The process requires information from several independent organizations, including the RCMP, courts and local police services. Each has its own processing times. Once a complete and eligible application is accepted by the Parole Board of Canada, its published service standards are generally up to 6 months for summary offences and 12 months for indictable offences; proposed refusals can take longer.

Your waiting period begins after your entire sentence has been completed. This includes imprisonment or conditional sentences, probation, and payment in full of applicable fines, costs, surcharges, compensation and restitution. The length of the waiting period depends on factors including when your first offence occurred and how the offence was prosecuted.

No. A Record Suspension does not erase the fact that you were convicted. Instead, the record is generally kept separate and apart from other criminal records and removed from CPIC searches, subject to certain exceptions.

Yes. A Record Suspension can be revoked or cease to have effect in certain circumstances, including a new conviction, no longer being of good conduct, providing false or misleading information in the application, or later being found ineligible when the suspension was originally ordered.

For most applicants, the difference is largely when it was granted and the terminology used under the Criminal Records Act.

What was historically called a pardon is now generally called a Record Suspension.

The Parole Board still refers to “record suspensions/pardons,” and older pardons remain relevant.

Your eligibility criteria can also depend on when your first offence occurred, so the distinction can matter when determining which rules apply to your application.