Senator Boisvenu: I find it questionable that you are focusing on the exceptions, making general statements and applying them to every criminal. Take, for example, an individual who leaves prison after being convicted of selling drugs to children — and we know the consequences — and who asks the state to expunge his criminal record. Who is responsible for paying for that expungement? An honest citizen or the criminal himself?

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Senator Boisvenu: In our society, the principle of rehabilitation depends on accountability. If the government pays for all citizens’ expenses, we are making citizens unaccountable. If an individual commits a traffic violation, such as impaired driving causing bodily harm, the justice system will order an electronic starter device to be installed in their car at a cost of roughly $800. The system ensures that it is the individual who committed the offence who pays for the ignition interlock device. When a criminal record is expunged, why make society pay fees that should be charged to the criminal?

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