Employers must treat criminal record checks similarly to other protected grounds of discrimination such as race, religion and so forth. A criminal conviction for which a person has been pardoned is a protected ground of discrimination under human rights law.  Any workplace policies that inadvertently have an adverse affect upon individuals with pardoned convictions must be dealt with accordingly.
Hiring Process
An employer concerned about employing an individual with a past criminal record may request a perspective employee to undergo a criminal background check. However, this should be done with proper precautions. It is advisable to make the background check a requirement once a conditional offer has been made. This would avoid any allegations that hiring practices contravened human rights law upon a discriminatory ground. For instance, requesting a criminal background check after extending a conditional offer avoids the possibility of a hiring decision being influenced by past criminal offences.
Criminal Record Policy
Having a workplace policy that prohibits employment of those with past convictions for which a pardon has been granted is a violation of human rights law. However, there is an exception if, and only if, the workplace policy is a bona fide occupational requirement (“BFOR”). This means that under no circumstances is it possible to employ an individual with a past particular criminal conviction  without suffering undue hardship as an employer.
This is a difficult standard to meet. At the very least, a workplace policy that prohibits a past conviction should be limited to past convictions that closely relate to the job. For instance, if the nature of employment deals with handling sensitive financial information, then having a policy that disqualifies individuals based on recent past convictions of financial fraud would likely be reasonable.
Conclusion
When seeking to enforce or implement workplace policy that deals with criminal record checks, it is important to take all necessary precautions as this is a human rights matter. The policy should relate to past convictions closely related to employment and take into consideration the time past since the conviction took place. It is always best to seek consultation from an employment lawyer when dealing with human rights matters.