Criminal Records Act

The Criminal Records Act is a piece of Canadian legislation intended to provide for the relief of persons who have been convicted of offences and have subsequently rehabilitated themselves.

The purpose of the Act is to provide a means of criminal records suspension. According to the Act, a record suspension is evidence of the fact that the applicant was of good conduct, and that the conviction should no longer reflect adversely on the applicant's character. Following a successful application, the records in question are kept separate and apart from other criminal records, are removed from the automated criminal records retrieval system maintained by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and are not disclosed to any person without the prior approval of the Minister.