NLIS 5
December 15, 2004
(Justice)

 


The following statement was issued today by Tom Marshall, Minister of Justice and Attorney General. It was also read in the House of Assembly: 

Today the federal government announced the creation of a national sex offender registration system which will enable police agencies across the country to have access to specific information about convicted sex offenders. The implementation of this registry reflects a consensus reached with provinces and territories to establish a nation-wide sex offender registration system. The backbone of the registration system will be a sex offender database which will be managed by the RCMP. This database will be available to all police agencies through the Canadian Police Information Centre, which is accessible to accredited law enforcement agencies across Canada. 

Every police force in Canada will have access to this data for the sole purpose of investigating unsolved sex crimes. The database will serve over 60,000 law enforcement officials in every province and territory.

The database is designed to be searchable by local police by specific criteria, for example geographical area, postal code area, or physical attributes of offender, and will produce instant lists of convicted offenders matching the facts of specified criteria. 

Persons convicted of a sex offence who are currently under sentence and those convicted in the future will be obligated to register annually. They will also be required to report certain changes, for example change of address, or leaving the province for an extended period of time. 

Convicted sex offenders will be required to remain registered for 10 years, 20 years, or life � depending on the maximum penalty for their crime. Registration is required either within 15 days if not in custody or upon release if incarcerated. Offenders failing to comply with an order or giving false information would be committing an offense. 

The new national registration system will enhance public protection and improve investigations of sex offences while providing a reasonable level of privacy to offenders. We welcome this positive initiative which will assist all police agencies, and introduce improved access to offender information across the country. This new registration system will enhance public safety and security � especially for children across Canada. 

2004 12 15                          2:30 p.m.


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