in the area.

Cool Trip--broke my ankle when i tripped on the curb at the drop-off bay just out front of the court. That curb could use a new coat of yellow paint....its a tad faded guys...

The Supreme Court of Canada works for the British North American Act of 1867 the Statue of Westminster of 1931 and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Les Supreme Court de Canada travai pour les Actes Britianique Americaine du Nord of Rights and Freedoms

I like the style of the building. Good learning place

A beautiful outdoor building, I did not have the opportunity to visit it indoors.

This is a stunning building inside & out. Tours offered for free.

hello mr.jean mtl e super beautiful photo of all the judges of the supreme court of canada

Free parking on weekends in the fall season. Park your car and enjoy fall colours in the downtown parks , major hill park in walking distance

We were able to see the ambassador of Isreal while there. The staff was very nice. We were allowed to see the deliberation room. We Also saw one of the justices out front.

The tours are really informative and teach you a lot about how the judicial system works in Canada. The building itself is also really impressive.

A short but informative introduction into the Canadian legal system and if course the beautiful Supreme Court building itself.

Just ok.

A plan tour of two court rooms. It only took about 25 min. Very rushed and not much to see or do.

I would skip this and spend time in other areas of town.

About a 30 minute tour.
Get to see inside federal court and Supreme Court rooms.
Very knowledgeable guide

Make sure you have an appointment or know the visiting hours, otherwise there is no visit

Supreme Court is currently headed by First Woman Cheif Justice.

Visited during open doors Ottawa. Impressive to see the grandeur of the court rooms when many historical decisions affecting all Canadians have been made. The guides were knowledgeable and provided interesting historical context.

Honestly, both a great tourist stop, and a top notch court.

PUG soccer at lunch on the supreme Court of Canada lawn!

They think they're SOOOOO great just because they have Supreme in their name.

Beautiful building within walking distance of the Parliament Buildings. Free half-hour tours are conducted in English or French throughout the day, that go over the details of the building & how the Federal court system operates. Closed weekends & holidays. You are able to enter into all of the courtrooms, if they are not being used. Very interesting.

Brought camp kids and they loved it. The guards gave them a scavenger hunt to do and played some games with them. I've been with friends as well and it was interesting to learn how it works. Beautiful building

Nice short tour, giving an architectural, historical and political history of the court.

Pretty cool building and definite must-see if you are in the area.

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Enjoyed the tour in the summer and learning a few new things about the Canadian courts. I was really excited about coming here!

I know there is not a lot of time but it would have been nicer if our guide allowed interesting debate and questions. He did not want to mention previous cases heard in the Supreme Court, which would have solidified the importance and interest of the courts for all the young people in the tour. One man (former lawyer from Australia) asked very specific questions but you can see the guide was uncomfortable.

Beautiful building and archtechture with free daily (Monday-Friday) tours in English at 1PM and in French at 230PM (I think) -times are subject to change without notice. No reservation is required. I loved the tour and the explanations which were both interesting and enlightening even as a Canadian. Worth the small effort and time to visit for sure! Thanks for the Tour Sarah!!

My dad used to work here and he told me there's a very old horse fossil sliced into a piece of marble, hidden somewhere . Have you ever explored the park behind the Supreme Court? It's my secret garden. Best view for any downtown fireworks (Symphony of Lights in August, Canada Day)

I flew from Edmonton to be witness to a case being heard. I also requested a native drummer for healing and strength for the family who's case was being heard. we went outside onto the steps afterwards and began traditional methods for spiritual healing thru song and halfway thru an rcmp officer came out of the building and demanded he stop repeating you can't do this here. there r no signs regarding loitering singing drumming skateboarding smoking or whatever act u possibly could avoid while in that spot. For a nation who says they r driven through motivation of reconciliation for our native people and their preservation of culture and heritage to ask said people to stop this act of healing is disgusting and not what I as a white Canadian stands for. that behaviour was yesterday's mistake not what our vision for tomorrow holds shame on anyone who represents our just government who thinks and acts in such a fashion!

Amazing free tour telling you the history of law in Canada

If you happen to be in Ottawa for a few days and you've seen the big attractions like Parliament and the National Gallery, you may want to check out the organized tour of the building of the Supreme Court of Canada. Only a few blocks and a short walk from Parliament on Wellington Street, the much quieter and easy to join tour will appeal mostly to Canadians wanting to know more about their country's justice system, architecture lovers who like big, imposing and handsome buildings and students of law and legal systems.

As you visit the mint and parliment you must visit the supreme court and enjoy your free tour.