Legal Resources

A description of the four levels of court in Canada, and what is handled by each.

Court of Appeal for Ontario, Superior Court of Justice, and Ontario Court of Justice.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN). It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations and began work in April 1946. The Court’s role is to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.

The Special Court for Sierra Leone was set up in 2002 as the result of a request to the United Nations in 2000 by the Government of Sierra Leone for "a special court" to address serious crimes against civilians and UN peacekeepers committed during the country's decade-long (1991-2002) civil war.

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) is a special Cambodian court which recives international assistance through the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials (UNAKRT). The court is more commonly referred to by the more informal name the Khmer Rouge Tribunal or the Cambodia Tribunal.

The purpose of the Canadian Human Rights Act is to protect individuals from discrimination. It states that all Canadians have the right to equality, equal opportunity, fair treatment, and an environment free of discrimination. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) applies these principles to cases that are referred to it by the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC)

The United Nations Treaty Collection (UNTC) is a global portal providing on-line access to comprehensive information relating to the work of the Treaty Section.

Contents of the Nuremberg Trials Collection.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is a United Nations court of law dealing with war crimes that took place during the conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990’s. Since its establishment in 1993 it has irreversibly changed the landscape of international humanitarian law and provided victims an opportunity to voice the horrors they witnessed and experienced.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was established for the prosecution of persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994. It may also deal with the prosecution of Rwandan citizens responsible for genocide and other such violations of international law committed in the territory of neighbouring States during the same period.

On March 17, 2003, the United Nations reached a draft agreement with the Cambodian government for an international criminal tribunal, the so called Extraordinary Cambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), to try former Khmer Rouge leaders. The Cambodia Tribunal consists of both Cambodian and international judges, and has exclusive jurisdiction over selected crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979.