What happens to Withdrawn Charges or Stayed Proceedings?
When the police forward your case to The Crown for prosecution, the trial may not result in a conviction. In some cases, the charges may be withdrawn. This happens when there was a plea bargain, or if you plead guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for having a more serious one withdrawn. The judge presiding over the trial may also decide to stay the proceedings of a charge after consideration of the circumstances. However, both withdrawn and stayed charges are recorded on the CPIC for restricted distribution. If the only charges you have are withdrawn or stayed you do not have a true criminal record, and therefore you cannot obtain a pardon. Unfortunately, these charges still may appear in background checks. Pardon Services Canada can have these records purged.
