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S-207 — An Act to amend the Criminal Records Act, to make consequential amendments to other Acts and to repeal a regulation
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S-207
An Act to amend the Criminal Records Act, to make consequential amendments to other Acts and to repeal a regulation
ISG
In progress
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BILL S-207
An Act to amend the Criminal Records Act, to make consequential amendments to other Acts and to repeal a regulation
Last activity : At second reading in the Senate
ISG
In progress
Senate · 1st2025-05-27Senate · 2ndSenate · 3rdCommons · 1stCommons · 2ndCommons · 3rdRoyal assent
Sign-in required — one request per person, no anonymous requests
What it does, in plain language
- Replaces today's application-based "record suspension" (pardon) system with an automatic expiry of a criminal record once a set waiting period has passed.
- Sets the waiting period at 5 years after the full sentence ends (prison, probation, fine) for indictable offences, and 2 years for summary conviction offences.
- Provides that a person convicted for something done as a child has their record expire as soon as the sentence is completed, with no extra waiting period.
- Keeps a Parole Board review only where there was a new conviction, outstanding charges or an ongoing investigation, and requires the Board to notify the person within 30 days.
- Bans any fee or charge for a record expiry application and repeals the Pardon Services Fees Order.
- Bars disclosure of an expired record without the Minister's approval and requires the RCMP to purge from CPIC convictions for conduct that is no longer an offence or under a provision ruled unconstitutional.
- Treats every record suspension granted before royal assent as an expired record, and updates the Criminal Code, Canadian Human Rights Act, Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and other laws to use the new term "record expiry".
🤖 AI-generated from the bill’s official text as introduced — may not reflect amendments adopted since.
✋ What does “challenging” mean?
Clicking “Ask for an explanation” is a citizen request for the bill's sponsor to explain it in plain language — and for us to keep an eye on it together.
An account (email) is required — one request per person, no anonymous requests. 🔥 At 1,000 requests on the same bill, a public post is made, in the hope an MP agrees to sponsor a petition to the House.
It works on any bill, including one that has already received royal assent — that is often the one people want to understand.
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On the “who voted what” detail — the House of Commons publishes each member's name for every recorded (nominal) vote (Yea / Nay / paired). The by-member breakdown above (the "+" button on each row) comes directly from that official source (ourcommons.ca), not an estimate. The party shown next to each name is taken from the current House roster; people who have since left the House appear separately under "Former members".
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Recorded vote
Members vote one by one and each choice is entered in the public record. That is what lets us say exactly who voted what — no interpretation.
Passed is not law
A passed vote clears ONE stage. A bill must pass both chambers and then receive royal assent before it becomes law.
Paired is not absent
In the Commons, two members from opposing sides can agree not to vote: their voices cancel out. It is neither an absence nor an abstention.
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