126. The Gouvernement may appoint a chief judge of the Provincial Court, with residence at Québec or at Montréal, as it shall determine.
It may also appoint an associate chief judge of the Provincial Court, with residence at Montréal when the chief judge of the Provincial Court resides at Québec, and at Québec when the chief judge of the Provincial Court resides at Montréal.
The administrative jurisdiction of the judge exercising the functions of chief judge of the Provincial Court at Québec shall extend to the judicial districts enumerated in section 25 and that of the judge exercising the functions of chief judge of the Provincial Court at Montréal to the judicial districts enumerated in section 24.
The chief judge and the associate chief judge of the Provincial Court shall coordinate and apportion the work of the judges of such court.
The judges of such court shall be under the supervision of the chief judge and the associate chief judge and must comply with their orders and directives as regards the carrying out of their work.
When the office of chief judge of the Provincial Court or that of associate chief judge of the Provincial Court becomes vacant, the administrative jurisdiction of the one who remains in office shall extend to the whole of Québec until a chief justice has been appointed to fill the vacant office. During such period, the salary of the judge whose jurisdiction is thus extended shall be increased in the proportion of one-third. Nevertheless, the Gouvernement may appoint, from amongst the judges of the Provincial Court, a judge to fill the vacant office temporarily, pending a permanent appointment.
When the judge of the Provincial Court exercising the functions of chief judge of the Provincial Court in an appeal division is temporarily unable, by reason of absence or illness, to exercise his administrative jurisdiction, the Gouvernement may authorize a judge of the Provincial Court whom it designates to assume provisionally such jurisdiction. During such period of absence or illness, the judge so authorized shall exercise the functions of chief judge of the Provincial Court in the appeal division for which he is designated and shall receive the same salary as that assigned by law to the chief judge of the Provincial Court whom he replaces.
When there is more than one judge of the Provincial Court residing in a judicial district other than that in which the judge performing the duties of chief judge of the Provincial Court resides, the Gouvernement may designate one of them to act as senior judge.
Notwithstanding any inconsistent legislative provision, the senior judge shall have charge, in the district in which he resides, of the distribution of judicial work, specially the allotment of cases and the fixation of sittings of the court.
R. S. 1964, c. 20, s. 118; 1965 (1st sess.), c. 17, s. 2; 1974, c. 11, s. 32.