An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (disclosure of information to victims)

Summary#

This bill changes the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to add more detail in notices sent to victims. When officials tell a registered victim about an offender’s parole or release dates, they must also explain how those dates were set (Bill amending CCRA s. 26(1)(a)(iv), s. 26(1)(c)(i), s. 142(1)(a)(iv), s. 142(1)(b)(iii)). The bill does not change when an offender can get parole or release. It only changes what must be explained in victim notices.

• Requires an explanation of how eligibility and review dates were determined for temporary absences, work release, parole, and statutory release (Bill s. 1–2).
• Applies to information shared by Correctional Service Canada and the Parole Board of Canada with registered victims (CCRA s. 26 and s. 142).
• Coordinates with a 2015 victims’ law to avoid conflicts, no matter which law takes effect first (Bill, Coordinating Amendments referencing 2015, c. 11).
• Takes effect on Royal Assent, as no other date is stated (Bill, no coming-into-force clause).

What it means for you#

• Households (registered victims)

  • You will continue to receive notices about an offender’s eligibility and release dates. Each notice must include a plain explanation of how those dates were calculated under the law (Bill amending CCRA s. 26(1)(a)(iv), s. 26(1)(c)(i); s. 142(1)(a)(iv), s. 142(1)(b)(iii)).
  • Covered events include temporary absences (short, approved time out of custody), work release (supervised work in the community), parole (conditional release before sentence end), and statutory release (automatic release after serving a set portion of the sentence), when applicable under the Act.
  • This change does not give new rights to change the dates. It only requires an explanation of how the dates were set.

• Workers (corrections and parole staff)

  • You must add an explanation of the date calculation to notices about eligibility, reviews, and scheduled releases sent to registered victims (Bill s. 1–2).
  • Processes, templates, and training may need updates to ensure consistent explanations. Data unavailable on timing or workload.

• Offenders

  • No change to eligibility rules, review schedules, or release decisions. Only the content of victim notifications changes (Bill s. 1–2).

• Local and provincial governments

  • No new duties. Federal agencies keep responsibility for notices to victims under the CCRA.

• Timing

  • Changes apply on Royal Assent. Coordinating clauses ensure consistency with the 2015 victims’ law regardless of order of coming into force (Bill, Coordinating Amendments; 2015, c. 11).

Expenses#

Estimated net cost: Data unavailable.

• No fiscal note or cost estimate is provided in the bill text. Data unavailable.
• The bill contains no appropriations or fees and creates no new program. It adds an explanatory requirement to existing victim notifications (Bill s. 1–2).
• Any administrative cost to update forms, systems, or training is not quantified. Data unavailable.

Proponents' View#

• Improves transparency for victims by showing how eligibility and release dates are calculated, rather than listing dates alone (Bill amending CCRA s. 26(1)(a)(iv), s. 26(1)(c)(i); s. 142(1)(a)(iv), s. 142(1)(b)(iii)).
• Helps victims prepare for key milestones, such as parole hearings or statutory release, by understanding the basis for the dates (Bill s. 1–2). Assumes clearer information aids planning; data unavailable.
• Standardizes what must be included in notices from both Correctional Service Canada and the Parole Board of Canada, reducing confusion across agencies (Bill s. 1–2).
• Keeps existing privacy limits and does not change offender rights or parole criteria, reducing legal risk while adding clarity (Bill s. 1–2).

Opponents' View#

• Adds administrative work to generate case-specific explanations, which could slow notification timelines or increase workload. No cost estimate is provided (Data unavailable).
• Risks inconsistent or unclear explanations across cases or regions, which could prompt disputes or more inquiries. Assumption; data unavailable.
• Detailed explanations might inadvertently reveal or allow inference of sensitive information about an offender’s sentence structure, especially in complex cases, even if not required by the bill. Assumption; data unavailable.
• Creates compliance and training needs for two federal bodies (CSC and PBC) without added resources in the bill, which could strain operations if workloads are high (Bill s. 1–2; Data unavailable).