SEEK PARDON BEFORE CRIME BILL BECOMES LAW, COMPANY URGES

New Comprehensive Laws Would Extend Length of Ineligibility

A company that assists Canadians seeking pardons for criminal offences
is urging those who want to clear their record to act quickly before
changes proposed by the Conservative government in a comprehensive
crime bill become law.

Express Pardons is targeting its message to young adults considering a
career working with children or vulnerable adults. A criminal record
could mean they will be refused entry to the program of their choice.

Inquiries to Express Pardons spike at this time of year as new
students discover they must undergo a criminal-record check to be
admitted to programs such as education, nursing and social work, said
the company's business development director Ainsley Muller. But by
then, it's too late because obtaining a pardon takes a year or two.

" I have people literally crying in my ear on the phone, saying ' I
need a pardon now. I need to go to school so I can get a job and feed
my family,'" Muller said in an interview. " I'm saying, ' There's
nothing we can do, it takes 12 to 24 months to apply.' If you're
planning to go to school next year, apply now."

Another reason for fast action is the omnibus bill introduced this
week in the House of Commons, which would extend the length of pardon
ineligibility. Anyone convicted of a summary criminal offence would
have to wait five years instead of the current three before making an
application. Those convicted of more serious, indictable offences
would be ineligible for 10 years instead of five.

Anyone convicted of certain sex offences involving minors or anyone
convicted of more than three indictable offences would be ineligible
for pardons, which under the new law would be called " record
suspensions."

It's not clear how quickly the proposed rules would take effect should
the bill be passed in Parliament. But Muller said the next three to
six weeks will be critical, adding: " The trick is to get the
application to the [ National] Parole Board and accepted before the
legislation is passed. But it is borderline ... and time is of the
essence."

Changes to the pardon process were spurred by revelations last year
that former hockey coach Graham James, who pleaded guilty to sexually
assaulting three young players over 10 years, received a pardon in
2007. But Muller, whose company is described as the largest of its
kind in Canada, said most offenders seeking pardons are guilty of
crimes that he described as " silly mistakes" and simply want to get
on with their lives.

Since 1970, more than 400,000 Canadians have been granted pardons and
only four per cent of those have been revoked. During the 2009-10
fiscal year, the National Parole Board received 32,105 pardon
applications, of which 7,000 were ineligible, incomplete or withdrawn.
The board issued 7,887 pardons for summary offences and 16,247 for
indictable offences ( mostly drinking and driving, assault, theft and
drugs in both categories). It denied 425 applications for conduct reasons.

B. C. post-secondary students who are required by provincial law to
have a criminal-record check are those whose chosen field includes
work with children, such as teachers, nurses, doctors and social workers.

But in January 2012, the requirement will expand to cover any student
in a program whose practicum will involve working with children or
vulnerable adults.