Does a pardon erase a conviction?
No. The Canadian Human Rights Act says that you can’t be discriminated against because of a pardoned conviction. (However, forbidding discrimination and preventing it are two entirely different issues.) This prohibition includes services you may need or the eligibility to work for a federal employer. Crown corporations, the federal public service, federal agencies and the Canadian Forces cannot use application forms that asks any question which would reveal a pardoned conviction. Private employers and volunteer agencies can and do ask questions designed to reveal any criminal record. For example, one device some employers use is putting a question on an application which asks if you have any criminal convictions. They then say you do not have to answer the question, but of course if you fail to answer, they draw the obvious inference. Anyone who is attempting to conceal a criminal record is also an obvious target for blackmail.
