The Supreme Court of Canada has developed an Electronic Filing Portal that will make it easier for parties to file documents. The web-based portal allows users to upload multiple documents per case. This is the first phase of the portal, additional functions will be added over time.
Before using the Electronic Filing Portal, please note the following:
The portal should be used for all filings with the exception of documents that are subject to a sealing or confidentiality order (Rule 23 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada).
You may only have one (1) browser tab or window of the Supreme Court of Canada Electronic Filing Portal open at a time while submitting documents. Using multiple tabs of the Electronic Filing Portal may cause submission errors.
You will be asked to register as a user and provide an email address for validation by the Registry Branch. This email address will also be used for communication purposes with the Registry regarding the filings through the portal.
Filing parties will receive electronic confirmations of submitted documents with a summary of the information provided. Filing parties will also receive a confirmation when their documents are processed by the Registry.
The Electronic Filing Portal does not provide for service of documents on other parties. For information on the service of documents, see Rule 20 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada.
It is recommended that you take some time to read through the helpful information on our Portal overview page (menu above) before accessing the Electronic Filing Portal.
* The Portal may be unavailable some Saturdays between 12:01 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. (Eastern time) due to system maintenance.
Access the Electronic Filing Portal
The Supreme Court of Canada has developed an Electronic Filing Portal that will make it easier for parties to file documents. The web-based portal allows users to upload multiple documents per case. This is the first phase of the portal, additional functions will be added over time.
The portal should be used for all filings with the exception of documents that are subject to a sealing or confidentiality order (Rule 23 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada).
The Supreme Court of Canada electronic filing procedure is simple and user-friendly and does not require any specialized technical knowledge.
It is important to understand that this portal does not alter legislative or judicial guidelines. It simply allows you to submit your documents for filing online, rather than by email attachment and/or appearing in person at the Supreme Court of Canada. You should always follow the Supreme Court Act and Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada when filing material, unless the Court has issued specific directions otherwise.
You must continue to follow the Guidelines for Preparing Documents to be Filed with the Supreme Court of Canada (Print and Electronic) when formatting your materials for filing. If you do not follow the Guidelines, the Registry can refuse your filing. This could mean that you miss your deadline for filing. If you miss the deadline, you will need to request an extension of time.
Detailed information to assist you with your filing can be found in the Electronic Filing Portal menu.
You can use the Electronic Filing Portal for all proceedings.
The portal allows you to mark documents as “Urgent”. Please follow the steps indicated in the Electronic Filing Portal and, where the option becomes available, identify that your filing is urgent. Submitting a document for electronic filing does not guarantee that it will be processed immediately. Parties with urgent matters are responsible for contacting the Registry to make special arrangements (if applicable).
There is no fee to use the Electronic Filing Portal.
All filing deadlines apply to electronic filing. If you miss a filing deadline due to technical problems, you need to request an extension of time. There is no guarantee that an extension will be granted.
Filing a document through the Electronic Filing Portal does not change the filing deadline set out in the Rules. When you submit a document, a Registry Officer will review it. If your document meets the requirements of the Rules and the required formatting standards, it will be accepted for filing (filed). The document is deemed to have been filed on the date and time that it was submitted for filing, in the Eastern time zone (EST). Should the filing be received on a day that is a holiday, it is deemed to have been filed the following day that is not a holiday.
You must complete all steps in a single session in order to submit your transaction. It is not possible to save an incomplete session.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Affidavit | A statement in writing that is sworn under oath or solemnly affirmed before a commissioner of oaths. |
| Affidavit of service | An “affidavit” whose purpose is to certify that a document has been served. |
| Agent | A lawyer practising in the National Capital Region within the meaning of the National Capital Act. |
| Appeal | A proceeding in which a case is brought before a higher court to have it review a lower court’s judgment. |
| Appellant | A person who is granted leave to appeal and who brings an appeal. |
| Applicant | A person who applies for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada or who brings a “motion”. |
| Application for leave to appeal | The request made by a party for the Supreme Court of Canada to hear their case. The Court grants leave, meaning it agrees to hear the case, when a case involves a question of public importance. |
| Authorities | Include legislation, case law, articles, books and treaties. |
| Counsel/Lawyer | A person licensed to practise law, conduct lawsuits or give legal advice. |
| Court appealed from | The court from which an appeal is brought directly to the Supreme Court of Canada. In most cases, it is a provincial court of appeal or the Federal Court of Appeal. |
| Factum | The name of the document filed on appeal by the parties. It is in seven parts containing a concise overview of their position and a statement of facts, questions in issue, arguments, submissions (if any) in support of the order sought concerning costs, the order or orders sought, a table of authorities and provisions of any statute, regulation, rule, ordinance or by‑law relied on. |
| Intervener | Any person interested in an application for leave to appeal, an appeal or a reference may make a motion for intervention to a judge. |
| Memorandum of argument on Application for Leave to Appeal | The documents filed by the applicant and respondent that set out their legal arguments on whether the Court should grant or dismiss the application for leave to appeal. |
| Motion | A formal request to a judge, the Court or the Registrar to take some action, e.g. to extend the time to serve and file an application for leave to appeal. |
| Other “filer role” | Someone other than counsel, agent or self-represented litigant. |
| Party | An appellant, applicant, respondent or intervener to an appeal or application for leave to appeal. |
| Proceeding | An appeal, an application for leave to appeal, a motion or a reference before the Court, a judge or the Registrar. |
| Respondent | A party who is opposing the appeal or application for leave to appeal. |
| Service | The act of delivering a document that is filed with the Court to another party. |
| Stay | A temporary stopping or suspension of a judgment by order of a court. (Section 65.1 of the Supreme Court Act) |
| Taxation of cost | Costs in a proceeding shall be taxed by the Registrar in accordance with the tariff of fees and disbursements set out in Schedule B unless the Court otherwise orders. |
| Transcript | A written copy of the oral proceedings of the Court. |
Registration
First time filers must provide basic information such as their name, and details about the appeal court judgment they want to appeal.
This information will allow Registry agents to evaluate the registration request and communicate with the filer if needed.
Once the Registry review is completed, the new filer will receive an email indicating the decision of the Registry (whether access is granted or refused).
Filers only need to register the first time they use the portal.
Electronic Filing
Registered filers who have been granted access to the portal can file electronic documents as needed.
They must provide basic information about the filing (such as the file number, the name of the party who is filing) and then attach the documents to be filed.
After submitting the material to the Court, the filer will receive a confirmation (on screen and by email).
The Electronic Filing Portal does not currently provide for special treatment of confidential documents. Confidential materials filed pursuant to a confidentiality or sealing order should be filed in a manner that preserves the confidentiality of the document.
See applicable Rule (Rule 23) and contact Registry if assistance is required.
You must complete all steps in a single session in order to submit your transaction. It is not possible to save an incomplete transaction. Note that the secure link that you received by email will automatically expire after the time indicated in the email and the top of the filing page.
You must go to the Identification page and enter your email address. An email with a new link will be sent to your email address.
After you submit your document, you will receive an initial email confirmation of your submission. This email does not mean your document has been accepted for filing. It just means the Court received your document.
Once the Registry has reviewed your filing, you will receive another correspondence either:
All filing deadlines apply to the electronic filing of documents. If you miss a filing deadline due to technical problems, you need to request an extension of time. There is no guarantee that an extension will be granted.
Using the Electronic Filing Portal does not change the filing deadline set out in the Rules. If your document meets the requirements of the Rules and Guidelines, it will be accepted for filing (filed). The document is deemed to have been filed on the date and time that it was submitted for filing, in the Eastern time zone (EST). Should the filing be received on a day that is a holiday, it is deemed to have been filed the following day that is not a holiday.
When you file electronically, the Court may still require you to provide paper copies in certain circumstances.
When filing paper copies of documents filed electronically, please be sure to indicate clearly (ideally in a cover letter) that the documents have already been filed electronically and include the “electronic filing confirmation number”.
An electronic document must not exceed 75 megabytes (MB).
Contact the Registry if you encounter any issues with your filing.
If you notice a mistake after filing a document electronically, contact the Registry by telephone to advise them of the error. Make sure to have the “electronic filing confirmation number” corresponding to this document.
Depending on the situation, the document may have already been accepted for filing, and a motion or informal request to amend may be required.
If you have already served your document on another party, this will complicate matters, as a new version must be served on that party.
To avoid any errors, please ensure your documents are properly prepared before beginning the electronic filing process.
Please list the name of whomever can provide prompt responses if the Registry calls with questions about the document filed electronically.
You can file multiple volumes in a single submission. Ensure to specify the volume number for each document when completing the uploading process.
We recommend that you use a recent version of one of the following browsers:
The Electronic Filing Portal may not function with an alternate browser that is not listed above.
Make sure you have a stable Internet connection. An unstable Internet connection may cause problems connecting to the Electronic Filing Portal and a lost connection prior to the submission of the form may result in a loss of data.
If you are able to connect to other sites on the Internet but are having difficulty connecting to our site, you may need to change the settings on your firewall and/or anti-virus software to allow communication to the Electronic Filing Portal.
To navigate the forms, use the “Previous”, “Next” or “Submit” button located at the bottom of each page.
Do not use browser Back or Forward button as data may be lost in doing so.
Contact the Registry and provide the following information:
You should clear the browser’s cache and close the browser after an online session to prevent someone from being able to view your information later.
While effort has been made to ensure the accessibility of the Electronic Filing Portal, some services might not be accessible to some users. We continue to work on improving the accessibility of the Electronic Filing Portal. If you encounter problems, please contact the Registry and someone will assist you.