What is a Cannabis Record Suspension?

Individuals with only conviction(s) for simple possession of cannabis who have completed their sentence are eligible to apply to have their criminal record set apart from other criminal records in the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database. A record suspension helps individuals find work and educational opportunities and contribute to society without the barrier of a conviction for simple possession of cannabis. Individuals can apply even if they have unpaid fines or victim surcharges.

The Criminal Records Act (CRA) applies only to records kept by federal organizations, but most provincial and municipal criminal justice agencies also restrict access to their records once they are informed that a record suspension has been ordered.

Who is responsible for cannabis record suspensions?

Under the CRA, the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) is the official and only federal agency responsible for ordering, denying and revoking record suspensions for convictions under federal acts or regulations of Canada.

Limits of a cannabis record suspension

A cannabis record suspension

• does not erase a conviction, but sets it aside;
• does not guarantee entry or visa privileges to another country.

Concealing information or making false or deceptive statements can result in your record suspension being revoked or ceasing to have effect at a later date.

A cannabis record suspension (or pardon) can be revoked or cease to have effect if you are:

• Convicted of a new indictable offence, or in some cases, a summary offence;
• Found to have made a false or misleading statement, or hidden information when you applied;
• Found to have been ineligible for a record suspension at the time the record suspension was ordered.

If a record suspension is revoked or ceases to have effect, the record of the offence(s) are added back in to the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database.