Conservative eliminate pardons.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   

SCHEER APPLAUDS CONSERVATIVE PLAN TO END PARDONS FOR SERIOUS CRIMES

Regina-Qu’Appelle MP says legislation will help protect children and communities

OTTAWA, May 11, 2010 — Regina-Qu’Appelle MP Andrew Scheer applauded legislation announced today by Conservative Public Safety Minster Vic Toews to eliminate pardons for serious crimes.

“People in our communities are outraged when they hear about serious crimes being whitewashed through Canada’s system of pardons,” said Scheer.  “My colleagues and I in the Conservative government agree that the seriousness of crime doesn’t diminish just because a certain amount of time has passed.  This legislation will help protect our children and our communities, and it will better reflect our natural sense of justice.”

Under the current system, “pardons” are granted almost automatically.  The new system will make the process much more restrictive for convicted criminals.

The proposed legislation will:

  • eliminate “pardons” and replace them with a more restrictive and narrowly worded “record suspension”;
  • make those convicted of sexual offences against minors ineligible for a record suspension;
  • make those who have been convicted of more than three indictable offences ineligible for a record suspension; and
  • increase the period of ineligibility for a record suspension – to five years for summary conviction offences, and to ten years for indictable offences.

In addition, the proposed legislation sets out conditions that must be met to ensure a record suspension would not bring the administration of justice into disrepute. The onus would be on the applicant to show that a record suspension would help sustain his or her rehabilitation as a law-abiding member of society. The proposed legislation would also require the National Parole Board to submit a report each year with detailed statistics pertaining to the number of applications and the number of record suspensions granted.

“The current system of pardons implies that the government somehow forgives the crimes that a person has committed,” said Scheer. “My colleagues and I in the Conservative government disagree, and we are on the side of victims. That is why we are taking action to replace the current system and eliminate pardons for serious crimes.”

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For more information:
Office of Andrew Scheer, MP
Phone: 613-992-4593
On the Web: www.andrewmp.ca