Provincial court system consists of the provincial court & the superior courts of the province. The Provincial courts have trial divisions, while the superior courts have both trial & appeal divisions. The Provincial court is @ the bottom of Canadian courts. Cases tried by a judge alone, not a jury. Separate divisions such as criminal, civil small claims, and family. An accused person usually begins in the provincial court, criminal division because these courts conduct Preliminary hearings to determine whether there is sufficient eidence to but the accused on trial by a higher court. An appeal from the Provincial court regarding a summary conviction offence is heard by a single judge of the Superior court. An appeal regarding an indictable offence is heard by the appeal decision of the Superior court, which comprises a panel of 3 or 5 judges. The Superior Court is the highest level of the provincial criminal & civil court system. The Federal court system consists of the Federal court of Canada, which has a trial division & an appeal division & the Supreme Court of Canada - the country's highest court of appeal. .
The Judge makes decisions on the admissibility of the evidence, controls the events in the courtroom, and interprets the law pertaining to the case. The accused is the person charged w/ the crime. Duty counsel provides free legal advice to a person charged or interrogated @ the police station or appearing in Provincial court for the first time. The defence councel is the lawyer repping the interest of the accused. The Crown attorney is the lawyer reppin the government's interests in investigating & punishing criminal offences to ensure society safety. The court clerk assits the judge by keeping a record of the trial exhibits, administering oaths, and announcing the beginning or end of the court session. The court reporter uses an electronic monitoring system to record verbatim everything that has been said during the trial.