High-Risk Child Sex Offender Database Comes into Force

Summary#

This Order in Council fixes December 31, 2024 as the day section 29 of the Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act comes into force. That section enacts the High Risk Child Sex Offender Database Act (HRCSODA) and requires the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to create a publicly accessible database of people convicted of sexual offences against children who are judged high risk.

What it does#

• Brings section 29 of the Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act into force on December 31, 2024, which enacts the High Risk Child Sex Offender Database Act (HRCSODA).
• Requires the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to establish and run a public database of people convicted of sexual offences against children who are considered high risk.
• Specifies the database will only include information that a police service or other public authority has already made public. Typical items listed are:
  • given name, surname and aliases
  • date of birth
  • gender and physical description (including distinguishing marks)
  • photograph
  • a description of the offences and any legal conditions
  • the name of the city, town, municipality or organized district of residence
• Sets a prospective rule: the database will only include individuals whose information is made public on or after January 1, 2025.
• Requires the RCMP to take reasonable steps to notify people before their information is listed and to allow them to make representations. It also provides a process for removal requests and judicial review (time limits described in the Act).
• Gives the federal government authority to make regulations on national criteria for who counts as “high risk,” but no regulations are being made immediately.
• The RCMP intends to build the database and consult with provincial, territorial and municipal partners, aiming to have it ready within one year after the Act comes into force.

Who's affected#

• People convicted of sexual offences against children who are assessed as high risk, and their families.
• Local police services and provincial/territorial authorities (the notice relies on existing Provincial, Territorial and Municipal — PTM — practices and notifications).
• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and other federal partners involved in sharing information, such as the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) (mentioned as part of earlier Act changes).
• Caregivers, parents and community members in areas where public notifications are issued.
• Victim and children’s advocacy groups, civil liberties and privacy organizations — the government notes these groups raised concerns in past consultations.

Why it matters#

• The database creates a single, public place to find information about people convicted of child sexual offences who are judged high risk. That could help caregivers and communities take safety precautions and give law enforcement an additional tool for tracking high-risk offenders across jurisdictions.
• The government says the database will only re-publish information already released by police or public authorities, and it limits location details to a general city or municipality (not home addresses or licence plates).
• People and organizations raised concerns during consultations about privacy, rehabilitation, the potential for vigilantism, and whether a public registry actually improves safety. The government notes those concerns and intends to rely on careful review by local experts before information is made public.
• International information-sharing requests (notably from the United States) and changes in how misinformation spreads online were cited as reasons for activating this part of the Act now.