Fees Report 2023-2024
From: Parole Board of Canada
About this Publication
Publication author: Parole Board of Canada
ISSN 2562-119X
Chairperson’s Message
I am pleased to present the Parole Board of Canada’s (PBC) report on fees for 2023-24.
The Service Fees Act provides a modern legislative framework that enables cost-effective delivery of services and through better reporting to Parliament, improves transparency and oversight.
This report provides details on the record suspension application fee; the only fee generated under the organization’s authority.
Effective January 1, 2022, the record suspension application fee was reduced to $50.00. The previous higher fee of $657.77 represented a significant barrier for individuals with a criminal record wanting to apply for a record suspension. By lowering the application fee, access to record suspensions has increased for a greater number of individuals, which facilitates access to employment, housing, education, and other necessities that support sustained reintegration. Finally, this reduction in fee is helping to alleviate pre-existing barriers for those disproportionately affected by the criminal justice system.
With the adjustment to the record suspension application fee to $50.00, the fee now falls under the category of low-materiality fees. As a result, sections 3 to 18 of the Service Fees Act no longer apply to this fee. This means that the fee is not subject to the requirements of performance standards and remissions, as well as the requirements of annual adjustments. Although there are no legislated service standards attached to the current application fee, the PBC will continue to process applications in a timely manner and endeavour to adhere to its established processing times.
I appreciate the increased transparency and oversight that the Service Fees Act reporting regime embodies. The PBC is committed to following the framework that reflects these requirements.
______________________________
Joanne Blanchard
Chairperson, Parole Board of Canada
About this report
This report, which is tabled under section 20 of the Service Fees Act, the Low‑Materiality Fees Regulations,and subsection 4.2.9 of the Treasury Board Directive on Charging and Special Financial Authorities, contains information about the fees the Parole Board of Canada had the authority to charge in fiscal year 2023-24Footnote 1 .
The report covers fees that are subject to the Service Fees Act.
For reporting purposes, fees are categorized by fee-setting mechanism. There are three mechanisms:
- Act, regulation or fees notice
The authority to set these fees is delegated to a department, minister or Governor in Council pursuant to an Act of Parliament. - Contract
Ministers have the inherent authority to enter into contracts, which are usually negotiated between the minister and an individual or organization, and which cover fees and other terms and conditions. In some cases, that authority may also be provided by an act of Parliament. - Market rate or auction
The authority to set these fees comes from an act of Parliament or a regulation, and the minister, department or Governor in Council has no control in determining the fee amount.
For fees set by act, regulation or fees notice, the report provides totals for fee groupings, as well as detailed information for each fee. The PBC did not have fees set by contract, market rate or auction.
Fees charged by PBC under the Access to Information Act are not subject to the Service Fees Act and are not included in this report. Information on PBC’s access to information fees can be found in our annual report to Parliament on the administration of the Access to Information Act, which is posted on our web page: Access to Information and Privacy.
Remissions
In 2023-24, PBC was not subject to the requirements in section 7 of the Service Fees Act, and had no authority to remit; this report does not include remission amounts.
Overall totals, by fee-setting mechanism
The following table presents the total revenue, cost and remissions for all fees PBC had the authority to charge in 2023-24, by fee-setting mechanism.
Overall totals for 2023-24, by fee-setting mechanism
| Fee-setting mechanism | Revenue ($) | Cost ($) | Remissions ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fees set by act, regulation or fees notice | 690,600 | 9,814,398 | These fees were not subject to remissions. |
Totals, by fee grouping, for fees set by act, regulation or fees notice
A fee grouping is a set of fees relating to a single business line, directorate or program that a department had the authority to charge for those activities.
This section presents, for each fee grouping, the total revenue, cost and remissions for all fees PBC had the authority to charge in 2023-24 that are set by the following:
- Act
- Regulation
| Revenue ($) | Cost ($) | Remissions ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 690,600 | 9,814,398 | These fees were not subject to remissions. |
Details on each fee set by act, regulation or fees notice
This section provides detailed information on each fee PBC had the authority to charge in 2023-24 and that was set by the following:
- Act
- Regulation
Fee grouping
Record Suspension Application Fee
Fee
Record Suspension Application Fee
Fee-setting authority
Minister’s authority, Order in Council 1995-698
Pardon Services Fees Order (justice.gc.ca)
Year fee-setting authority was introduced
1995
Last year fee-setting authority was amended
2022
Established processing times
Not subject to service standard requirement of the Service Fees Act.
Although there are no legislated service standards attached to the current $50.00 application fee, the PBC will continue to process applications in a timely manner and endeavour to adhere to established processing times. The following processing times are not subject to remission pursuant to the Service Fees Act:
- Summary offence: within 6 months of application acceptance.
- Indictable offence: within 12 months of application acceptance.
- For applications where the Board is proposing to refuse to order a record suspension or deny a pardon, it can take up to 24 months for a final decision.
Performance result
In 2023-24, the PBC received a total of 17,572 record suspension/pardon applications and accepted 12,785 (73%) for processing. Accepted applications were not subject to service standards but were processed in accordance with the PBC’s established processing times. Accepted applications were successfully processed within the PBC’s established processing times at the rate of 95.1%.
Average processing time for record suspension applications:
- Containing offences tried summarily: 141 days;
- Containing offences tried by indictment: 164 days; and
- Where the PBC refused to order a record suspension: 320 days.
Average processing time for pardon applications:
- For pardon issued: 38 days;
- For pardon granted: 328 days; and
- Where the PBC denied a pardon: 511 days.
Application of Low‑Materiality Fees Regulations
- Low-materiality (<$51)
2023-24 fee amount ($)
50
2023-24 total fee revenue ($)
690,600
2023-24 total remissions issued for the fee ($)
This fee was not subject to remissions.
Fee adjustment date in 2025-26
Not applicable.
2025-26 fee amount ($)
50
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