Editing Supreme Court of Canada (section)

==Sessions==
{{Main|Procedures of the Supreme Court of Canada}}
The Supreme Court sits in three sessions in each calendar year. The first session begins on the fourth Tuesday in January, the second session on the fourth Tuesday in April, and the third session on the first Tuesday in October. The Court determines how long each session will be. Hearings only take place in [[Ottawa]], although litigants can present oral arguments from remote locations by means of a video-conference system. Hearings are open to the public. Most hearings are taped for delayed telecast in both of Canada's official languages. When in session, the court sits Monday to Friday, hearing two appeals a day. A quorum consists of five members for appeals, but a panel of nine justices hears most cases.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}
[[File:The Nine.jpg|thumb|Courtroom seats used by the justices of the Supreme Court of Canada]]
On the bench, the [[chief justice of Canada]] or, in his or her absence, the senior [[puisne]] justice, presides from the centre chair with the other justices seated to his or her right and left by order of seniority of appointment. At sittings, the justices usually appear in black silk robes but they wear their ceremonial robes of bright scarlet trimmed with Canadian white mink in court on special occasions and in the Senate at the opening of each new session of Parliament.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

Counsel appearing before the court may use either English or French. The judges can also use either English or French. There is simultaneous translation available to the judges, counsel and to members of the public who are in the audience, or watching by livestream.

The decision of the court is sometimes rendered orally at the conclusion of the hearing. In these cases, the court may simply refer to the decision of the court below to explain its own reasons. In other cases, the court may announce its decision at the conclusion of the hearing, with reasons to follow.<ref>[http://scc.lexum.org/en/1988/1988scr2-387/1988scr2-387.html R. v. Beare; R. v. Higgins] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118172738/http://scc.lexum.org/en/1988/1988scr2-387/1988scr2-387.html |date=18 January 2012 }}, [1988] 2 S.C.R. 387, para. 19.</ref><ref>[http://scc.lexum.org/en/1998/1998scr3-3/1998scr3-3.html Consortium Developments (Clearwater) Ltd. v. Sarnia (City)] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118230416/http://scc.lexum.org/en/1998/1998scr3-3/1998scr3-3.html |date=18 January 2012 }}, [1998] 3 S.C.R. 3, para. 1.</ref><ref>[http://scc.lexum.org/en/2005/2005scc13/2005scc13.html Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. v. Saskatchewan] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118233653/http://scc.lexum.org/en/2005/2005scc13/2005scc13.html |date=18 January 2012 }}, 2005 SCC 13, [2005] 1 S.C.R. 188, para. 1.</ref> As well, in some cases, the court may not call on counsel for the respondent, if it has not been convinced by the arguments of counsel for the appellant.<ref>[http://scc.lexum.org/en/1990/1990scr3-1273/1990scr3-1273.html Whitbread v. Walley] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118230832/http://scc.lexum.org/en/1990/1990scr3-1273/1990scr3-1273.html |date=18 January 2012 }}, [1990] 3 S.C.R. 1273, para. 2.</ref> In very rare cases, the court may not call on counsel for the appellant and instead calls directly on counsel for the respondent.<ref>[http://scc.lexum.org/en/2005/2005scc13/2005scc13.html Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. v. Saskatchewan] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118233653/http://scc.lexum.org/en/2005/2005scc13/2005scc13.html |date=18 January 2012 }}, 2005 SCC 13, [2005] 1 S.C.R. 188.</ref> However, in most cases, the court hears from all counsel and then reserves judgment to enable the justices to write considered reasons. Decisions of the court need not be unanimous{{snd}}a majority may decide, with dissenting reasons given by the minority. Justices may write separate or joint opinions for any case.

A puisne justice of the Supreme Court is [[Judge#Canada|referred to]] as ''The [[Honourable]] Mr/Madam Justice'' and the chief justice as ''[[Right Honourable]]''. At one time, judges were addressed as "My Lord" or "My Lady" during sessions of the court, but it has since discouraged this style of address and has directed lawyers to use the simpler "Justice", "Mr Justice" or "Madam Justice".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scc-csc.ca/contact/faq/qa-qr-eng.aspx |title=Supreme Court of Canada - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) |first=Supreme Court of |last=Canada |date=1 January 2001 |website=www.scc-csc.ca |access-date=6 February 2020 |archive-date=31 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131233947/https://scc-csc.ca/contact/faq/qa-qr-eng.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> The designation "My Lord/My Lady" continues in many provincial superior courts and in the Federal Court of Canada and Federal Court of Appeal, where it is optional.

Every four years, the [[Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission]] makes recommendations to the federal government about the salaries for federally appointed judges, including the judges of the Supreme Court. That recommendation is not legally binding on the federal government, but the federal government is generally required to comply with the recommendation unless there is a very good reason to not do so.<ref>[http://scc.lexum.org/en/2005/2005scc44/2005scc44.html Provincial Court Judges' Assn. of New Brunswick v. New Brunswick (Minister of Justice); Ontario Judges' Assn. v. Ontario (Management Board); Bodner v. Alberta; Conférence des juges du Québec v. Quebec (Attorney General); Minc v. Quebec (Attorney General)] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119115136/http://scc.lexum.org/en/2005/2005scc44/2005scc44.html |date=19 January 2012 }}, [2005] 2 S.C.R. 286, 2005 SCC 44, para. 21.</ref> The chief justice receives $370,300 while the puisne justices receive $342,800 annually.<ref>{{cite web |title=Judges Act |url=http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/J-1/page-2.html#h-6 |publisher=Minister and Attorney General of Canada |date=9 June 2014 |access-date=23 June 2014 |archive-date=26 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626132831/http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/J-1/page-2.html#h-6 |url-status=live }}</ref>