Special Topics & Resources
Canadians are running hard to stand still
Let’s face it, getting a job as a past offender is not easy! Studies show that past offenders are between 1/2 to 1/3 as likely to be hired as non-offenders. **1
- 97% of companies perform some form of a pre-employment background check
- 88% do criminal checks
- 84% do identity checks
- 69% do motor vehicle checks
- 41% do education checks
- and 47% do re-screens after hiring
Unfortunately, there is also a strong bias against those with criminal records. **2
- 85% of companies surveyed would disqualify a candidate with a criminal record that included crimes of violence
- 84% would do the same for a candidate with a crime of theft or dishonesty
- Only 9% said prior convictions would not disqualify a candidate
And even if you do land a job, the deck is still stacked heavily against you.
On average, past offenders earn upwards of 40% less than someone with similar experience but no record. Past offenders take longer to get a job, often need to work beneath their skill set, are paid less and receive fewer promotions! **3
As if those challenges weren’t already hard enough, people with a past criminal record face even more difficulties.
Real incomes in Canada have only increased 4.7% over the past 33 years!
Our debt levels are leaving many to worry for the financial stability of our nation: **4
- Canada’s national debt has risen 34% since 2007.
- Personal debt has soared 370% since 1990 to over $1.7 trillion.
- 68% of Canadians rely on credit cards to cover everyday expenses.
- Household savings rates have dropped to just 3.3% with an average balance of only $2,700 per household.
In previous hard times a robust jobs market and social safety nets have pulled us through, but neither of those are looking great right now.
- Unemployment remains stubbornly high at 7.3% leaving nearly 1.4 million people out of work. And welfare rates today are 55% lower than they were in 1990!
**5
What about our GREAT interest rates?
- Mortgage rates have dropped from around 14% to under 4% since 1980. With debt ratios at an all-time high, what will happen when interest rates go up?
**6
While these challenges for past offenders are very real, they aren’t permanent. It is possible to overcome your past and reshape your future….
There is a process to have your record suspended (formerly called a pardon).
- Since 1970 over 463,000 Record Suspensions and Pardons have been granted.
- In the last 5 years alone 85,765 Pardons and Record Suspensions have been granted with a grant rate of 94%.
**7
And getting a Record Suspension pays enormous dividends:
- Once suspended, your criminal record becomes sealed.
- Most background checks will appear as though you have never been convicted. The search will reveal “no record”.
- And most employers do not ask individuals to disclose a Pardoned or Suspended Record unless you are applying for a position
involving a vulnerable sector.
If you intend to travel you may also need a Waiver.
- A typical day at the U.S. border sees 999 apprehensions, 931 entry refusals, 54 arrests, and 66 fraudulent documents.
- The U.S. is very serious about border security, and without a Waiver, you risk detention, fines, property confiscation, and even arrest.
- A Waiver makes legal entry possible and avoids these problems. **8
But Record Suspensions and Waivers don’t happen on their own. There are procedures you must follow. And the sooner you start, the better.
- To be eligible for a Record Suspension a person must have completed all sentences, which includes:
- All fines, surcharges, costs,
restitution and compensation orders; - All sentences of imprisonment or
conditional sentence orders; and - Any probation orders.
- All fines, surcharges, costs,
- Followed by a waiting period:
- 5 years for summary offences; and
- 10 years for indictable offences.
- Record Suspensions take 12 to 18 months to be processed.
- Waivers can take up to a year.
- High-risk applications take longer.
- It is wise to apply at least 6 months in advance of eligibility.
Contact Canadian Legal Resource Centre Inc.
For a free consultation to discuss your specific circumstances, please call us at 403-229-2774 in Calgary, or 1-800-320-2477 Toll-Free
Sources
- Employment Screening Benchmarking Report, HireRight, 2013; Trends in Employment Background Screening, Employee Screen IQ, 2010
- Survey Report 2013, Employee Screen IQ, 2013
- Why Ex-Cons Make Great Entrepreneurs, Forbes, 2013
- Government Gross debt for Canada, FRED Economic Data, 2013; Canadian debt history, debtclock.ca, 2013
- Poverty Trends Scorecard, Fact Sheet Series, Labour Market Trends, Citizens for Public Justice, 2013
- Canada’s Fatal Attraction to Debt, 2013; 5-year mortgage rate history, Rate Hub, 2014; Statscan 2014
- Parole, Pardons and Clemency, Parole Board of Canada, 2013
- On a Typical Day, Customs and Border Patrol, 2013
