There are many arguments to be made in favour of an accessible pardon program. The astonishingly low rate of recidivism is the most important. Since the program began more than 400,000 people have been granted a pardon. The number of people, who subsequently reoffend, most often for minor crimes, amounts to about 4%.

With success in the 96% range there can be no legitimate argument against the effectiveness of a pardon. To think that a social program aiming to rehabilitate offenders into society could do better is to live in a fantasy land where common sense has no place and evidence has no meaning. Canadians demand a better approach.

A pardon is obviously a powerful incentive. If you make a mistake with law you must pay your debt to society. But once that debt is paid, once the sentence is complete, the criminal justice system says that one day you will be eligible to have your criminal record sealed. In other words, if you stay out of trouble with the law, one day a pardon will allow you to look for a job with a hook on the end of your line.

The Conservatives want to take that possibility away for some people, and make the waiting period much longer for the rest.

The former approach fails in the face of common sense. If the debt is paid the punishment is over. But denying the possibility of a pardon and a decent job forever is obviously another form of punishment. And the Conservatives might consider that anyone who receives a lifetime sentence, as handed down by the courts, can never get a pardon anyway.

The latter approach fails due to an absence of evidence. Asking offenders to live a law abiding life before being eligible for a pardon does make sense. Few of us would argue with that. But there is nothing to suggest that the current waiting periods are inappropriate or ineffective. Nothing even close to an argument is being offered, let alone evidence that might support it. With a 96% success rate we have to wonder what it is the Conservatives are trying to accomplish.

Changes to the pardon program, therefore, must be for ideological reasons. It is impossible to arrive at any other conclusion because there is no argument being made and no evidence being offered to support the changes contained in the omnibus crime bill. The Conservative government is simply telling Canadians that these changes will make us safer, that they are the right thing to do. We just have to trust them.

The problem is the lives this will affect and the families that will continue to struggle. I have spoken to many people who are just about to get things back on track. They would become eligible in the next few months for a pardon after completing their sentence and having had no trouble with the law for quite some time. But when the omnibus crime bill passes the hopes of a pardon and a decent job go out the window, for quite some time. Why? We can’t say. It’s just because the Conservatives want it that way. Try telling that to someone struggling to find work.

The Conservative government needs to reconsider its position on pardons. It should try to understand that people really can change. But most of all the Conservative government, being the party of fiscal responsibility, should recognize what a decent job does for the life of someone trying to build a positive future.

In an age where information is shared instantaneously it makes little sense to forgo applying for a pardon to remove your criminal record and alleviate yourself of the restrictions to travel and employment you may currently experience.

When it comes to traveling to the United States of America you may be at risk as it is against the law to cross the border with a criminal record. The penalties for attempting to do so may be fines, imprisonment and/or being banned from future entry. The solution to this problem is to secure a pardon or United States entry waiver making your criminal record inaccessible in common searches by the U.S. and Canadian authorities.

If you have a criminal record and are planning to apply for your passport consider applying for a pardon at the same time to remove the restrictions associated with a criminal record. Failing to do so could present serious complications to your life and freedom.

We expect the crime bill to pass in the next few months and I personally do not have a lot of hope that anything to do with pardons will be amended. I am sure that if the bill passes in its current form we will see a number of charter challenges filed very soon after but I do not know of anyone with the resources or inclination to challenge the pardons section.

So I am sure we can expect pardons to become record suspensions in the next few months. If the bill ended there it would not be so bad since a simple name change doesn’t affect anyone in any real way. Unfortunately the bill contains some very real measures which will make it more difficult and take much longer for people to obtain a pardon. And in some extreme cases a pardon or record suspension will no longer be available at all.

Of course there is still time to make our voices heard. Contact your local MP and express your dissatisfaction with the current government and its stance on crime. There is no shortage of criticism for this bill. But unfortunately the Conservative government is happy to ignore just about all of it.

Happy new year to all!

Michael Ashby

mashby@nationalpardon.org

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!

If you have a chance stop by and comment, post or like, whichever you prefer. And if you have any suggestions we would be happy to hear them either right here on our blog or on our Facebook page.

Thanks for following:

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If you would like to read the comment online please click the link below. Otherwise it is reprinted below.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/moderate-islam-haiti-pardons-and-more-on-tiger-moms-and-the-tucson-tragedy/article1867835/

Pardon me

As director of the National Pardon Centre I take offence at the idea that private companies like mine offer “questionable services” (Pardon Crackdown Demands More Staff, Cash And Online Sleuthing Skills – Jan. 11). As an RCMP accredited agency, we might expect to be exempt from such unsupported statements.

Considering that 25 per cent of the applications are done incorrectly, and considering that the review process is so lengthy, the National Parole Board might want to also consider that our entire economy is built on a division of labour. In other words, rather than being questionable, it makes perfect economic sense to hire a third party to prepare your pardon.

Michael Ashby, Montreal

My biggest concern with the legislation is this idea that certain offenders need to remain unpardonable. The problem is that we already have a category of offender for that. That category is anyone who received a lifetime sentence. If we take the Karla Homolka story as an example then it is of course very, very difficult to argue a case that she deserves to receive a pardon for her crime.

The problem with the case of Karla Homolka is that she received a plea bargain. Had Karla Homolka been convicted of the crimes she committed she would still be appropriately rotting away in prison and the idea of a pardon would be the furthest thing from anyone’s mind. But that didn’t happen. Unfortunately, she was convicted on a much lesser charge and because of that anyone with any knowledge of Canada’s pardon program understood that she would one day be eligible for a pardon. In other words there was no emergency situation that justified the hasty passing of legislation to stop Karla Homolka from receiving a pardon. There were years wasted when this should issue have been looked at and addressed.

This brings me back to sentencing. Since a lifetime sentence denies the possibility of a pardon perhaps the issue society should be looking at is sentencing procedures. Because it is my opinion that if a court of law hasn’t found a person to be beyond redemption at the time of sentencing then the possibility of a pardon should remain available. And if there are certain type of offenders who we do not want receiving pardons, then we need to accept that these types of offenders deserve a lifetime sentence.

Society needs to realize that Canada’s pardon program is not about forgiving criminals. It is rehabilitation. If we are going to accept that criminals are capable of rehabilitation then we must provide them the possibility of living without the consequences that come with a criminal record. We need to provide them with the opportunity to be pardoned.

Unfortunately Bill C-23B is a legislative contradiction. What the bill hopes to accomplish is contradicted by what a pardon is supposed to achieve. In other words you can’t rehabilitate people and punish them for life at the same time.
Let’s hope when it comes time to vote on this bill that cooler heads prevail.

It was an interesting experience to say the least. In addition to the two of us, Sheldon Kennedy was there to testify as a victim of abuse and to request that pedophiles no longer be eligible to apply for a pardon.

It was very difficult to disagree with Mr. Kennedy’s testimony; and truth be told we did not. What I had to disagree with was the legislation being proposed, as it lumps all sexual offenders together, regardless of the circumstances of the arrest.

Due to the experience we have at the National Pardon Centre we know that a sexual offence is not just black and white. A considerable number of the sexual cases we have dealt with are of a relatively innocuous nature. They do not involve people in positions of authority and they do not involve young people.

Here is an example. Recently I spoke to a gentleman who had been to a “tailgate party” outside a football game. Obviously there was beer and they were drinking it. And at some point he made a very poor judgement call and decided to relieve himself where he probably shouldn’t have.

In addition to drinking in public, mischief and other charges, he received a sexual offence for exposing himself in public. And there you have it. He is now on the sexual registry for the rest of his life.

While I have no problem refusing pardons in the kinds of cases we hear about in the news, Bill C-23B did not even make an effort to address the various kinds of offences that count as a sexual offence. Therefore, as representatives of the National Pardon Centre we suggested the bill be defeated.

Our other concern with the measure in the bill that would refuse pardons to certain offenders was that it failed to recognize that allowing ex-offenders the opportunity to apply for a pardon is an opportunity to learn something about their behaviour. And since the Parole Board was no longer obliged to grant a pardon it didn’t deem appropriate, there was no harm at all in allowing these people the opportunity to plead their case.

Other parts of the discussion revolved around increasing the waiting periods required before a person became eligible for a pardon and the now infamous clause that would change the term pardon to record suspension.

As the session progressed it became increasingly evident that none of the expert witnesses supported the bill in its entirety. And as the questions continued it became increasingly difficult for anyone to support anything other than the most meaningless measures contained within the bill.

If Bill C-23B passes I will be further disillusioned with our legislative process. Watching committee members scroll around on their blackberries (not all but certainly more than one), while those of us who had taken time away from our families attempted to relay our message was discouraging. I was also a little shocked that some of the committee members took Mr. Kennedy’s presence as a chance to grab an autograph. I am sure Mr. Kennedy is used to it but it struck me as inappropriate.

However, Nicole and I were honoured to have an opportunity to help direct public policy in a positive direction. I don’t know what will happen with Bill C-23B but at the very least it should be amended to remove the reactionary clauses

I am fairly certain the opposition parties realize that Bill C-23B was not properly thought out. With a little luck it will be defeated.

NPC presented evidence and recommendations supportive of reforms passed through Bill C-23A but opposed additional reforms proposed in Bill C-23B that would introduce unfair financial hurdles for less affluent applicants. They also criticized additional wait times that would delay applicants’ ability to resume fully productive lives and that would add to the burden on Canadian tax payers. NPC disagreed any name change, citing data that proved overwhelming support for the status quo.  Finally, they argued against a “3 strikes” rule, stating that every person and crime should be assessed on its own set of circumstances.

“10% of Canadians have a criminal record”, said Michael Ashby, co-Founder of the National Pardon Centre. “Typically, our clients are non-violent offenders. Most have been charged with DUI offenses. Before applying, applicants must complete all aspects of their sentence and wait the prescribed waiting time. If they accomplished this, and have not been charged with any other crimes, they are eligible to apply.”

The Government rolled out the first half of its pardon reforms in May 2010 with Bill C-23A. The Bill introduced longer wait times, a more effective classification system, and a more rigorous and comprehensive review system.

The National Pardon Centre (NPC) is Canada’s only national, fully-bilingual pardons agency and one of handful that is RCMP accredited to conduct fingerprinting and background checks. It has a 99% success rate. NPC offers walk in services at each of its offices in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. The National Pardon Centre helps those who are eligible to apply for a pardon that will remove mention of their criminal offence from the public record.

“Here is a letter from a happy client who loves us…”

And then the entry continues with a letter congratulating the company on its excellence. It is not for me to decide whether or not the letter is a fake. And I am also not in the business of disgracing my competition which is why I have not named names. But…I am willing to do a pardon or waiver for half price to the first person who actually reads this blog AND discovers the competitor I am referring to. Send your answers to info@nationalpardon.org I would be very happy if someone actually managed to do this.  

In the meantime I thought it would be fun to turn things around. So, in the interest of blog entries that are nothing more than letters from one person to another here is a letter I sent to an actual person who asked me how long the pardon procedure takes to complete. I guarantee it is 100% authentic.

Hi Albert,

Our expedited service is only applicable as far as the work done in our office in concerned. Once the file is sent to the Parole Board it is out of our hands. That being said we are seeing our expedited files finished within 2- 8 months right now (that estimate includes time at the National Parole Board). Of course there are always exceptions since we are dealing with the government, which is why we cannot guarantee this time but that is honestly the average response we expect at the moment.

You should also be aware that expedited services are only available if the client is currently eligible or if he/she will be eligible very soon. We have no way of getting around the probationary periods imposed by the Parole Board.

As for emergency pardons there are some situations that warrant special treatment by the Parole Board. The work on our side does not change but if we can provide proof of emergency status then the response time from the Parole Board can be shortened. However, work is not a valid reason because work is the number one reason people finally get around to obtaining a pardon. Unfortunately, our clients tend to wait until the criminal record is adversely affecting something in their life before realizing the importance of the application.

I hope that information helps. Please let me know if you have further questions or if you would like to get a file started.

Kind regards,

Michael Ashby

(514) 842-2411 x 227
http://www.nationalpardon.org/