Fact Sheet
| Backgrounder | Qs
and As | Brochure | Printable
Brochure
Background
In partnership with the provinces and territories, the Government
of Canada created a National Sex Offender Registry to provide rapid
access by police to current vital information about convicted sex
offenders.
The Sex Offender Information Registration Act [SOIRA])
was proclaimed as law and came into force on December 15, 2004.
Ensuring Public Safety
Accredited police agencies in every province and territory can
access the database. This new tool enhances public safety by assisting
in the investigation of crimes of a sexual nature and identifying
possible suspects known to reside near to the offence site. An officer
is able to search for registered sex offenders living in the area.
The RCMP is responsible for the administration and maintenance
of the database. Police in the various jurisdictions across Canada
are responsible for inputting the data and enforcing the registration
provisions. |
Key Facts
The backbone of the National Sex Offender Registry is a national
sex offender database, which is maintained by the RCMP.
Persons convicted of a designated sex offence as defined by the
Sex Offender Information Registration Act (SOIRA) may be ordered
by the court to register within 15 days of conviction and/or release
from prison.
A person convicted of a designated sex offence who is under court
order is required to report to the appropriate registration centre
to re-register annually and every time they change address or legal
name.
Persons under order after having been convicted of a sex offence
are required to remain registered for 10 years, 20 years or life
– depending on the maximum length of the sentence for the
crime.
The public does not have access to the National Sex Offender Registry.
It is a database that provides Canadian police services with important
information that will improve their ability to investigate crimes
of a sexual nature. |
The following Criminal Code offences have been
included as designated offences under the SOIRA:
|
sexual interference;
|
|
invitation to sexual touching;
|
|
sexual exploitation; |
|
incest; |
|
bestiality; |
|
child pornography (making, possession, distribution); |
|
parent or guardian procuring sexual activity; |
|
exposure; |
|
sexual assault; |
|
sexual assault with a weapon, threats to a third party or causing
bodily harm; and
|
|
aggravated sexual assault; |
|
as well as select offences where it can be proven that the offence
was committed with the intent to commit an offence of a sexual nature;
and |
|
an attempt or conspiracy to commit the above offences. |
Information such as addresses and telephone numbers, offence, alias(es),
identifying marks and tattoos of convicted sex offenders are included
in the national database.
Persons convicted of a sex offence are required to re-register annually
and every time they change address or legal name.
There are penalties for failing to comply with a registration order or
for not giving truthful information.
|
First Offence: a fine of not more than $10,000, imprisonment
of not more than six months, or both.
|
|
Subsequent Offence(s): a fine of not more than $10,000, imprisonment
for a term of not more than six months (summary conviction) or two
years less a day (indictable), or both. |
|