Government of Canada Acts to Strengthen National Sex Offender Registry and National DNA Data Bank

June 1, 2009 -- Saint John, New Brunswick -- MP Rob Moore, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice, today announced proposed legislative amendments to strengthen the National Sex Offender Registry and the National DNA Data Bank.

"Our government committed to improving the National Sex Offender Registry and the National DNA Data Bank," said Mr. Moore. "Now we’re following through on that commitment. The changes we are proposing today will better protect our children from sexual predators and enable police to not only investigate but also prevent sex crime more effectively."

Mr. Moore was joined at the announcement by Rodney Weston, Member of Parliament for Saint John.

The Sex Offender Information Registration Act that established a national sex offender database was proclaimed as law and came into force on December 15, 2004. The database, administered by the RCMP, was intended to allow police to access information on convicted sex offenders.

"The Registry in its current form is inadequate for the purpose it was meant to fulfill," said Mr. Moore. "These proposed changes will give our law enforcement officials the tools they need to protect Canadians from sexual offenders."

Proposed amendments in the legislation include:

  • Automatic inclusion of all convicted sex offenders in the Registry - as opposed to the current scheme where prosecutors must apply and a judge has discretion whether to include a convicted sex offender in the registry.
  • Offenders convicted of a designated sexual offence under the Sex Offender Information Registration Act will also now be subject to a mandatory order to provide a DNA sample for the National DNA Databank;
  • Police will be empowered to use the Registry to prevent sexual offences, unlike now where they can only use the registry to investigate crimes after they are committed;
  • People who are convicted and jailed for sex crimes in another country who return to Canada under the International Transfers of Offenders Act to serve the remainder of their sentence will now be registered in the Sex Offender Registry;
  • Canadians convicted abroad of sex crimes and returning to Canada at the end of sentence must report their conviction to police within 7 days of arriving in Canada or face criminal prosecution;
  • Police to notify foreign or other Canadian police when high-risk registered sex offenders are travelling to that area; and,
  • Amendments to the National Defence Act to ensure that reforms also apply to the military justice system.


In addition, several administrative and operational enhancements are proposed. For example, registered sex offenders must report the name of their employer, the type of employment as well as any volunteer organizations they are associated with. They will also be required to provide notice in advance of absences from their residence of seven days or more.

Correctional authorities would also be permitted to notify the registration centre of the sex offender’s address where a registered sex offender is serving the custodial portion of a sentence temporarily in the community for a period of 7 days or more.

Rob Moore is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and the MP for Fundy Royal.

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William van Geest
Special Assistant - Communications
Office of Rob Moore, M.P. Fundy Royal
(613) 996-2316