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Find a Lawyer » Canada Legal Guides » Federal Criminal Law Canada » Federal Pardons & Record Suspensions Canada » Page 8
💡No lawyer can ever guarantee that the Parole Board of Canada will approve your Record Suspension. The Board is entirely independent. However, hiring a Canadian law firm ensures your application…
💡Yes, you can work on a cruise ship departing from Canada, but you must generally secure a Record Suspension (formerly a pardon) first. Because maritime security is heavily regulated and…
💡To clear a criminal record for mischief or unlawful assembly resulting from a protest in Canada, you must apply for a Record Suspension (formerly a pardon) through the Parole Board…
📌To secure high-paying jobs in Canada’s remote logging and mining camps, passing a CPIC criminal background check is mandatory. If you have an old summary conviction, you can permanently seal…
💡To clear an Indecent Act conviction from your CPIC record, you must apply for a Record Suspension through the Parole Board of Canada (PBC). Because this offence can sometimes trigger…
💼A conviction for Possession of Property Obtained by Crime is a massive red flag for retail employers, often blocking promotions to management. You can completely seal this record from standard…
👮A conviction for Obstructing a Peace Officer stays on your CPIC record permanently unless you apply for a Record Suspension. To clear it, you must wait 5 years for a…
🚨To work on offshore rigs or in restricted Canadian ports, you must obtain a Marine Transportation Security Clearance (MTSC) from Transport Canada. If you have a criminal record, you will…
💡A conviction for trespassing at night is typically a summary conviction in Canada. To clear it from your record, you must wait 5 years after completing your sentence to apply…
💡Criminal harassment (often associated with stalking) severely damages corporate employability across Canada. By obtaining a Record Suspension from the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) after a 5 or 10-year waiting…
💡A conviction for “taking a motor vehicle without consent” (often called joyriding) can prevent you from securing employment in the logistics, delivery, and transportation sectors. To seal this record, you…
💡A Record Suspension granted by the Parole Board of Canada only seals your criminal record within the RCMP’s domestic CPIC database. Interpol, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and…
💡Uttering threats is a hybrid offence in Canada. Depending on how the Crown proceeded, you must wait either 5 years (summary conviction) or 10 years (indictable offence) before applying for…
🗳If you hold a valid Record Suspension (formerly a pardon) from the Parole Board of Canada, your criminal record is kept separate and apart. Under most provincial Municipal Elections Acts,…
💡The Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) strictly prohibits federally regulated employers and service providers from discriminating against any individual who has been granted a Record Suspension. This means federal entities…
🎛️Under the Canada Elections Act, you can run for Member of Parliament (MP) even with a criminal record, unless convicted of specific corrupt election practices. However, securing a Record Suspension…
💡If a job candidate discloses a criminal record that has received a Record Suspension (pardon) from the Parole Board of Canada, HR professionals must legally disregard the conviction during the…
🕐The waiting period for a summary conviction record suspension (pardon) in Canada is generally 5 years (or 3 years for older offences). Even a small, unpaid $50 victim surcharge will…
⚠️A Canadian Record Suspension only seals your criminal record inside Canada. If a foreign country, like the United States, requests your extradition for a crime committed in their jurisdiction, your…
📅The wait time for a federal record suspension (pardon) for an indictable offence is strictly 10 years under current Canadian law. This clock does not start on your conviction date;…
💡Firing an employee strictly because they possess a pardoned criminal record is illegal under human rights legislation across most of Canada. If your employer discovers a historical conviction that has…
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Welcome to the Canada Federal Pardons & Record Suspensions guide centre. Here you will find comprehensive resources covering everything from navigating waiting periods to dealing with the Parole Board of Canada, based on current federal regulations.
A criminal record can be a heavy burden, affecting your ability to find employment, secure housing, or volunteer in your community. In Canada, a “record suspension” (formerly known as a pardon) allows people who were convicted of a criminal offence, but have completed their sentence and demonstrated they are law-abiding citizens, to have their criminal record kept separate and apart from other criminal records.
This process is entirely federal and governed by the Criminal Records Act. Once granted by the Parole Board of Canada, your record is removed from the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database, meaning a standard background check will no longer show your past convictions.
Navigating the post-conviction landscape involves several complex steps. Our resources address many common topics, including:
Even though applying for a record suspension is a federal process managed in Ottawa, you will need to interact with several local and provincial agencies to gather your necessary documentation. For instance, you must obtain court documents directly from the courthouse where your matter was originally heard, whether that was the Superior Court of Justice in Ontario, the Court of King’s Bench in Alberta, or the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
Additionally, local police checks are a mandatory step in the application. You will need to request Local Police Records Checks from every municipality you have lived in over the past five years, meaning you might need to interact directly with the Calgary Police Service, local RCMP detachments, or other regional police departments.
The application process for a record suspension is rigorous, demanding strict attention to detail and precise documentation. Attempting to navigate the paperwork and legal requirements on your own can lead to costly mistakes, returned applications, or even a denial by the Parole Board of Canada. We always recommend seeking the guidance of a qualified legal professional to ensure your application is flawless and your rights are protected.
You can find a list of relevant local lawyers and government agencies at the top of this page. Working with an experienced lawyer or legal representative can give you peace of mind, simplify interactions with local courts, and significantly reduce the stress of clearing your past.
In 2012, the Canadian government officially changed the term “pardon” to “record suspension.” They generally mean the same thing, but the new term was introduced to reflect that a criminal record is set aside from public databases, rather than erased or forgiven entirely.
The waiting period depends on how the Crown proceeded with your charges. Typically, it is five years for a summary conviction offence and ten years for an indictable offence. This waiting period only starts after you have fully completed all parts of your sentence, including paying fines and finishing probation.
No, it will not. US Customs and Border Protection does not recognize Canadian record suspensions. If you have a criminal record on file, even if it has been suspended in Canada, you may still be denied entry and will likely need to apply for a US Entry Waiver to cross the border legally.
Yes. The Parole Board of Canada has the authority to revoke your record suspension if you are convicted of a new criminal offence, if you are found to no longer be of good conduct, or if it is discovered that you provided false or misleading information on your application.
The Parole Board of Canada charges a standard federal application fee to process your file. However, you must also budget for the costs of mandatory RCMP fingerprinting, obtaining certified court records, requesting local police checks, and any legal fees if you choose to hire a lawyer to assist you.
If you were never formally convicted, you do not need a record suspension. However, the arrest record, photographs, and fingerprints may still exist in the RCMP and local police databases. To have these removed, you will need to apply for a file and fingerprint destruction, which is a different process.