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Liberals set aside $18 million to help applicants for criminal amnesty

OTTAWA – The Liberal Government will give community organizations $18 million over the next four years to help people navigate the criminal pardon application process.

The newly announced move is the latest step in a federal plan to make pardons, formally known as suspension of records, less expensive and more accessible.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the money would go to organizations active in corrections, conditional release and community reintegration.

This grant is intended to help ensure applicants have access to the right information and resources, as well as reduce reliance on for-profit private companies that collect fees.

The money will flow through the National Volunteer Foundations Grants and Donations Program, with a call for groups to seek funding through March 18.

The government acknowledges that there are many Canadians who have served their sentences and are living in compliance with the law, but face discrimination and barriers because of their criminal records.

“Furthermore, a lengthy criminal record has resulted in the over-representation of Indigenous Peoples, Blacks, and other racist individuals in our criminal justice system,” said the Safety Authority. Public Canada said.

Suspending records could open the door to meaningful work, housing, education and volunteering opportunities, helping people become productive members of society, it added.

However, critics have long argued that the suspension application process is too expensive, lengthy and complicated.

In December, the government announced the federal fee to apply for the suspension of records would drop to $50 from nearly $658 in the new year.

A bill was introduced in June, but died with the dissolution of Parliament during the summer election call, the proposal to repeal measures put forward by the Conservative Party by Stephen Harper has kept everyone waiting. longer for the record suspension.

Dozens of civil society groups are urging the federal Liberal Party to go further and fundamentally improve the system by automatically sealing a person’s criminal record once they’ve served their prison term and lived in the community. without a new conviction.

The government says it is exploring the automatic separation of certain criminal records for people who live without committing crimes, through consultations with provinces, territories, municipalities and other parties.

This Canadian Press report was first published on February 3, 2022.

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