Proof of Previous Conviction

This page was last substantively updated or reviewed January 2013. (Rev. # 95471)

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General Principles

Proof of previous conviction

667 (1) In any proceedings,

(a) a certificate setting out with reasonable particularity the conviction or discharge under section 730, the finding of guilt under the Young Offenders Act, chapter Y-1 of the Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, the finding of guilt under the Youth Criminal Justice Act or the conviction and sentence or finding of guilt and sentence in Canada of an offender is, on proof that the accused or defendant is the offender referred to in the certificate, evidence that the accused or defendant was so convicted, so discharged or so convicted and sentenced or found guilty and sentenced, without proof of the signature or the official character of the person appearing to have signed the certificate, if it is signed by

(i) the person who made the conviction, order for the discharge or finding of guilt,

(ii) the clerk of the court in which the conviction, order for the discharge or finding of guilt was made, or

(iii) a fingerprint examiner;

(b) evidence that the fingerprints of the accused or defendant are the same as the fingerprints of the offender whose fingerprints are reproduced in or attached to a certificate issued under subparagraph (a)(iii) is, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, proof that the accused or defendant is the offender referred to in that certificate;

(c) a certificate of a fingerprint examiner stating that he has compared the fingerprints reproduced in or attached to that certificate with the fingerprints reproduced in or attached to a certificate issued under subparagraph (a)(iii) and that they are those of the same person is evidence of the statements contained in the certificate without proof of the signature or the official character of the person appearing to have signed the certificate; and

(d) a certificate under subparagraph (a)(iii) may be in Form 44, and a certificate under paragraph (c) may be in Form 45.

Idem

(2) In any proceedings, a copy of the summary conviction or discharge under section 730 in Canada of an offender, signed by the person who made the conviction or order for the discharge or by the clerk of the court in which the conviction or order for the discharge was made, is, on proof that the accused or defendant is the offender referred to in the copy of the summary conviction, evidence of the conviction or discharge under section 730 of the accused or defendant, without proof of the signature or the official character of the person appearing to have signed it.

Proof of identity

(2.1) In any summary conviction proceedings, where the name of a defendant is similar to the name of an offender referred to in a certificate made under subparagraph (1)(a)(i) or (ii) in respect of a summary conviction or referred to in a copy of a summary conviction mentioned in subsection (2), that similarity of name is, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, evidence that the defendant is the offender referred to in the certificate or the copy of the summary conviction.

Attendance and right to cross-examine

(3) An accused against whom a certificate issued under subparagraph (1)(a)(iii) or paragraph (1)(c) is produced may, with leave of the court, require the attendance of the person who signed the certificate for the purposes of cross-examination.

Notice of intention to produce certificate

(4) No certificate issued under subparagraph (1)(a)(iii) or paragraph (1)(c) shall be received in evidence unless the party intending to produce it has given to the accused reasonable notice of his intention together with a copy of the certificate.

Definition of “fingerprint examiner”

(5) In this section, “fingerprint examiner” means a person designated as such for the purposes of this section by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 667; R.S., 1985, c. 27 (1st Supp.), s. 136, c. 1 (4th Supp.), s. 18(F); 1995, c. 22, s. 10; 2002, c. 1, s. 181; 2005, c. 10, s. 34; 2008, c. 18, s. 27(F); 2012, c. 1, s. 200.

– CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)

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If a witness denies their record, section 12(2) of the Canada Evidence Act addresses the manner of proving it:

s.12...

How conviction proved

(2) A conviction may be proved by producing

(a) a certificate containing the substance and effect only, omitting the formal part, of the indictment and conviction, if it is for an indictable offence, or a copy of the summary conviction, if it is for an offence punishable on summary conviction, purporting to be signed by the clerk of the court or other officer having the custody of the records of the court in which the conviction, if on indictment, was had, or to which the conviction, if summary, was returned; and

(b) proof of identity.

R.S., 1985, c. C-5, s. 12; 1992, c. 47, s. 66.

– CEA (CanLII), (DOJ)

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See Also

• Credibility Based on Prior Criminal Record#Proving a Record
• Notice of Increased Penalty#Proving Prior Record