The Court of Appeal of Quebec is composed of 22 judges puisne and the Chief Justice.^[1]  The Court also includes a variable number, not exceeding 20, of supernumerary judges.^[2]

On June 10, 2020, the Honourable Manon Savard was appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal. Since the creation of the Court in 1849, she is the 21th person. Since 1908, the Chief Justice of the Quebec Court of Appeal also has the title of Chief Justice of Quebec.

The Chief Justice is assisted in managing the affairs of the Quebec appeal division by a designated coordinating judge in Quebec City. The Honourable Madam Justice Suzanne Gagné was so designated in June 2022.

To ensure the proper dispatch of the business of the Court of Appeal, the Chief Justice may ask the Chief Justice of the Superior Court to release one or more judges of that court to sit in the Court of Appeal as ad hoc judges, that is to say, on a temporary basis, for a specified period of time. An ad hoc judge has all the powers and duties of a judge of the Court of Appeal.

Generally, the Court of Appeal exercises its jurisdiction in panels of three judges, but in cases where she deems it proper, the Chief Justice may increase this number. Every panel is chaired by its most senior judge. To the right of the president sits the second-most senior judge of the panel, to the left the junior judge. The Chief Justice always presides when she is part of a panel.

The Court of Appeal has always had two locations: one in Montreal and one in Quebec City. Although virtually all hearings take place in one of these two cities, hearings of the Court may occasionally be held in another district if the Chief Justice so orders. In addition, the Courts of Justice Act provides that among the 22 judges of the Court, seven must reside in the territory of Quebec City (or its immediate vicinity) and 15 in the territory of the City of Montreal (or its immediate vicinity). Whenever possible, the panels are composed of judges from both districts of appeal. The goal is simple: to allow judges of the two districts to work together and thereby to avoid developing two different methodologies in Montreal and in Quebec City. 

At the conclusion of its hearings, the Court of Appeal may render its decision immediately from the bench (by giving short reasons which are generally, but not always, noted in the minutes of the hearing or by recording the conclusions in the minutes of the hearing, with reasons to follow in the following days) or take the matter under advisement. Occasionally, but less frequently, the Court may adjourn the hearing for a few days (such as from Tuesday to Friday morning of the same week), at which time it will render its judgment or take the matter under advisement.

^[1] The number of judges was increased to five in 1857, six in 1881, 12 in 1920, 15 in 1970, 16 in 1977, 19 in 1989, 20 in 1991  to 22 in 2016 and finally to 24 judges in 2023. Although the Courts of Justice Act provides that the Court is composed of 24 judges (23 puisne judges and one Chief Justice), the creation of a new position at the Quebec City seat in 2023 was not authorized by the federal government. Consequently, the Court is currently composed of 22 puisne judges and one Chief Justice.

^[2] A supernumerary judge is someone who chooses to change the extent of his or her regular judicial duties to benefit from a reduced judicial workload while continuing to serve as a judge until retirement. The status of supernumerary judge was created in the early 1970s with the coming into force of the federal Act to amend the Judges Act and the Financial Administration Act and An Act to amend the Judges Act as well as, in Quebec, the Act to amend the Courts of Justice Act. It was not until 1980, however, that the first judge of the Court of Appeal opted to adopt this status.

The judges

*Supernumerary Judge

List of former Judges of the Court