Freshstart2021

The dominant composition of the Canadian federal system of government at a glance. Canada now has 40 million people, over 60% of which live in Ontario and Quebec. As to the Federal legislative branch, Ontario and Quebec hold 200 of the 343 seats available in the House of Commons, or 58% of seats, and 48 seats of the 105 seat Senate, being 46%. Regarding the executive branch currently, Federal Cabinet is comprised of 28 full Ministers, 17 of which are Members of Parliment from Ontario and Quebec, being 60% of Cabinet. The Federal Civil Service has 43% of the entire Federal Civil Service working in the National Capital Region (“NCR”) on either side of the Ontario and Quebec border. Then another 24% of the Federal Civil Service work in Ontario or Quebec outside the NCR, for a total of 67% of the Federal Civil Service being in Ontario and Quebec, inclusive of the NCR. The many administrative decisions made by the Government of Canada and it’s Civil Servants are only challengable in a court by way of judicial review to the the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal. This is so, as the Federal Court Act at s.18 makes it so, and prohibits Superior Courts in each Province consisting of judges from those Provinces, from questioning decisions of the Government of Canada by way of Judicial Review. These decisions are ones effecting Canadians not just in the NCR, Ontario or Quebec. Yet, both the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal have little representation from the other 8 provinces. The Federal Court Act mandates that its justices reside within 50 miles of the NCR, meaning they have to physically reside in Ontario or Quebec. There is no statutory or constitutional requirement that the Federal Court or Federal Court of Appeal have proportional or fair representation from each of the provinces either. Of the 37 Justice on the Federal Court of Canada, 25 of them or 67.5%, were appointed from the Ontario or Quebec Bar. As for the other 12 appointments, 3 are from the B.C. bar, 2 are from the Newfoundland bar, 2 are from the New Brunswick bar, 2 are from the Saskatchewan bar, 1 from the Nova Scotia bar, 1 from the Manitoba Bar, and 1 from the Alberta Bar. There are currently 17 justices of the Federal Court of Appeal. Of the 17 justices, 16 or 94% were from either the Quebec or Ontario Bar, and one is from Nova Scotia Bar. Any appeal from the Federal Court of Appeal to the Supeme Court of Canada requires leave. Generally, leave applications are denied, with only 6.8% being granted in 2025. At the Supreme Court of Canada, 6 of the 9 justices on the Supreme Court of Canada are from Ontario and Quebec, or 66.66%.