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Find a Lawyer » Canada Legal Guides » Federal Criminal Law Canada » Federal Pardons & Record Suspensions Canada » Page 9
💡Applying for a Record Suspension for Break and Enter requires strict adherence to mandatory wait times. If the offence involved a “dwelling house” (residential), it is always an indictable offence…
📜Thanks to Canadian law reforms, historical prostitution offences (like keeping a bawdy-house) can often be permanently destroyed through an Expungement Order. Unlike a standard record suspension, an expungement completely erases…
🚗A federal Record Suspension (Pardon) seals your criminal record but does not reinstate your driving privileges. The Parole Board of Canada controls the criminal record, but provincial authorities control driver’s…
💡Securing a Record Suspension for Impaired Driving Causing Death is legally possible, but you must wait 10 years after completely finishing your entire sentence. However, you will face lifetime ineligibility…
🍺Under Canadian law, a conviction for “Refusal to Provide a Breath Sample” is treated just as severely as “Driving Over 80mg”. Both result in a serious criminal record on CPIC,…
💡In December 2018, Canada passed Bill C-46, elevating impaired driving to “serious criminality” by increasing the maximum penalty to 10 years in prison. If your multiple impaired driving offences were…
🚨Flight from police is a serious criminal offence under the Canadian Criminal Code. To apply for a federal Record Suspension, you must finish your entire sentence and wait either 5…
💡To get a firearms licence (PAL) after a criminal conviction, you should first obtain a Record Suspension (Pardon). While you must still disclose your past offence to the RCMP, having…
💡Thanks to recent federal court rulings, the strict 5- and 10-year wait times introduced by the 2012 Safe Streets and Communities Act are no longer applied retroactively. If your offence…
💡A Record Suspension (Pardon) does not automatically remove your name from the National Sex Offender Registry. To stop reporting to police, you must file a separate application for a SOIRA…
📜Youth criminal records created under the old Young Offenders Act (before 2003) do not always seal automatically due to outdated RCMP systems. To clear these historical records, you may need…
🔴A federal record suspension seals your underlying criminal conviction, but it does NOT automatically lift a court-ordered weapons ban. To regain your right to own a firearm, you generally must…
🏛Serving on the board of a Canadian charity or non-profit generally requires a clean criminal record. A record suspension (pardon) seals past convictions, making you legally eligible to serve as…
📁If you receive an adult criminal conviction before your youth record is sealed, the youth offences become “mingled” with your adult record in the RCMP’s CPIC database. To clear both,…
💼A record suspension (formerly a pardon) seals your criminal record in Canada, which generally allows you to become bondable again by insurance companies. The application is managed by the Parole…
🚗Yes, “Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle” is a serious federal Criminal Code offence, not a simple traffic ticket. You can clear this criminal record by applying for a Record…
🚁Under the Canadian Aeronautics Act, commercial pilots face intense scrutiny. A criminal record, especially for drug or alcohol-related offences like a DUI, threatens your Aviation Document Booklet (ADB) and medical…
💡If you want to work as a financial advisor or planner in Canada, a pardoned theft or fraud conviction greatly improves your chances of licensing with provincial regulators. However, organizations…
✈️To work as a baggage handler, mechanic, or ground crew in the secure zones of Canadian airports, you must obtain a Restricted Area Identity Card (RAIC). Transport Canada conducts intense…
🔒To secure a Secret Level federal government clearance in Canada, IT contractors with past criminal convictions must usually obtain a Record Suspension (formerly a Pardon). While a pardon removes your…
🎓Obtaining a federal Record Suspension (pardon) from the Parole Board of Canada seals your criminal record from the national CPIC database. However, the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) has specific…
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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.