Pardon program changes under Conservative's crime bill

The following information has been posted on the Parole Board of Canada website:

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Notice of Changes to the Pardon’s Program under Bill C-10

Bill C-10, known as the Safe Streets and Communities Act, received Royal Assent on March 13, 2012.

Changes to the Criminal Records Act (CRA) under Bill C-10 have now come into effect, resulting in changes to the Pardon program’s name, eligibility requirements, and waiting periods, as follows:

The term "pardon" is replaced with the term "record suspension";

The waiting period for a record suspension has increased to 5 years for all summary conviction offences and to 10 years for all indictable offences;

Individuals convicted of sexual offences against minors (with certain exceptions) and those who have been convicted of more than three indictable offences, each with a sentence of two or more years, are now ineligible for a record suspension.

IMPORTANT: Applications received on or before March 12, 2012, will be accepted for processing under the former CRA, as long as they are deemed to be eligible and complete by the PBC at the time of receipt.

All applications received as of March 13, 2012, are subject to the requirements under the new CRA.

Pardon applications received on or before March 12, 2012, deemed to be eligible and complete, and accepted for processing, will be processed as "pardon" applications under the previous CRA.

All applications received as of March 13, 2012, deemed to be eligible and complete, and accepted for processing, will be processed as a "record suspension" under the new CRA.

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