Pardons--changes coming.

J Rogers (trusted member) Trusted posted 5 years ago

Bill Blair just made an announcement today about a new bill about Pardons.

The new Liberal budget proposes to provide $88.2 million over five years, starting this fiscal year, with $13 million ongoing, to the Parole Board of Canada, the RCMP and Public Safety Canada.

It says the funding would reduce application fees, create an online application portal and support community organizations that help people navigate the pardon application process.

The government also says it plans to amend the Criminal Records Act to make pardons more accessible to those who have served their sentences and are living law-abiding lives.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/criminal-pardons-would-be-less-expensive-easier-to-get-under-liberal-budget-plan-1.5393866

Full article here.

In truth, we are not in competition with people who do the process themselves. An online portal, just like eSAFE would make the process better. Lowering fees would be better for everyone. So we welcome these changes.

Michelle (trusted member) Trusted 5 years ago

Interesting, I do not believe much will come out of this. It would be nice if they lowered the waiting times and adjusted the "outstanding fine policy or unknown policy" but I am not sure they will. They should go back to the old rule that court documents were not required if convictions were older then 15 years.

J Rogers (trusted member) Trusted 5 years ago

@Michelle

Not to sound cynical, but to me this is a typical "steal the NDP platform" idea. As in "hey, these PROPOSED changes will only happen if we are elected again".

If you hear the press conference, Bill Blair actually talked about making the process "easier" and "online" and "cheaper"
to cut out the "for profit" companies. I don't blame them for thinking like this, because some of these places are AWFUL.

In truth I did pardons when they were so easy there was no pardon fee, and you did your own thumbprints, and people STILL paid us to do the pardon.

There will ALWAYS be a market for people to do Pardons. If you are honest and ethical, like you and I, then in the long run, we will always thrive.

I never think of the competition being DIY people. I think of it being the very unethical companies that promise much, but deliver little.

Reply