The benefits of counseling, along with the support of family, cannot be fully realized and appreciated until a person needs to seek help.
Larry currently lives in Red Deer, Alberta, with his wife and teenage son. He strives each day to be a strong, positive influence in his son’s life. He owns his own home and has had steady employment for over 20 years. Now, with the prospect of retiring soon, his pardon has allowed him to gain peace of mind, closing once and for all that chapter of his life. He looks forward to traveling more comfortably, perhaps volunteering as well. He truly has moved on.
When he recalls the time when he had succumbed to the pressures the being involved with the wrong crowd, he is numbed. All the negative influences that controlled him were overpowering. He regularly used narcotics, and he became aggressive and antisocial. He eventually was charged and convicted for possession of narcotics, and then for the purpose of trafficking. The last blow came when he was charged and convicted for assault with a weapon.
His decision to undergo two years of counseling to straighten himself out was one of the best moves he’s ever made. His parents’ influence, in particular his father’s, helped him to reassess what is important in life. During this stage, his parents helped him to become a mature, respectable, productive member of society. Now, several years later, he realizes that family ties and good health are the two most important factors any person can have.
Pardon Services Canada assists people who want to obtain a pardon in order to do just that, put the past behind and move on. A Client Specialist ensures that all the required forms are created and compiled to support the application. Pardon Services Canada’s pro-active approach ensures that each case is processed expeditiously and applicants are kept informed at each stage of the process.
Speak to a Client Specialist – toll free at 1-8-NOW-PARDON (1.866.972.7366) – at Pardon Services Canada to guide you through the process.
Pardon Me, Canada, your source for information on criminal records and pardons in Canada. Stay up to date and informed on legislative changes and more with the Pardon Me, Canada Blog.
Disclosing a Pardon for a Criminal Record Not Advisable
When a prospective employer requests a criminal record check through the Canadian Police Information Centre’s database, information about a pardoned conviction cannot be released.
Only one exception requires such disclosure, that being convictions for violent sexual or personal injury offences. These are “flagged” for vulnerable sector background checks. A vulnerable sector check will be performed for potential employees or volunteers who wish to work with children, ill or disabled people, or senior citizens.
The purpose of a pardon is to restrict access to a person’s criminal past, and once a pardon is granted, a conviction will not be disclosed on a background check. The person’s clean record is reinstated and there is no reason to ever have to admit it.
No one should ever feel compelled to volunteer information on a past conviction when a pardon has been granted. Unfortunately, sometimes when a person is asked directly if he has ever been convicted of a crime, the sense that honesty is the best policy prevails. He feels obliged to reveal that fact but to also state that he has received a pardon. However, is this decision wise?
In several Canadian provinces, human rights legislation prohibits discrimination based on a pardoned conviction. This protection may be theoretically guaranteed, but actual enforcement is not always assured. Discrimination based on other aspects such as gender, race, age, and disability is illegal, yet anecdotal evidence exists to show it is still practiced. Therefore, the reality is that a person who volunteers that he has a pardoned conviction will more than likely be passed over for someone else with a crime-free background.
Thus, if an employer poses any sort of question regarding the existence of a criminal record, anyone who has been granted a pardon can honestly reply that he has a clean criminal record. That pardon is a person’s vehicle with which he can wipe the slate clean, make a fresh start, and move on unencumbered.
Pardon Services Canada assists people who want to obtain a pardon in order to do just that, put the past behind and move on. A Client Specialist ensures that all the required forms are created and compiled to support the application. Pardon Services Canada’s pro-active approach ensures that each case is processed expeditiously and applicants are kept informed at each stage of the process.
Only one exception requires such disclosure, that being convictions for violent sexual or personal injury offences. These are “flagged” for vulnerable sector background checks. A vulnerable sector check will be performed for potential employees or volunteers who wish to work with children, ill or disabled people, or senior citizens.
The purpose of a pardon is to restrict access to a person’s criminal past, and once a pardon is granted, a conviction will not be disclosed on a background check. The person’s clean record is reinstated and there is no reason to ever have to admit it.
No one should ever feel compelled to volunteer information on a past conviction when a pardon has been granted. Unfortunately, sometimes when a person is asked directly if he has ever been convicted of a crime, the sense that honesty is the best policy prevails. He feels obliged to reveal that fact but to also state that he has received a pardon. However, is this decision wise?
In several Canadian provinces, human rights legislation prohibits discrimination based on a pardoned conviction. This protection may be theoretically guaranteed, but actual enforcement is not always assured. Discrimination based on other aspects such as gender, race, age, and disability is illegal, yet anecdotal evidence exists to show it is still practiced. Therefore, the reality is that a person who volunteers that he has a pardoned conviction will more than likely be passed over for someone else with a crime-free background.
Thus, if an employer poses any sort of question regarding the existence of a criminal record, anyone who has been granted a pardon can honestly reply that he has a clean criminal record. That pardon is a person’s vehicle with which he can wipe the slate clean, make a fresh start, and move on unencumbered.
Pardon Services Canada assists people who want to obtain a pardon in order to do just that, put the past behind and move on. A Client Specialist ensures that all the required forms are created and compiled to support the application. Pardon Services Canada’s pro-active approach ensures that each case is processed expeditiously and applicants are kept informed at each stage of the process.
Encumbered by Debt, Saw No Way Out
Debt is like any other trap, easy enough to get into, but hard enough to get out of [Henry Wheeler Shaw] – With significant debt and credit obligations, “John” became burdened with an enormous debt load as he was inexperienced with managing his financial commitments. Having multiple creditors and feeling powerless and fearful, he made the fateful decision to bilk his employer to try to make the long-overdue payments.
Since that time, he has attended a debt counseling workshop and has completely restored his excellent credit rating. With a supportive family, he has completed an apprenticeship at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and now holds a journeyman machinist certification. His path has not been easy, but he feels it has been rewarding, having learned many valuable lessons about himself and his role as husband, father, and member of the community.
His pardon has improved his ability to travel for work as well as allowed him to work in roles for which security clearance is required. He believes it has also helped to lessen the shame and embarrassment he feels due to the mistakes he has made. He looks forward to being able to help with his children’s sports teams and clubs by coaching or volunteering.
Anyone wanting to apply for a pardon should take advantage of a complimentary private consultation. Pardon Services Canada’s role and familiarity with the pardon process will ensure that all documents required are obtained in a timely manner and that each applicant’s case is handled expeditiously.
Speak to a Client Specialist – toll free at 1-8-NOW-PARDON (1.866.972.7366) – at Pardon Services Canada to guide you through the process.
Since that time, he has attended a debt counseling workshop and has completely restored his excellent credit rating. With a supportive family, he has completed an apprenticeship at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and now holds a journeyman machinist certification. His path has not been easy, but he feels it has been rewarding, having learned many valuable lessons about himself and his role as husband, father, and member of the community.
His pardon has improved his ability to travel for work as well as allowed him to work in roles for which security clearance is required. He believes it has also helped to lessen the shame and embarrassment he feels due to the mistakes he has made. He looks forward to being able to help with his children’s sports teams and clubs by coaching or volunteering.
Anyone wanting to apply for a pardon should take advantage of a complimentary private consultation. Pardon Services Canada’s role and familiarity with the pardon process will ensure that all documents required are obtained in a timely manner and that each applicant’s case is handled expeditiously.
Speak to a Client Specialist – toll free at 1-8-NOW-PARDON (1.866.972.7366) – at Pardon Services Canada to guide you through the process.
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Possible Disclosure of Criminal Record Causes Concern
The Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), an office of the RCMP, maintains criminal records in a database accessible for criminal record checks. However, a pardoned criminal record is removed from that database and will not show up on background checks. Except for the few offences that carry a life or indeterminate sentence, all Canadian criminal offences can be pardoned. But, if a person has committed a sex-based offence, the conviction will remain flagged in the database in case a “vulnerable sector” background check is done.
Vulnerable sector checks are performed only when a background check is requested for the purpose of working with vulnerable persons, who are defined as being in a position of dependence on others (1) due to age, disability, or other circumstances, whether temporary or permanent, or (2) are otherwise at a greater risk than the general population of being harmed by a person in a position of authority or trust relative to them. Therefore, a vulnerable sector check will be performed for potential employees or volunteers who wish to work with children, ill or disabled people, or senior citizens.
Employers are generally thought to have well-reasoned criminal record check policies tailored to the jobs for which they are hiring; they typically do not implement blanket prohibitions against hiring applicants with a criminal record. Protecting the safety of their employees, customers, and service providers is a legal obligation, which is met by background checks ensuring that people with unsuitable histories are not employed in vulnerable positions.
Understandably, individuals with arrest and conviction records face almost insurmountable barriers in getting hired. Certainly one might worry about arrest records being used improperly, such as long-ago arrests that never led to conviction, or inaccurate information being considered in the evaluation or a person’s eligibility. People’s attempts to maintain gainful employment have been thwarted by arbitrary restrictions. One such individual was let go after two years of solid service because the company obtained a contract that barred employment of anyone with a conviction record.
It should be emphasized that, for background checks requested for purposes other than working with vulnerable people, the RCMP cannot disclose a pardoned criminal record, even for a sexual conviction. Once a crime is pardoned, it is removed from the CPIC’s database. While a record of the conviction still exists, it is kept separate and apart from the database used for criminal record checks.
Thus, an individual who sincerely wishes to make a new start, who regrets any previous mistakes that resulted in a conviction, can do so by removing that criminal record by obtaining a pardon.
Vulnerable sector checks are performed only when a background check is requested for the purpose of working with vulnerable persons, who are defined as being in a position of dependence on others (1) due to age, disability, or other circumstances, whether temporary or permanent, or (2) are otherwise at a greater risk than the general population of being harmed by a person in a position of authority or trust relative to them. Therefore, a vulnerable sector check will be performed for potential employees or volunteers who wish to work with children, ill or disabled people, or senior citizens.
Employers are generally thought to have well-reasoned criminal record check policies tailored to the jobs for which they are hiring; they typically do not implement blanket prohibitions against hiring applicants with a criminal record. Protecting the safety of their employees, customers, and service providers is a legal obligation, which is met by background checks ensuring that people with unsuitable histories are not employed in vulnerable positions.
Understandably, individuals with arrest and conviction records face almost insurmountable barriers in getting hired. Certainly one might worry about arrest records being used improperly, such as long-ago arrests that never led to conviction, or inaccurate information being considered in the evaluation or a person’s eligibility. People’s attempts to maintain gainful employment have been thwarted by arbitrary restrictions. One such individual was let go after two years of solid service because the company obtained a contract that barred employment of anyone with a conviction record.
It should be emphasized that, for background checks requested for purposes other than working with vulnerable people, the RCMP cannot disclose a pardoned criminal record, even for a sexual conviction. Once a crime is pardoned, it is removed from the CPIC’s database. While a record of the conviction still exists, it is kept separate and apart from the database used for criminal record checks.
Thus, an individual who sincerely wishes to make a new start, who regrets any previous mistakes that resulted in a conviction, can do so by removing that criminal record by obtaining a pardon.
Conservative Government Proposes Pardon Application User Fee Increase
Numerous complaints have been expressed about the Conservative government’s proposal to increase the user fee for pardon applications. The proposed increase is viewed as dramatic and prohibitive, stemming “from a purely economic logic without regard for the needs of pardon applicants or the community.” As well, “it would discourage people with a criminal record from applying,” and “will only result in pardons becoming more inaccessible to a majority of those with records, especially women who will be unable to afford to apply.” “Criminals who could not afford to apply … would be shut out from employment and education opportunities.”
The $50 user fee for the processing of a pardon application was officially increased to $150 on December 29, 2010. Then, the Government of Canada announced its intent on February 2, 2011, to have pardon applicants assume the administrative costs of processing a pardon application, which would increase the current user fee to $631. The proposed increase is based on a cost-recovery approach. The Parole Board of Canada held an online consultation in February to seek feedback from Canadians on the increase. Of the 1,086 responses received, only 12 were supportive.
The most common reasons expressed in support of the increase:
1. A person who commits a crime should be responsible for the fees associated with processing their pardon; and
2. Pardons should not be subsidized by hardworking law-abiding citizens/taxpayers.
The most common reasons expressed in opposition:
1. It would pose a financial burden for applicants, with many unable to pay the increased fee;
2. It would make it difficult or impossible for people to apply for a pardon who need one to help them obtain employment or pursue their education; and
3. It amounted to further punishment to that already imposed by the court.
Even an Independent Advisory Panel that reviewed the complaints about the proposal said “it also feared the proposal fee hike would have a punitive effect on many applicants.” Their June report tabled in Parliament mid-August states that those who do not have the means to pay such an amount would be doubly penalized, and recommended the government maintain the $150 fee and instead give the Parole Board more resources.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews suggests that the fact a number of criminals currently use third party companies to prepare their applications shows some are willing to incur a greater expense in order to obtain a pardon. What should be apparent is the fact that people want to make sure the challenging and somewhat difficult process is done correctly. The current fee is $150; a fee increase of such significant proportions will surely prove prohibitive and detrimental.
Considering that well over 3 million Canadians have criminal records, with 1.5 million being eligible to apply for a pardon, and that the number of those eligible grows by about 60,000 per year, it is apparent that the societal impact is significant. Most of these records resulted from minor offences, many for a lack of better judgment that people are trying to rise above and put behind them. The majority of pardon recipients, over 95%, have not reoffended, proving the fact that people do put the past behind.
Without a pardon, people with a criminal record definitely have difficulty getting employment, finding accommodation, pursuing education, travelling – quite simply, living a normal life. The pardon process helps free offenders from the limitations of having a criminal record, shedding the associated stigma, and moving on with their lives.
Pardon Services Canada assists people who want to obtain a pardon in order to do just that, put the past behind and move on. A Client Specialist ensures that all the required forms are created and compiled to support the application. Pardon Services Canada’s pro-active approach ensures that each case is processed expeditiously and applicants are kept informed at each stage of the process.
The $50 user fee for the processing of a pardon application was officially increased to $150 on December 29, 2010. Then, the Government of Canada announced its intent on February 2, 2011, to have pardon applicants assume the administrative costs of processing a pardon application, which would increase the current user fee to $631. The proposed increase is based on a cost-recovery approach. The Parole Board of Canada held an online consultation in February to seek feedback from Canadians on the increase. Of the 1,086 responses received, only 12 were supportive.
The most common reasons expressed in support of the increase:
1. A person who commits a crime should be responsible for the fees associated with processing their pardon; and
2. Pardons should not be subsidized by hardworking law-abiding citizens/taxpayers.
The most common reasons expressed in opposition:
1. It would pose a financial burden for applicants, with many unable to pay the increased fee;
2. It would make it difficult or impossible for people to apply for a pardon who need one to help them obtain employment or pursue their education; and
3. It amounted to further punishment to that already imposed by the court.
Even an Independent Advisory Panel that reviewed the complaints about the proposal said “it also feared the proposal fee hike would have a punitive effect on many applicants.” Their June report tabled in Parliament mid-August states that those who do not have the means to pay such an amount would be doubly penalized, and recommended the government maintain the $150 fee and instead give the Parole Board more resources.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews suggests that the fact a number of criminals currently use third party companies to prepare their applications shows some are willing to incur a greater expense in order to obtain a pardon. What should be apparent is the fact that people want to make sure the challenging and somewhat difficult process is done correctly. The current fee is $150; a fee increase of such significant proportions will surely prove prohibitive and detrimental.
Considering that well over 3 million Canadians have criminal records, with 1.5 million being eligible to apply for a pardon, and that the number of those eligible grows by about 60,000 per year, it is apparent that the societal impact is significant. Most of these records resulted from minor offences, many for a lack of better judgment that people are trying to rise above and put behind them. The majority of pardon recipients, over 95%, have not reoffended, proving the fact that people do put the past behind.
Without a pardon, people with a criminal record definitely have difficulty getting employment, finding accommodation, pursuing education, travelling – quite simply, living a normal life. The pardon process helps free offenders from the limitations of having a criminal record, shedding the associated stigma, and moving on with their lives.
Pardon Services Canada assists people who want to obtain a pardon in order to do just that, put the past behind and move on. A Client Specialist ensures that all the required forms are created and compiled to support the application. Pardon Services Canada’s pro-active approach ensures that each case is processed expeditiously and applicants are kept informed at each stage of the process.
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