DUI Pardon Canada – Avoid These 6 Mistakes

DUI Pardon Canada – Avoid These 6 Mistakes

• The key to getting a DUI Pardon in Canada is to get your application right before you submit it to the Parole Board of Canada.
• This seems obvious, but the reality is that the Parole Board rejects a huge number of DUI Pardons in Canada because of mistakes that can be avoided.
• Here are six of those mistakes.

Mistake #1 – Not answering every question

• To get your DUI Pardon in Canada, you need to answer every question with complete answers.
• The DUI Pardon application, which is now called the Record Suspension Application, is long and can be confusing.
• So, take your time and get the application right.
• Double-check your DUI Pardon application to ensure that every question has been answered fully and accurately.

Mistake #2 – Not telling the truth

• The Parole Board of Canada will take 6 to 12 months to approve your DUI Pardon in Canada.
• One of the reasons why it takes that long is because they will check your DUI Pardon application in depth to ensure that it is accurate and truthful.
• Ultimately, the Parole Board of Canada will find out the truth, so be honest when answering the questions.

Mistake #3 – Not including original documents

• To get your DUI Pardon in Canada, you need to submit original documents to the Parole Board of Canada.
• Specifically, you need to include the following original documents with your DUI Record Suspension application:

1 – Your original Criminal Record

2 – Your original Court Information Forms

3 – Your original Local Police Record Check

4 – If you were in the military, your original Military Conduct Sheet

5 – If applicable, your original Schedule 1 Exception Form

6 – Your original Record Suspension Application Form

• Before you send in your DUI Pardon Application, make sure you make photocopies of all your original documents for backup purposes.

Mistake #4 – Not being eligible

• To get a DUI Pardon in Canada, you need to be eligible.
• You should be aware of four key points.
• First, you need to complete your sentence in full.  That means paying all your fines, including the victim surcharge.
• Second, you need to wait.
• Your waiting period can be 3, 5 or 10 years.  The actual time depends on when you committed your DUI and if your DUI was handled by the court as a summary or indictable offence.
• Third, you need to be a law-abiding citizen.
• And fourth, make sure you do not submit your DUI Pardon application before the end of your waiting period.

Mistake #5 – Not including the fee

• Make sure when you send in your DUI Pardon application that you include the fee owed to the Parole Board of Canada.
• As of January 1, 2022, the fee is $50.
• Your DUI Pardon application will be returned if you don’t include the fee.

Mistake #6 – Not understanding the Measurable Benefit / Sustained Rehabilitation Form

• The hardest part of the DUI Pardon application in Canada is answering the questions in the Measurable Benefit / Sustained Rehabilitation Form.
• Here are three things you need to know about properly answering these questions.
• First.  Do not try to convince the Parole Board that you were innocent of your DUI.  
• Your DUI Pardon application is not the remedy if you believe you were wrongly convicted.
• Second, make sure you answer the questions in as much detail as possible.  Do not include “one-word” answers.
• And third, don’t say that you have forgotten the circumstances surrounding your DUI.  Your DUI Pardon in Canada will get refused.
• I am sure that your DUI conviction represents a time in your life that you want to forget. 
• But you need to revisit that time to properly answer the Measurable Benefit / Sustained Rehabilitation Form.
• Take your time and think through the who, what, when, where, and the how about your DUI to get your answers right.