The National Pardon Centre™

Finding a job when you have a criminal record holding you back is an uphill battle. More and more employers are requiring background checks making the hunt even harder than before. When a good job offer finally comes your way you want to be sure that nothing stands between you and getting your career on track.

We’ve all made mistakes. Whether you were caught shoplifting, smoking marijuana or was caught up in a bar fight years ago, you now have a criminal record that prevents you from realizing your career potential. Yes, there is a solution to this common problem, a National Pardon.

Applying for a pardon before you become eligible is important. A pardon will seal your criminal record and your past will not be revealed to employers, even during a background check.

Pardon applications are submitted to and approved by the Parole Board of Canada and involve a lot of tedious, intricate paperwork. Meeting your pardon eligibility requirements and processing the necessary paperwork correctly is the key to securing a National Pardon.

Once your pardon is granted your criminal record is removed and kept separate from active criminal records. This means employers will not be able to review your past criminal history.

The National Pardon Centre specializes in securing pardons for our clients. We are experts at completing and filing applications with the Parole Board of Canada to ensure a successful outcome.

Don’t miss out on future employment opportunities. Apply for your pardon today!

A lot of my clients ask if they are required to tell people about their pardon if asked. This usually applies to things like job applications and the US border. I have discussed the US border in length on this blog so for the purpose of this article I will just discuss how this situation affects things here in Canada, particularly in relation to job applications. The truth is that there is no correct answer but hopefully some of the following information will be of help.

That answer does beg the following question though: If I choose NOT to tell about my pardon, then what happens? The best answer I can give is that nothing happens at all (there are some exceptions with certain job application that require extensive security clearance but you would be giving your permission in advance for a more extensive search to be done anyway. For the average old job app’ there is not much to worry about).

In the case of a job application if you lie to your employer and he/she finds out, then that would be grounds for dismissal. But I am fairly certain that if you admit you have a criminal record, then you are not getting the job anyway. It is your call. You be the judge.

You should be aware that there is really no straight answer to this question and there is certainly nothing written down in the law books. If you lie about having been convicted of a crime there is no legal penalty that I have ever heard of. So if the Parole Board says you cannot deny that you have been convicted, you might want to ask yourself “why not”?

The Canadian Human Rights Commission states the following in relation to pardoned criminal convictions:

I think it is nice that the Human Rights Commission makes the above statement but the problem is that we all know that human nature is not so forgiving. In a job interview if it comes down to you and another person and you are the one with the criminal record, we all know who is getting the job. I may disagree with the National Parole Board on this one but if I had a pardon for an old criminal conviction I would certainly just say NO when asked if I have ever been arrested. Since no one can find out anyway, why would I disclose my pardon?

Please keep in mind that this is not legal advice. This post is just my understanding of the system and some of my own judgment. In the end you need to evaluate each situation you are in and decide for yourself whether or not you must disclose your pardon.

When it comes to pardoned Canadian criminal records, I am afraid there are few straight-forward answers.