What is CPIC and what kind of records does it store?
When an individual is convicted and a criminal record is created, the information is forwarded to the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), a federally managed criminal record repository. Records stored with the CPIC are available on the federal level, and can be accessed by law enforcement agencies across Canada. A criminal record search will reveal these charges. CPIC records are divided into two main classes. In the first class, full convictions and their sentences are recorded. In the second class, non-conviction records are recorded and stored for restricted distribution. However, information for restricted distribution can often appear in background checks. Pardon Services Canada obtains pardons for the entire CPIC record and can also purge non-conviction CPIC records.
