For over a quarter-century, Inline Reference has been the gold standard for police record checks in Canada. We provide direct access to the RCMP’s National Repository of Criminal Records (CPIC), giving you the clarity needed to protect your team, your assets, and your reputation.
When you conduct a criminal record check in Canada, you are essentially querying the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), a national database maintained by the RCMP.
Understanding the difference between the levels, and how the digital workflow functions in 2026 is key to remaining compliant and efficient.
The of information you receive depends on which level of search you request:
This is a name-based search of the RCMP National Repository. It is designed to find:
This "supersizes" the basic check by querying additional data banks, such as the Police Information Portal (PIP) and local police indices. It adds:
In 2026, the process is largely automated, moving from a manual paperwork-heavy system to a seamless digital loop.
The employer triggers a request via their dashboard. The candidate receives an email or SMS with a secure link to the Inline portal.
Police services can only confirm what a candidate has declared. All candidates will be given the opportuntiy to declare any criminal history which will be verified by the police services. Any omissions will be identified by the police and will return a response of "Incomplete" or "Not Completed". A new search must be run in this case, after the declaration has been updated. As well, to prevent fraud, candidates must verify their identity. In 2026, this is done via:
Once identity is confirmed and consent is signed, the system queries the CPIC and PIP databases.
This is where Inline’s 25 years of experience comes in. Police services in Canada review the results. If a "Potential Match" is found, we verify that it is truly your candidate and not someone with a similar name/DOB, preventing "false positives." This adds a bit of time to the process, but helps us make sure we get it right the first time.
A PDF report is generated. You are notified immediately, and the report is stored in our secure, PIPEDA-compliant online-portal for your retrieval.
In 2026, the process is largely automated, moving from a manual paperwork-heavy system to a seamless digital loop.
The employer triggers a request via their dashboard. The candidate receives an email or SMS with a secure link to the Inline portal.
To prevent fraud, candidates must verify their identity. In 2026, this is done via:
Under Canadian law, third-party screening providers are prohibited from conducting VSCs. These must be initiated by the candidate through their local police service. A VSC is the most comprehensive screening level; it encompasses all data found in Criminal Record and Police Information Checks, while also identifying record-suspended (pardoned) sexual offences. For sectors such as childcare and eldercare, a VSC is a statutory requirement. Please note that employers may only use results from these checks to inform hiring decisions if a direct link exists between a conviction and the specific duties of the role.
No. We do not query your credit file at all. Instead we use a digital ID verification where you include the back and front of a primary ID and take a new selfie to compare your face to the image on your ID. Your credit is unaffected by this process.
No. Once a Record Suspension is granted by the Parole Board of Canada, your record is sealed and removed from the active CPIC database. A standard or enhanced check will return as "No Record Found." The only exception is for Vulnerable Sector checks involving certain sexual offences.
A potential match doesn't always mean a criminal record exists; it often means your name and birthdate are similar to someone else in the database. Our Canadian experts manually review these cases to minimize delays. If we cannot resolve it, we will guide you through the digital fingerprinting process.
For security and privacy, your invite link remains active for 14 days. We recommend completing the identity verification as soon as you receive the link to ensure your results are delivered to the employer within our <24-hour target.
Yes. In Canada, there is no 'expiry date' on a criminal record. A Canadian criminal record is generally permanent unless you receive a Record Suspension If a conviction exists in the RCMP’s National Repository, it will remain there indefinitely unless you are granted a Record Suspension (formerly known as a pardon). Unlike the US, where records often "disappear" after 7 years, Canadian records typically stay in the system indefinitely. Be sure to declare everything to speed up the process and prevent additional problems.
Our direct connection to CPIC and local police indices ensures you receive real-time data. Unlike companies that use "cached" or old databases, an Inline report is an accurate snapshot of the candidate's record as it exists at the moment of the query.
While a check is technically a point-in-time snapshot, your acceptance level is determined by your organization. However, anything could have happened between the last check and now. We always recommend up-to-date checks.
Yes. In 2026, digital background screening is the industry standard. Our reports include Digital Signatures and are retrieved directly from our portal to certify the document's authenticity. This makes them just as (if not more) secure than paper certificates.