The National Parole Board and Canadian Pardons

The National Parole Board is a branch of the Canadian Government within the Ministry of Public Safety Canada.  Every pardon application is submitted to the National Parole Board and the board is responsible for approving or denying each application.  The Board is also an independent administrative tribunal that has exclusive authority under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to grant, deny, cancel, terminate or revoke day parole and full parole.

• The National Parole Board (NPB), as part of the criminal justice system, makes independent, quality conditional release and pardon decisions and clemency recommendations. The Board contributes to the protection of society by facilitating as appropriate, the timely reintegration of offenders as law-abiding citizens.

• The Criminal Records Act (CRA) authorizes the National Parole Board to grant or refuse to grant pardons to persons convicted of offences under federal acts and regulations and to revoke a pardon or, under specific circumstances, declare that a pardon ceases to have effect.

According to the National Parole Board:

• A pardon is evidence that the conviction should no longer reflect negatively on a person’s character. In support of this statement, the Criminal Records Act restricts access to records under federal jurisdiction and removes any disqualifications that would result from a conviction. With regards to employment, the Criminal Records Act specifies that information about pardoned offences shall not be sought in the employment applications of organizations under federal jurisdiction. In addition, the Canadian Human Rights Act forbids federal agencies and departments to discriminate against an individual based on a pardoned record.

Express Pardons works closely with the National Parole Board guidelines to ensure that all pardon applications submitted on behalf of our clients are approved.  Please contact Express Pardons for more information regarding pardon applications.