So I’m not sure if other countries already have something like this set up but in Canada once you have a criminal record (even for minimal crimes) it is very hard to erase and effects your ability to find a job, go to school for certain careers, travel to other countries, etc. for many years to come. In Canada a criminal record is not automatically erased after a certain time and if you want it erased or pardoned you have to pay a fee which is somewhere between $1000-$5000 and seems to go up every year in cost. Also even if you pay for this pardon if a potential employer asks you the question “have you ever been found guilty of a criminal offence?” You still must answer “yes” and then explain the situation and that you have received a pardon for it.

I know first hand how this can affect someone’s life. My spouse was charged with theft under $5000 when he was 18 years old. He is now 33 years old and has had no other problems with the law whatsoever since. He still has major issues with finding employment, so much that we made the choice to have him be a stay at home dad to our children while I work. He has been denied work in even the most simple places like Walmart even years after this charge and while having nothing else on his record. We do get by and have a decent life with only me working and him being a stay at home dad but we do talk sometimes about how much easier things could be if he didn’t have this problem with employment. We have never had enough extra money to pay for his pardon and I’m sure tons of families are in this situation.

What bothers me about this is that it was a fairly simple crime almost 15 years ago and it still affects his life to this day even though he has completely changed his life around. I understand having serious crimes like murder, rape, etc. being on someone’s record forever but should certain crimes be removed after a certain time? Should there be a law that makes it so that jobs can’t discriminate against you after you have not committed a crime in say 10 years of after a certain length of time? It just seems silly to have people struggle for literally the rest of their lives for one mistake, I’m sure if he was a single parent he would need government assistance when he is willing and capable of having a job.

Do you believe criminal records should effect people’s ability to find a job, go to school, etc. for the rest of their lives or should there be a limit? Should they lower the cost of getting a pardon after a certain amount of years with having no other crimes committed?