Strong Opposition Hasn’t Deterred Pardon Application Fee Increase

It’s important to note that Canadians who seek pardons, most typically to find employment, are low-risk offenders with minor charges. The Parole Board of Canada’s own statistics show that only 4% of those who receive pardons go on to re-offend. Despite this fact, the Canadian Government has increased the Parole Board of Canada’s pardon application fee from $150 to $631 – a 320% jump. Increasing the application fee does nothing to help these people reintegrate into Canadian society.

Despite strong opposition voiced during a government-mandated public consultation process last year, the Conservative Government decided to push through this counter-productive rate hike, effective February 23, 2012.

Pardon Services Canada is of the opinion that this increase is unfair and burdensome and does not represent the views of the majority of Canadians who believe strongly in giving people a second chance. A study commissioned by the Parole Board of Canada last year projects that the fee increase will result in a 40% decrease in pardon applications.

Pardon applications that were submitted to the Parole Board of Canada on or before February 22 were processed at the former rate of $150. Pardon Services Canada was doing everything possible to submit applications prior to that deadline to save the costs for as many clients as possible. We have also introduced an option enabling clients to finance their application fees into monthly payments to help diffuse the impact of this decision.

Pardon Services Canada is the oldest Canadian company offering professional support to individuals in obtaining pardons and serves as an advocate for Canadians to exercise their lawful rights under the Criminal Records Act of Canada (CRA) and the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of the United States. Since 1989 the company has successfully assisted over 100,000 Canadians to overcome the obstacles of a criminal record and live a record-free life.

More Discussion Warranted on Conservative Government's Omnibus Crime Bill

Texas tried to do what Canada plans to do, and it failed. A state budget crush in 2005 forced Texas to take a hard look at its own justice policy. Texas had the highest incarceration rate in the US, with one in 20 of its adult residents behind bars or on parole or probation. Policy makers found that sending people to prison was costing ten times as much as putting them on probation, on parole, or in treatment.


Texas reversed a $2 billion plan to build new prisons and spent a fraction of that amount – about $300 million – on improved drug treatment programs, mental health centres, probation services, and community supervision for prisoners out on parole. The strategy worked: Costs fell and crime fell also. By strengthening some of the alternatives to prison, the rate of incarceration fell 9 percent between 2005 and 2010, while the crime rate fell by 12.8 percent.

A coalition of experts in Washington DC attacked the Harper government’s omnibus crime package, Bill C-10, in a statement early October.

Tracy Velazquez, executive director of the Washington-based Justice Policy Institute said, “Republican governors and state legislators in such states as Texas, South Carolina, and Ohio are repealing mandatory minimum sentences, increasing opportunities for effective community supervision, and funding drug treatment because they know it will improve public safety and reduce taxpayer costs. If passed, C-10 will take Canadian justice policies 180 degrees in the wrong direction, and Canadian citizens will bear the costs.”

Conservatives in Texas say the Harper government’s crime strategy won’t work. Judge John Creuzot of the Dallas County Court states that billions and billions will be spent locking people up, but there will come a time when the public will say “That’s enough.” Representative Jerry Madden, a conservative Republican who heads the Texas House Committee on Corrections, says that building new prisons is extremely expensive, and if they are built, they will be filled. But if they are not built, innovative, creative strategies will evolve that keep the community safe and yet still do the incarceration necessary.

Even though crime in Canada is down to its lowest level since 1973, the Canadian government has increased the prison budget sharply. Federal spending on corrections in Canada has gone up from $1.6 billion in 2005-06 to $2.98 billion in 2010-11 – an increase of 86 percent. The budget for 2012-13 is $3.13 billion.

Prison sentences have already increased with the elimination of the two-for-one credit for time served waiting for trial. Bill C-10 would add new and longer sentences for drug offences, increase mandatory minimums, and cut the use of conditional sentences such as house arrest. In each of these aspects, Texas, as well as several other states, is doing the opposite.

Studies in Texas show that treatment and probation services cost about one-tenth the costs to build and run prisons. Besides, offenders emerge much less likely to commit fresh crimes than those with similar records who go to prison.

What this means for anyone interested in applying for a pardon is that the time to act is now. Any applications acknowledged and accepted by the Parole Board of Canada prior to the new legislation passing will be governed by the current laws. What is still unknown is exactly if and when the new legislation will take effect. The new legislation is currently before Parliament, but the timelines for passage and what the final version will look like remain to be seen.

Move to Quadruple Pardon Application Fees Provokes Backlash

The Conservative government wants to quadruple the cost of applying for a pardon, increasing the cost from the current $150 to $631. Critics say this will have many negative consequences. Last spring’s public consultation process overwhelmingly rejected the fee increase. A report on the consultations was released mid-August.


An impressive body of discerning groups, including prison advocates, church groups, criminologists, psychologists, and the Canadian Bar Association are greatly disturbed at the prospect. As well, among 14 government bodies that felt the increase would prove prohibitive were the RCMP, the Canada Border Services Agency, Citizenship and Immigration, the Justice Department, and Public Safety Canada.

More than 98 percent of the 1,074 individuals and organizations who responded in the public consultations objected to the fee increase. The three-member independent advisory panel used the public and internal government responses to advise Public Safety to keep the fees at $150, but this recommendation has been rejected.

A summary of the common responses provided by government agencies states that such a large fee increase for applicants would pose a financial burden and serve as an impediment for many potential applicants attempting to reintegrate into society.

Ontario Conservative Senator Bob Runciman is urging the government to reconsider its proposal to quadruple the fees for seeking a criminal pardon, saying that he thinks that there’s an inherent unfairness in the approach the National Parole Board is taking.

Thousands of Canadians apply for pardons for such necessities as employment opportunities, security clearances, rental requirements, volunteering, and adoption. Runciman feels that the Board should consider the complexity of each case when calculating fees. For example, processing a pardon for shoplifting is less complicated than for someone convicted of arson.

The Parole Board’s director for clemency and pardons, Denis Ladouceur, testified about the process to a group of senators studying the fee increase. He explained that for an indictable offence the act compels his staff to do more exhaustive verifications.

Senator Runciman has suggested a tiered approach, based on the level of the crime committed. The Liberal public safety critic is open to the idea, whereas the NDP’s justice critic opposes any fee increase.

A pardon doesn’t erase a conviction, but it does allow people who have completed their sentences and shown that they are law-abiding to have their criminal record kept separate and apart from other criminal records.

If you are interested in starting the Pardon process, the time to act is now. While there is still uncertainty regarding if and when the new legislation will become law, what is certain is that the sooner you begin the process, the better your chances of having your application governed by the current legislation.

Changes to the Canadian Pardon – Get Your Pardon, Before It’s Too Late

 A Canadian Pardon will soon become “Record Suspension”. This change, along with tougher restrictions and a four-fold increase in the price of a pardon are coming. Apply now, or it may be too late.

A Change in Name

                One of the changes proposed by the new government is aesthetic. What is currently known as a Canadian Pardon will be changed to Record Suspension. This name change will not have any effect on people who currently have a Canadian pardon. Furthermore, the change will not have an effect on what a pardon, soon to be record suspension, actually accomplishes. The criminal record will continue to be sealed and made hidden from background checks conducted by future or current employers, volunteer organizations or the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The change in name is meant to reflect the tough on crime stance of the Conservative government and is backed up by a higher price and new restrictions.

A Change in Price

                The current fee charged by the National Parole Board for processing and reviewing a Pardon Application is $150. Under the new legislation, the fee will be increased to $631. The fee increase seeks to take the financial burden of the application process away from the tax-payer and onto the applicant.

New Restrictions

                The new legislation will also make it more difficult, or in some cases, impossible to apply for a Canadian Pardon.

o   The applicant must not have been convicted of an offence involving sexual activity relating to a minor – as set out in a schedule of specified offences – unless the applicant can demonstrate s/he was “close in age” and that the offence did not involve a position of trust/authority, bodily harm or threat of violence/intimidation;

o   The applicant must not have been convicted of more than three (3) offences prosecuted by indictment.

o   The National Parole Board be granted “absolute discretion” to “order, refuse to order, or revoke” a record suspension

o   The waiting periods be extended from three to five years for summary offences and from five to ten years for indictable offences.

What to Do

                For most Canadians with a criminal record the main effect will be the substantial change in price given in Bill C-23b. Without professional paralegal help the pardon process can be expensive, extremely time consuming and repetitive given high rejection and error rates. With the new restrictions and increased price, the process is becoming even more difficult.

                There are professional experts in the field of Canadian Pardons who are able to help get you your pardon before it’s too late. With affordable rates and available financing from a trusted service provider a clear record is available. Don’t wait until it is too late. Get your Canadian pardon today.