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About CASHistory and MandateThe Courts Administration Service was established on July 2, 2003 by the Courts Administration Service Act, S.C. 2002, c. 8. This legislation consolidated the former registries of the Federal Court of Canada and the Tax Court of Canada. The establishment of the Courts Administration Service has its roots in the 1997 Auditor General's Report entitled, Report on the Federal Court of Canada and the Tax Court of Canada, which concluded that consolidating the registries of the Federal Court of Canada and the Tax Court of Canada would result in significant savings and would facilitate improved planning and the efficient use of resources at those courts. This consolidation has resulted in an organization of approximately 600 Full Time Equivalents with its Main Estimates in the amount of $54.3 million.
(b) enhance judicial independence by placing administrative services at arm's length from the Government of Canada and by affirming the roles of chief justices and judges in the management of the courts; and (c) enhance accountability for the use of public money in support of court administration while safeguarding the independence of the judiciary.
The CourtsThe four courts served by the Courts Administration Service are superior courts of record. They were established by the Parliament of Canada pursuant to its authority under section 101 of the Constitution Act, 1867 to establish courts "for the better Administration of the Laws of Canada". The Federal Court of Appeal (formerly the Appeal Division of the Federal Court of Canada) has jurisdiction to hear appeals from decisions of the Federal Court, certain statutory appeals and appeals from decisions of the Tax Court of Canada. It also has exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine applications for judicial review of decisions of 14 federal boards, commissions and tribunals listed in section 28 of the Federal Courts Act. Parties to a proceeding in the Federal Court of Appeal may be granted leave, or permission, to appeal the Federal Court of Appeal decision to the Supreme Court of Canada when a case involves a question of public importance. The Federal Court (formerly the Trial Division of the Federal Court of Canada) is a court of first instance. It has original, but not exclusive, jurisdiction over cases by and against the Crown, appeals under approximately 110 federal statutes and proceedings involving admiralty law, intellectual property law, aboriginal law and national security. The Court also has exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine applications for judicial review of the decisions of all federal boards, commissions and tribunals other than those over which the Federal Court of Appeal has jurisdiction (see above). This jurisdiction includes, in particular, applications for judicial review of decisions of the Immigration and Refugee Board. The main function of the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada is to hear appeals from courts martial, which are military courts established under the National Defence Act that hear cases under the Code of Service Discipline found in Parts III and VII of that Act. The Tax Court of Canada has exclusive original jurisdiction to hear appeals and references under 12 different Acts of Parliament. Most of the appeals made to the Court relate to income tax, the goods and services tax, or employment insurance. While many appeals are subject to procedures similar to those of the Federal Court, appeals under what is known as the "informal procedure" are heard as informally and expeditiously as circumstances and considerations of fairness permit. The Chief Administrator, or deputy head, is responsible for providing services to the four courts. Subsections 7(1), (2), (3) and (4) of the Courts Administration Service Act set out the powers, duties and functions of the Chief Administrator as follows:
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