Moving Forward
Record Suspension Vocabulary
Canadian legal terms explained in plain English - for applicants, employers, and families.
5.0 Google
Recommended on Facebook
Free tool
Search the glossary
Look up Parole Board, RCMP, and waiver terminology in plain English.
- CPIC
- Canadian Police Information Centre - the national database searched in standard criminal record checks.
- Criminal Records Act (CRA)
- Federal law governing record suspensions (pardons) in Canada.
- Discharge (absolute)
- Non-conviction outcome; may auto-remove from CPIC after 1 year (post-1992).
- Discharge (conditional)
- Non-conviction outcome; may auto-remove from CPIC after 3 years (post-1992).
- Indictable offence
- More serious offence category; generally 10-year wait (post-2012 rules).
- Measurable Benefit Form
- PBC form explaining how a record suspension would benefit you.
- Pardon
- Former name for record suspension; still commonly searched.
- Parole Board of Canada (PBC)
- Only federal agency that can grant, deny, or revoke record suspensions.
- Proof of Conviction
- Certified court document confirming offence and sentence details.
- Record Suspension
- Official term since 2012; sets record separate from active CPIC searches.
- Schedule 1 Offence
- Sexual offence involving a child; restricted eligibility under CRA.
- Summary conviction
- Less serious offence category; generally 5-year wait (post-2012 rules).
- US Entry Waiver (I-192)
- US government permission to enter despite criminal inadmissibility.
- Vulnerable Sector Check
- Enhanced check that may still flag sexual offences even after suspension.