Courts and Government
Courts and Government
Canadians elect their governments. The governments make the law. The courts enforce the law, but they are separate from the government. The main kinds of courts are:
- BC Provincial Court. This court has a number of divisions, often called “courts”: Criminal, Traffic, Family, Youth, and Small Claims
- Supreme Court of BC
- Appeal Court of BC
- Supreme Court of Canada
- Citizenship Court of Canada
The different courts deal with different kinds of legal problems. Here are some examples.
- Carmen got a parking ticket. She wanted to dispute the ticket in court. She went to Traffic Court at her local provincial courthouse.
- Rob, 22, stole a $600 TV from someone’s home. He was tried in Criminal Court by a Provincial Court judge.
- Mary paid $2,000 for a computer. The salesman took the money and said he would deliver the computer the following week. When the computer was delivered, it didn’t work. The salesman refused to return the $2,000. Mary sued the salesman. They went to Small Claims Court at their local provincial courthouse.
- Mr. and Mrs. Bianco decided to separate. Mrs. Bianco wanted their son, Tony, to live with her. Mr. Bianco said that Tony should live with him. Mr. and Mrs. Bianco went to Family Court.
- Sammy, 15, stole a soccer ball from a store. He went to Youth Court at his local provincial courthouse.
- A car hit Grace when she was crossing the street at a crosswalk. She was badly hurt. She couldn’t go back to work for a long time. She sued the driver of the car. They went to the Supreme Court of BC.
- The police said Joe killed someone. Joe said he didn’t. In the Supreme Court of BC, the jury decided that Joe was guilty of murder. Joe says he did not get a fair trial. His lawyer will go to the Appeal Court of BC to ask for a new trial.