An employer can only check to see if you have a criminal record if you give them permission to do so. Federal jobs and employers in Ontario, British Columbia, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories are all prohibited by law to ask about your criminal record. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia do not have this law in place. An employer may ask you “have you ever been convicted of a criminal offence for which a pardon has not been granted” if you live or work in a province where questions regarding criminal records are allowed. Certain jobs require a background check and criminal record search if the job requires working with vulnerable sectors, such as children, the elderly and the disabled. In this case the employer would have to inform you of the search prior to doing it.
For more information see our suggestions for potential Employers. While you’re there, download the PDF and give that to a potential employer.
