What is a record suspension? Record Suspension is a term that may replace the term Pardon as proposed in Bill C-23B, a bill introduced by the Conservative government in May 2010. For complete information on Pardons and the current application process, go to www.pardons.org.

The intention behind the proposed change of terms from Pardon to Record Suspension is due to the Harper Government’s tough on crime agenda. They suggest that the term Record Suspension is less forgiving than the term Pardon which they feel is not the role of government to fully forgive an individual for their past crimes.

Bill C-23A was passed quickly before legislature broke for the summer in 2010 in order for the Parole Board of Canada to have the right to deny a Record Suspension to certain violent criminals, namely Karla Homolka.

Many of the proposals within the original Bill C-23 were missing in Bill C-23A, including the proposal to change the term of Pardon to Record Suspension because the opposition parties were not prepared to pass the full Bill without proper diligence and debate.

Our phones and emails have been busy recently due to the Tories proposal to change the existing Pardon legislation and implement the Record Suspensions Act.

If the changes go through and become law, it will make it harder for certain people to obtain a Canada Pardon/Record Suspension.

Right now, most employers in the country are running criminal checks on prospective employees and if the candidate has a criminal record, it has become a lot more difficult to obtain employment. In addition, the U.S. has the right to refuse entry to anyone with a Canadian criminal record.

Here is a recent article in the Toronto Star entitled "Ex-Offenders Decry Tory Pardon Reform" which highlights this issue. Our organization, Pardons Canada, is quoted in the article as well.