Parliamentary Committee Notes: Increase in PBC Main Estimates 2022-2023

Date: May 11, 2022
Classification: Unclassified
Branch / Agency: Parole Board of Canada

Proposed Response:

Financial Implications:

Overall, the PBC plans on spending:

Background:

The Main Estimates will fund the PBC’s four core responsibilities.

  1. Conditional Release Decisions
    • Conditional release is based on the research-supported principle that community safety is enhanced by the timely and gradual release of offenders into the community under supervision. Quality, risk-based conditional release decisions, in conjunction with effective programs and treatment, and effective community supervision all contribute to the release process. Through this core responsibility, the Parole Board of Canada provides timely, accurate information for Board member decision-making, and develops training and policies that are essential tools for risk assessment and decision-making that are in accordance with the law.
  2. Conditional Release Openness and Accountability
    • The PBC operates in an open and accountable manner, consistent with the provisions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act ]by providing victims of crime, offenders, and the public with information on our policies and programs, including access to the PBC's registry of decisions, as well as providing assistance for observers at hearings. The PBC also works to encourage citizen engagement, enhance public education and awareness, investigate incidents in the community (i.e., when a new offence occurs), monitor the PBC's performance, and reporting on conditional release results.
  3. Record Suspension/Pardon and Expungement Decisions/Clemency Recommendations
    • A record suspension/pardon is designed to support the sustained reintegration of an individual into society. It is an administrative act that removes the stigma of a criminal record for persons convicted of an offence under an Act of Parliament, who have completed their sentence, met the criteria set out under the Criminal Records Act (CRA), and have demonstrated law-abiding behaviour for a prescribed number of years. Record suspensions/pardons can be revoked or cease to have effect if a new offence is committed or a person is no longer found to be of good conduct. In meeting this core responsibility, the PBC screens applications for completeness and eligibility, collects information for Board member decision-making and develops policy to guide decision-making processes.
    • In addition, under the Expungement Act, the PBC orders the expungement of records of convictions for eligible offences that would be lawful today. Persons convicted of an offence listed in the schedule to the Expungement Act may apply, as well as authorized representatives in cases where the person is deceased. The difference between a record suspension/pardon and an expungement is that with a record suspension/pardon, the criminal record is held ‘separate and apart’ from other criminal records, while an expungement will completely destroy the record. The PBC is also accountable for assessing requests and providing recommendations under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (i.e., clemency) and providing advice to the Minister of Public Safety on the merits of each case.
    • Annual Assessed Budget for Processing Record Suspensions and Pardons
    • The main increase in funds goes towards the reform of the Record Suspension Program (Pardons): On January 1, 2022, the application fee reduction came into effect, lowering the cost of applying for a record suspension from $657.77 to $50.00. The significantly lower fee improves access to record suspensions, especially for people with lower incomes.
    • With the reduction of the application fee, the processing of record suspension applications now operates under a partial-cost recovery model approved by Parliament.
    • An estimated annual budget is presented in the Main Estimates, assuming a volume of approximately 25,000 received applications.
  4. Internal Services
    • Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:
    • management and oversight services;
    • communications services;
    • legal services;
    • human resources management services;
    • financial management services;
    • information management services;
    • information technology services;
    • real property management services;
    • materiel management services; and
    • acquisition management services.
  5. PBC’s Travel, Hospitality and Conferences Expenses

Contacts:

Prepared by: Eric Bouchard, DCFO, 613-790-2479
Approved by: Anik Lapointe, CFO, 343-542-6115

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