It’s Time To Lift The Burden - The Simi Sara Show - Thu Aug 14 by CKNW published on 2015-08-14T19:04:37Z IT’S TIME TO LIFT THE BURDEN Four million Canadians have a criminal record, hindering their ability to find employment, travel, or even just coach their kids’ soccer games. Lift the Burden, a new advocacy campaign launched by Pardon Services Canada, aims to help erase the stigma of a past criminal record and advocate for legislative amendments to make record suspensions (formerly called pardons) fair, affordable and accessible to all Canadians. Lift the Burden is advocating for two key policy amendments: They want the cost to apply for a record suspension at the Parole Board of Canada to be free. For more than 40 years, record suspensions have proven to be a key tool in reducing crime, increasing employment and eliminating recidivism. Lift the Burden believes government should support the system as a societal benefit, as was the case from 1970 to 1997. They want eligibility wait periods to be rolled back from five years to three years for summary offences and from ten years to five years for indictable offences. Since its implementation in 2012, the unintended consequences of this amendment have become clear. A 19 year-old university student with a marijuana possession charge would be ineligible to apply for a record suspension for five years after the completion of her sentence. Her record will severely limit her opportunities to find employment after graduation and reach her full potential Phone: Azmairnin Jadavji CEO of Pardon Services Canada The Simi Sara Show airs Monday to Friday from 10am to 2pm on CKNW 980. simisarashow Genre simisarashow