Police checks, which began as a sensible move to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable people in Canada, are becoming a standard employment practice with terrible results depending on where you live.
Take the case of Chris, a young Ontario construction worker who studied and worked hard, in the hope of being hired onto a fire department full-time. The 27 year-old from a small town near Toronto, was shocked to discover his police check, for a position in his local fire department, was the reason he was not hired.
The police check revealed a friend Chris had been out with had been convicted on drug charges. An undercover police officer investigating the friend had met Chris on a few social occasions. Chris was never charged, never even interviewed, yet the revelation of the link caused him to loose his opportunity.
Chris’s story is one of many that is costing Canadians dearly, however, it is an arbitrary system. What one police agency may reveal in one jurisdiction differs from what may be revealed elsewhere.
Now the Canadian Civil Liberties Association is saying the practice has to be standardized and monitored. It is asking the government to take action and requesting greater awareness on the part of employers.
The CCLA released a report earlier this week, called ‘False Promises, Hidden Costs’. Abby Deshman, the Director of the Public Safety Program of the CCLA, said it is time the government passed legislation, to strengthen the rules and understanding of the scope of police checks. Legislation that would prevent the release of non-conviction records for standart police checks. She says it’s time for a centralized body, a government agency, to handle request in a uniform manner.
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