OTTAWA - More than 98 per cent of people who responded to a federal consultation on quadrupling the application fee for a criminal pardon objected to the Conservative government's idea.

The government wants to hike the cost of seeking a pardon to $631 from the current $150, saying taxpayers should not have to subsidize the process.

As required under the federal User Fees Act, the Parole Board of Canada -- the body that vets pardon applications -- held a February consultation to gather feedback on the proposal.

In response, 1,074 individuals and organizations said they did not agree with the proposed fee increase, while 12 were supportive, says a summary report by the parole board.

The 1,086 responses comprised 1,056 emails and 30 letters from interested parties including pardon applicants, friends and family of people with a criminal record, members of the public with no criminal record, municipal and federal representatives, people who work in the criminal justice system, pardon application brokers, academics, lawyers, clergy and retired public servants.

The report says people opposed to the fee increase most often said it would:

  • pose a financial burden for applicants, with many unable to pay the increased fee;
  • make it difficult or impossible for people to apply for a pardon who need one to help them obtain employment or pursue their education; and
  • amount to further punishment to that already imposed by the court.
  • "Some also indicated that they thought the proposed fee increase was politically driven."
  • The Canadian Press obtained responses to the consultation -- with the names of individuals blanked out to protect privacy -- under the Access to Information law.

"It is outrageous to think that quadrupling the pardon fee would be acceptable to all Canadians," wrote one person.

Said another: "This proposal is preposterous."

One said the plan was "not only a cash-grab, but is downright criminal."

The Metro Community Chaplaincy of Dartmouth, N.S., said those most affected by the proposed fee increase are "disproportionately poor, disadvantaged, and marginalized."

A pardon doesn't erase a person's criminal record, but can make it easier for someone who has served a prison sentence to get a job and travel abroad -- steps that can help lead offenders back to society.

A law passed one year ago requires the parole board to assess the behaviour of applicants from the time of their conviction to ensure granting a pardon would not "bring the administration of justice into disrepute."

It means scrutiny of pardon applications -- once largely a matter of checking paperwork -- has become much more labour-intensive and costly.

The changes came in reaction to revelations by The Canadian Press that former coach and convicted sex offender Graham James had been quietly pardoned for sex convictions involving three young hockey players dating from 1971.

The parole board says that without a fee increase, demand will continue to outstrip its ability to provide timely pardon services.

Respondents who supported the planned increase commonly felt a person who commits a crime should be responsible for the fees involved in processing their pardon, and that pardons should not be funded by hardworking citizens, the summary report says.

The parole board received 16 official complaints under the User Fees Act asking that an independent advisory panel examine the planned increase because the complainants were not satisfied with the board's reply to their feedback.

Last month the board formed a single panel to address the complaints.

The members are Martine Gravelle, director of corporate services at the parole board, lawyer Lucie Joncas, chairwoman of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Canada, and Nicolas Bellemare, a lawyer and professor at l'Ecole du Barreau du Quebec.

The panel will send a report with findings and recommendations for resolving the dispute to the parole board and the various complainants, the board says.

The recommendations will also be presented to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews for consideration as he prepares a final fee proposal to be tabled in Parliament.