A criminal record is the formal record maintained by the RCMP in the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database showing that a person has been convicted of a criminal offence. A criminal record is created upon conviction — not upon being charged. If a charge is withdrawn, stayed, or results in an acquittal, no criminal record results.
The consequences of a criminal record extend well beyond the sentence imposed by the court. A criminal record can affect employment (particularly in regulated professions, government positions, and jobs requiring security clearances), international travel (the United States routinely denies entry to individuals with Canadian criminal records), immigration status (non-citizens may face deportation), volunteer opportunities, and housing applications.
A criminal record can be addressed through a record suspension (formerly called a pardon) under the Criminal Records Act, which sets the record aside so that it does not appear on standard criminal record checks. Eligibility depends on the offence and the time elapsed since sentence completion. For indictable offences, the waiting period is typically 10 years; for summary conviction offences, it is 5 years.