Court of Quebec - Civil Division

The Court of Quebec is very important because it is here that many cases are heard by a judge for the first time. The Court of Quebec is divided into three Divisions: the Civil Division, the Criminal Division, and the Youth Division. This section of Côtécour deals with the Civil Division.

The jurisdiction of the Court of Quebec (the kinds of cases that the court can hear) mainly depends on the amount of money in dispute. The Court of Quebec generally hears claims involving less than $ 70 000. There are some exceptions - for example, claims for child and spousal support are brought directly to the Family Division of the Superior Court. Another exception is when a case falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Court.

The Court of Quebec also has jurisdiction to handle claims to recover municipal or school taxes.

In addition, the Court of Quebec has exclusive jurisdiction to hear appeals from some decisions made by other bodies. For example, the court hears appeals from the Commission d'accès à l'information (access to information cases), the Régie du logement (housing disputes), the Comité de déontologie policière (police ethics issues), and the ministère du Revenu (provincial taxes). The Court of Quebec has the power to uphold the body's decision or reverse it.

Please Note
The rules presented in the section entitled Step-by-step guide to procedure summarize the rules applicable to judicial proceedings filed as of January 1, 2003. However, the text is not a detailed explanation of every single step a file may go through before a judgment is rendered.