How to Apply for a Record Suspension (Pardon) in Canada
The Parole Board of Canada record suspension route: completing sentences, the 3, 5, or 10 year waiting periods, the $50 fee, and the ten-step application file.
How to Start Using the Victims Portal for Information About Offenders in Canada
Register as a victim or victim representative on the secure Victims Portal run jointly by Correctional Service Canada and the Parole Board of Canada, and request offender information, hearing observation, victim statements, and decision copies.
Applies in: CA
The Victims Portal is a secure online portal that allows registered victims, and their named representatives, to access services and information they are entitled to under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act. It is run jointly by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the Parole Board of Canada (PBC), and it covers information from both organizations about the offender who harmed you. This guide describes the registration and portal steps only. It does not advise whether to register, what information to request, or what to say in a victim statement. Take your time, and use the phone contacts at the end of this guide if the online steps are difficult.
Registration comes first. The portal does not hand out offender information to anyone who signs in. You complete a registration request, CSC and PBC check that you meet the definition of a victim, and only then can you request and receive information through the portal.
1. Check who can register
You can apply to be registered by CSC or PBC if you are a victim of crime over the age of 18. Under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, as the portal help pages state it, a person is a victim of crime if they suffered physical or emotional harm, property damage, or economic loss as a result of an offence for which the offender was convicted; if they are a spouse, conjugal partner, relative of, or person legally responsible for a victim who has died or is not able to act for themselves, for example because the victim is ill or a child; if they have custody of, or are responsible for dependents of, a victim who is deceased or unable to act for themselves; or if the person who harmed them has not been prosecuted or convicted, but the victim made a complaint to the police or Crown Attorney's office.
Before a person can officially be registered, CSC and PBC must verify that they meet that definition. That check is part of the registration review, and it is why the portal asks for offence and offender information rather than only contact details.
You can also name a representative to receive information on your behalf. Representatives fall into two categories: an individual representative, such as a family member or friend, and an agency representative, an agent from a government, police, or community victim services agency. You name the representative when you register for a portal account. Once named, CSC or PBC contacts the representative using the contact information you provided, to confirm their participation and contact preferences, and then contacts them directly to provide offender information.
2. Get the email account and sign-in you need
To create a Victims Portal account, you need a valid email account. The portal pages note that free email accounts are available from providers including Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo Mail, if you do not already have one.
The sign-in process requires either a secure Sign-In Partner or a GCKey. There is no cost to use either. A Sign-In Partner lets you use your online banking credentials to access Government of Canada services, through financial institutions that have partnered with SecureKey Technologies. A GCKey is a unique electronic credential issued by the Government of Canada that you can use across enabled Government of Canada services. If you do not have a GCKey, the portal sign-in screens link to GCKey registration.
3. Register: the four steps on the portal
To register for a Victims Portal account, sign in to the Victims Portal using your GCKey or through your secure Sign-In Partner, then follow the registration steps the help pages set out:
- Sign in to the Victims Portal using your GCKey or through your secure Sign-In Partner. If you do not have a GCKey, obtain one from the link on the sign-in screen.
- Register as a victim or identify as a victim representative. On the Registration Information page, select I am not yet registered and click Submit.
- Complete all sections of the registration process: Contact Information, Address Information, Representative Preferences, Offence Information, Region Selection, and Review.
- Once all sections are complete, click Submit Your Registration on the Review page. CSC and PBC review the request and may follow up if additional information or clarification is required.
At a minimum, you must provide your first name and last name, email address, date of birth, your preferred language for written and verbal communication, and information about the offence and the offender or offenders who harmed you. That information is needed to confirm that you meet the criteria to be registered as a victim and so the agencies can follow up on the request. Your personal information is used to confirm your status as a victim, to contact you with questions about the request, and to provide offender updates or other information you requested.
If you sign off before completing all sections, the system returns you to the last section you completed the next time you sign in. It retains your progress for two years from your last sign-in date. After two years, all information is deleted and you have to begin again. Once your request is reviewed, a confirmation email is sent to you if your registration is approved.
If you are already registered as a victim with CSC or PBC, you can still request a Victims Portal account. Sign in with your GCKey or Sign-In Partner, select I am already registered with CSC and/or PBC as a victim and would like to view information on this secure website, and enter your information. You will receive notification that your new portal account is available.
Victims Portal registration is free for all victims and their named representatives.
4. Use the portal once your registration is approved
Once approved, you can request and access specific information about the offender who harmed you and manage your preferences for receiving information. The portal also lets you request to observe a PBC hearing or present a victim statement, request copies of PBC decisions, submit a victim statement to CSC or PBC for consideration in case management and parole decisions, and inform CSC about a court order.
The information you can receive falls into two groups, as the portal help pages list them. Upon request, registered victims have the right to receive the offender's name; the offence for which the offender was convicted and the court that convicted the offender; the date of commencement and length of the sentence the offender is serving; and any eligibility dates and review dates applicable to the offender relating to escorted and unescorted temporary absences, day and full parole, statutory release, and long term supervision orders. Registered victims may also, upon request, receive additional information if CSC or PBC determines that the victim's interest clearly outweighs the compromise of the offender's privacy resulting from the disclosure. That additional information may include the offender's age, the location of incarceration, the date of any release the PBC has approved, the date of any PBC review, any conditions imposed, the reason for an unescorted temporary absence, the reason why an offender waived a hearing if a reason was given, the destination of the offender when released and whether the offender will be near the victim while travelling to that destination, whether the offender is in custody and, if not, the reason why, and any appeal of a PBC decision by the offender and its outcome. The PBC can also provide a copy of its decisions to victims who request it.
Two handling rules matter when you plan how to receive updates. Offender updates cannot be sent by email, because they contain sensitive personal information about the offender. They can be provided by mail, to a secure fax number, directly to a victim or representative over the phone, or through the Victims Portal. And the portal does not replace phone or mail notification: it is an additional way to access the information you requested, and you can continue to receive information by mail, phone, or fax if you do not wish to use it.
The offender is not notified when you register. Offenders do not have the right to be notified when a victim registers with CSC or PBC. The exception concerns material you choose to submit: if you submit information such as a victim statement, the law requires that the offender receive a copy, because the offender is entitled to see all information that will be used in decision-making. No personal information about you, other than your name, is shared with the offender in that case.
5. If you need help, or cannot use the portal
For detailed information about the portal and how to register, the portal pages point to the Victims Portal Frequently Asked Questions and Help Center and to the two agencies directly: Correctional Service of Canada, toll-free 1-866-806-2275, email victims-victimes@csc-scc.gc.ca; and the Parole Board of Canada, toll-free 1-866-789-4636.
For technical problems, contact the Victims Portal Help Desk between 8 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time, Monday to Friday, at 1-866-806-2275 and press 6. You may leave a message outside office hours and your call will be returned within two business days. Each time you sign in, you are asked a security question with the answer you provided when you created your account. If you answer incorrectly three times, your account is disabled, and the Help Desk can enable it and reset your security questions.
Registration is also possible without the portal. You can register by submitting a Request for Victim Registration form by mail, fax, or email to CSC or PBC, as the registration pages describe. If you use the form route, the same definition check applies, and the same phone contacts above can supply the form.
Victims who are registered and approved to attend a hearing can apply for financial assistance to attend the hearings of the offender who harmed them, through the Department of Justice Policy Centre for Victim Issues. A victim and a support person may receive assistance covering travel, hotel, and meal expenses as well as child or dependent care. Contact the Victims Fund Manager toll-free at 1-866-544-1007 for that program. This guide does not describe the assistance application steps, which the Policy Centre for Victim Issues handles separately.
Figures and scope this guide does not state
No approval timeline for a registration request is stated, because the opened portal pages say only that the request will be reviewed and that a confirmation email follows approval. The two-year federal custody threshold that distinguishes federal from provincial sentences is not stated, because the opened portal and help pages do not state it; if you are unsure whether the offender is under CSC or PBC jurisdiction, ask CSC or PBC at the contacts above. Routing for provincial parole boards is not described, because the opened portal pages do not describe it. Approval criteria for observing a hearing, and the content rules for a victim statement, are not stated, because the opened pages list those options without stating the criteria or content rules. Confirm any of these points with CSC or PBC before relying on them.
Related guides:
- How to Become a Correctional Officer in Canada — the CSC custody side of the federal system, including the federal and provincial streams, for context on who holds federal offenders.
- How to Become a Police Officer in Canada — RCMP, Provincial, and Municipal Streams — the policing side of the system, including the complaint route the portal registration rules refer to for cases without a prosecution or conviction.
Using the Victims Portal, in five steps
- Get a valid email and a sign-inYou need a valid email account and either a GCKey or a secure Sign-In Partner. There is no cost to use either sign-in method.
- Register as a victim or representativeComplete the contact, address, representative preference, offence, and region sections, then submit for review.
- Wait for approvalA confirmation email is sent if your registration is approved. Registration is free for victims and named representatives.
- Request information and set preferencesAsk for the offender information you are entitled to receive and manage how you receive it.
- Use the hearing and statement optionsRequest to observe a hearing, present a victim statement, request decision copies, or submit a court order.
Questions people ask
Do I have to register before I can receive information about an offender?
Yes. You must register as a victim with 1 of the 2 agencies, the Correctional Service of Canada or the Parole Board of Canada, before they can share offender information with you. Registration lets them confirm that you meet the legal test for a victim under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, which the law requires before certain information can be shared. Your request is reviewed, and a confirmation email follows if it is approved.
Who can register for the Victims Portal?
You can apply if you are over 18 and fall in 1 of 4 groups: you suffered harm, property damage, or economic loss from an offence that led to a conviction; you are a spouse, partner, relative, or person legally responsible for a victim who died or cannot act; you have custody of dependents of a victim who died or cannot act; or you complained to police or a Crown Attorney and no prosecution or conviction followed. CSC and PBC verify the legal test during their review.
Is the offender told when I register?
No. Offenders have no right to be told when a victim registers with CSC or PBC. The exception is material you submit yourself: if you file a victim statement, the law requires that the offender receive a copy, since the offender is entitled to see information used in decision-making. Only 1 piece of your personal information is shared in that copy: your name.
Can offender updates be sent to me by email?
No. Offender updates hold sensitive personal information about the offender, so the Government of Canada does not send them by email. You can receive them by mail, at a secure fax number, over the phone with CSC at 1-866-806-2275 or PBC at 1-866-789-4636, or inside the Victims Portal.
Can someone else receive the information for me?
Yes. Name a representative when you register. The 2 categories are an individual representative, such as a family member or friend, and an agency representative from a government, police, or community victim services agency. CSC or PBC contacts the person you named at the contact details you gave, confirms that they will take part, and then sends offender information to them directly.
Does using the portal replace phone or mail notification?
No. The portal adds 1 more way to get information you requested. Phone and mail notification continue unchanged, and you can keep receiving information by mail, phone, or fax without ever signing in to the portal.
Sources
- Correctional Service of Canada and Parole Board of Canada, Victims Portal — the portal as a secure service under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, what approved users can do, the email and sign-in requirements, the already-registered route, the offender-notification rule, and the agency contacts.
- Correctional Service of Canada and Parole Board of Canada, Victims Portal Frequently Asked Questions and Help Center — who can register, the four registration steps and sections, the minimum information required, the two-year progress retention, free registration, the two tiers of offender information, the no-email rule for updates, representative categories, and Help Desk hours and callback timing.
- Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime, Registering as a victim: why and how — the right to receive information upon request, the additional information that may be shared, PBC decision copies, and financial assistance to attend hearings with the Victims Fund Manager contact.
- Parole Board of Canada, Information available to victims — the additional information test based on the victim's interest outweighing the privacy compromise, and requesting PBC decisions from the Registry of Decisions.