The Victims Portal is a secure online service that allows victims of an offender and/or their named representative to access specific information and services online, as defined in law, from the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the Parole Board of Canada (PBC).

A valid email account is required to access all Government of Canada secure services, including the Victims Portal. There are numerous providers of free email accounts including, but not limited to, Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo Mail, should you require one.

Once registered, victims can request and access specific information concerning the offender who harmed them and manage their preferences for receiving information.

If a victim has named a representative to receive information on their behalf, the representative can access specific information concerning the offender who harmed the victim and manage the victim's preferences for receiving information.

Victims can also:

• Request to observe a Parole Board of Canada (PBC) hearing and/or present a victim statement
• Request copies of PBC decisions
• Submit a victim statement to the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and/or the PBC
• Submit a court order to CSC

No — Offenders do not have the right to be notified when a victim registers with the Correctional Service of Canada or the Parole Board of Canada.

Note: If you choose to submit information (such as a victim statement), the law requires that we provide the offender with a copy as they are entitled to see all information that will be used in decision-making. However, no personal information about the victim who provided the information, other than the victim's name, is shared with the offender.

The personal information you provide during the Victims Portal registration process will be used to:

• confirm your status as a victim of the offender(s)
• contact you with any questions regarding your registration request
• provide you with offender updates and/or any additional information you have requested

Note: If you have named a representative to receive offender information on your behalf, we will contact your representative with any questions regarding your registration request.

Upon request, registered victims have the right to receive the following information about the offender who harmed them:

• the offender's name
• the offence for which the offender was convicted and the court that convicted the offender
• the date of commencement and length of the sentence that the offender is serving
• any eligibility dates and review dates applicable to the offender relating to escorted and unescorted temporary absences, day and full parole, statutory release and long term supervision orders.

Registered victims may, upon request, receive additional information if we determine that the victim's interest clearly outweighs the compromise of the offender's privacy resulting from the disclosure.

Additional information may include:

• the offender's age
• the location of incarceration
• the date of any release of the offender the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) has approved
• the date of any PBC review
• any conditions imposed
• the reason for an unescorted temporary absence
• the reason why an offender waived a hearing (if a reason was given)
• the destination of the offender when released and whether the offender will be near the victim while travelling to that destination
• whether the offender is in custody and, if not, the reason why
• any appeal of a PBC decision by the offender and the outcome

For more details on the types of information registered victims may receive, see Victims of Crime - Staying Informed.

Additionally, the PBC can provide a copy of their decisions to victims upon request. For more information on PBC decisions, see Parole Board Decisions.

For more information, see Victim Notification - Correctional Service of Canada, Victims: Receiving Information - Parole Board of Canada or call us at the numbers below.

No — As mandated by the Government of Canada, offender updates cannot be transmitted by email as they contain sensitive personal information about the offender. Offender updates can only be provided by mail, to a secure fax number, directly to a victim or a victim representative over the phone, or through the Victims Portal.

Yes — Victims of crime may name a representative to receive information about the offender on their behalf. Representatives fall into two categories:

• Individual Representative — an individual, such as a family member or friend
• Agency Representative — an agent from a government, police or community victim services agency

Note: Victims may name a representative when registering for a Victims Portal account. Once named, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and/or the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) will contact the named representative using the contact information you provided to confirm their participation and contact preferences. Once confirmed, CSC and/or PBC will contact your representative directly to provide offender information.

For more information on victim representatives, see Victim Representatives.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties, please contact Victims Portal Help Desk between 8AM and 4PM ET, Monday to Friday at 1-866-806-2275 and press “6”. You may leave a message outside of our office hours and your call will be returned within two business days.

Registration refers to the act of being officially recorded as a victim of crime or as a victim representative with the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the Parole Board of Canada (PBC).

Before a person can officially be registered as a victim of crime, CSC and PBC must verify that they meet the definition of a victim under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA). For more information, see Who can register for the Victims Portal?

You can apply to be registered by the Correctional Service of Canada and/or the Parole Board of Canada if you are a victim of crime over the age of 18. Under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA), a person is a victim of crime if:

• they have suffered physical or emotional harm, property damage or economic loss as a result of an offence for which the offender was convicted;
• they are a spouse, conjugal partner, relative of, or person legally responsible for a victim who has died or is not able to act for themselves (e.g. the victim is ill or a child);
• they have custody of, or are responsible for dependents of a victim who is deceased or is unable to act for themselves;
• the person who harmed them has not been prosecuted or convicted, but the victim has made a complaint to the police or Crown Attorney's office.

To create a Victims Portal account, you must complete and submit a registration request. Your request will be reviewed and, if approved, you will receive an email confirmation.

Notes:

• Click here if you are already registered as a victim with the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and/or the Parole Board of Canada (PBC).
• A valid email account is required to access all Government of Canada secure services, including the Victims Portal. There are numerous providers of free email accounts including, but not limited to, Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo Mail, should you require one.

To register for a Victims Portal account:

Step 1 — Sign in to the Victims Portal using your GCKey or through your secure Sign-In Partner. If you do not have a GCKey, click here to obtain one.

Step 2 — Register as a victim or identify as a victim representative. On the Registration Information page, select "I am not yet registered" and click Submit.

Step 3 — Complete all sections of the registration process, namely:

• Contact Information
• Address Information
• Representative Preferences
• Offence Information
• Region Selection
• Review

Note: If you sign off before completing all sections, the system will return you to the last section you completed the next time you sign in. The system will retain your progress for two years from your last sign in date. After two years all information will be deleted and you will have to begin again.

Step 4 — Once you have completed all sections, click "Submit Your Registration" on the Review page. We will review your request and may follow-up with you if additional information or clarification is required.

At a minimum, you must provide your first name and last name, e-mail address, date of birth, your preferred language of written and verbal communication, and information about the offence and offender(s) who harmed you. This information is required to confirm that you meet the criteria to be registered as a victim under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA) and so that we may follow-up with you in regards to your registration request.

Victims Portal registration is free for all victims and their named representatives.

Once you are registered on the Victims portal, you can sign in using either of the following methods:

• GCKey — an electronic credential provided to you by the Government of Canada; or
• Sign-In Partner — a third-party service provider that enables you to use your online banking credentials

I am having problems signing in to the Victims Portal

GC Key Username and Password:

If you forget your GC Key Password for your account, try to reset your password before creating a new GCKey. by clicking on Forgot your password or the Sign In page or contact the GCKey Help Desk:

• Canada and the United States: 1-855-438-1102
• TTY Service: 1-855-438-1103
• Outside Canada and the United States:1-800-2318-6290

If you forget your username you will need to register/sign-up for a new GC Key using a new username and password. Once logged into the new GC Key, you must request for your new account to be connected to your existing file/account.

Security Questions

As a security measure, each time you login to your Victims Portal account you are asked to correctly answer a security question with the same answer you provided when you created your account. If you answer the security question incorrectly three times your account will be disabled.   If this happens please contact the Victims Portal Help Desk between 8AM and 4PM ET, Monday to Friday at 1-866-806-2275 and press “6”. They will enable your account and reset your personal security questions. You may leave a message outside of our office hours and your call will be returned within two business days.

'Credentials' in information systems are widely used to control an individual's access to information or services. The combination of a card number or user ID and password is a widely-used example of credentials. The Government of Canada uses electronic credentials to allow users to communicate securely with online-enabled Government of Canada services.

A GCKey is a unique electronic credential that allows you to communicate securely with any of the Government of Canada’s online services. You can create one GCKey and use it to access multiple online services.

Your GCKey can expire. The system requires you to use your GCKey at least once every two years, otherwise it will expire. If your GCKey expires, you will be required to register for a new one; you will also need to re-register with any online service you were previously using to access the Victims Portal. Click here to register for a GCKey.

Sign-In Partners are financial institutions who have partnered with SecureKey Technologies (Government Sign-In by Verified.Me), a third party service provider, to enable their customers to use their online banking credentials to access Government of Canada services.

While both services enable you to sign in to your Victims Portal account securely, the type of credentials you must provide are different. GCKey requires you to enter your user ID and password, while the Sign-In Partner option requires you to enter your online banking credentials.

Note: To use Sign-In Partner, you must be registered for online banking with Affinity Credit Union, Alberta Treasury Branches, BMO Financial Group, CIBC Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Coast Capital Savings, Conexus Credit Union, Desjardins Group, Libro Credit Union, National Bank of Canada, RBC Royal Bank, Scotiabank, Servus Credit Union, Simplii Financial, Tangerine, TD Bank Group or Vancity.

There are currently sixteen private sector organizations that have partnered with SecureKey Technologies. They are:

• Affinity Credit Union
• Alberta Treasury Branches;
• BMO Financial Group
• CIBC Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
• Coast Capital Savings
• Conexus Credit Union
• Desjardins Group(Caisse Alliance, Caisses Populaires, UNI)
• Libro Credit Union
• National Bank of Canada
• RBC Royal Bank
• Scotiabank
• Servus Credit Union
• Simplii Financial
• Tangerine
• TD Bank Group
• Vancity

It is anticipated that other Sign-In Partners will be added in the future, so keep checking the list of Sign-In Partners when you log in to access Government of Canada services.

No — The safekeeping of Canadians’ information online is a priority for the Government of Canada and measures have been put in place to ensure secure online access which respects privacy. Remember that when you use a Sign-In Partner with your online banking credentials, none of your banking or personally identifiable information is communicated to the government service you are trying to access and the Government of Canada will not know which Sign-In Partner (or financial institution) you have used. Similarly, no information about the government service you are accessing will be shared with your bank.

As a security precaution, if you answer your security question incorrectly three times your account will automatically be disabled. Please contact the Victims Portal Help Desk between 8AM and 4PM ET, Monday to Friday at 1-866-806-2275 and press “6”, to enable your account and reset your personal security questions. You may leave a message outside of our office hours and your call will be returned within two business days.