ARCHIVED - Safe Streets and Communities Act: Adding Criteria for the International Transfer of Canadian Offenders Back to Canada
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or record-keeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please contact us to request a format other than those available.
The Government remains committed to making the protection of society the guiding principle in decisions affecting the corrections system. The Safe Streets and Communities Act makes amendments to the International Transfer of Offenders Act to enshrine in law a number of additional key factors in deciding whether an offender would be granted a transfer back to Canada. These factors would include whether, in the opinion of the Minister, an offender would upon return to Canada:
- endanger public safety;
- continue to engage in criminal activities following his or her transfer; and
- endanger the safety of any child, particularly in cases of offenders who have been convicted of sexual abuse.
Decisions would also take into consideration whether a criminal has been participating in his or her rehabilitation, and cooperating with law enforcement.
These amendments reflect the Government's commitment to strengthening the rights of victims, increasing the responsibility of offenders, and making our communities safe.
About the International Transfer of Offenders Act (ITOA)
The ITOA, which came into force on October 29, 2004, is a modernization of the Transfer of Offenders Act, which was proclaimed in 1978. The legislated purpose of the Act is “to contribute to the administration of justice and the rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration into the community by enabling offenders to serve their sentences in the country of which they are citizens or nationals.” The Public Safety Minister is responsible for the administration of the Act.
- Date modified: