A record suspension seals your criminal conviction from public view, removes it from the CPIC database, and gives you a genuine fresh start. Knowing when you are eligible and how to apply is the first step.
A record suspension, formerly called a pardon, is a formal process administered by the Parole Board of Canada that seals a criminal conviction from the Canadian Police Information Centre database. Once granted, the record is set aside and is not available to employers, landlords, or other bodies that conduct standard background checks. The record suspension does not erase the conviction, but it effectively removes it from circulation in most contexts.
Eligibility for a Record Suspension
Eligibility for a record suspension depends on the nature of the offence and the time elapsed since the completion of the sentence. For summary conviction offences, the waiting period is five years from the completion of the sentence, including probation and payment of any fines or restitution. For indictable offences, the waiting period is ten years. The clock starts running from the date the sentence is completed, not the date of conviction.
Some records are ineligible regardless of the waiting period, but the rules are narrower than they are often described. The first bar covers sexual offences against minors listed in Schedule 1 of the Criminal Records Act. Even there an exception exists: the Board may still grant a record suspension where it is satisfied that the applicant was not in a position of trust or authority over the victim, that the victim was not in a relationship of dependency, that no violence, intimidation or coercion was used or threatened, and that the applicant was less than five years older than the victim. The second bar applies where a person has been convicted of more than three offences, each prosecuted by indictment, and for each of which they were sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more. That last requirement matters and is frequently misstated: the test is the sentence actually imposed, not the maximum the offence carries. Someone with four indictable convictions who never received a penitentiary term is not caught by it.
The Application Process
Applying for a record suspension involves gathering court documents, police records from every jurisdiction where the applicant has a record, documentation confirming the sentence has been completed, and a completed application package. The Parole Board of Canada reviews the application to determine whether granting the suspension would provide a measurable benefit to the applicant and whether it is consistent with the protection of society.
The application process typically takes one to two years from submission to decision. Mistakes or missing documentation can cause significant delays. Many applicants benefit from professional assistance in assembling their file, though it is not legally required to have a lawyer for the application itself.
The Application Fee Has Come Down
Cost used to be a real barrier to record suspensions. For years the application fee to the Parole Board sat above six hundred dollars, which put the process out of reach for many of the people who most needed a fresh start. In 2022 the federal government cut the fee dramatically, to fifty dollars, specifically to make record suspensions more accessible. That change matters, because a suspended record can restore access to jobs, housing, and volunteer roles that a decades-old conviction was quietly blocking. If cost was the reason you never applied before, it is worth revisiting whether you now qualify, since the completion-of-sentence waiting period may well have run in the meantime.
What a Record Suspension Does and Does Not Do
Once a record suspension is granted, the conviction is sealed from CPIC and cannot be disclosed without authorization from the Minister of Public Safety. For employment purposes, including most background checks, the person can truthfully answer that they have no criminal record. However, the record is not destroyed. It can be unshielded in certain circumstances, including if the person is subsequently convicted of another offence.
A record suspension does not remove information from US border crossing systems or from police services' local records. It also does not help with vulnerable sector checks in circumstances where a suspended record may still be disclosed. The guide to criminal records and US border travel explains these limitations in detail.
For people who received a discharge at sentencing, a record suspension may not be necessary because discharges do not result in a criminal conviction in the first place.
The Parole Board of Canada's record suspensions page provides the official application forms, eligibility information, and current processing timelines.
