Section 696.84 — Criminal Code: Powers

The Commission may, in carrying out its mandate, direct employees to provide applicants and potential applicants with general information and guidance on applications and each stage of the review process; direct employees to notify the Correctional Service of Canada and the Parole Board of Canada of the importance of ensuring that applicants and potential applicants do not experience barriers to or exclusion from programs, services or conditional release processes as a result of making an application for a review on the grounds of a miscarriage of justice; enter into contracts in its own name; provide supports to applicants in need, including by entering into contracts with service providers for the provision of those supports; and enter into contracts with persons who have technical or specialized knowledge to assist in the Commission’s work. For the purposes of paragraph (1)(c), supports to applicants in need include directing them to services in their communities for persons in need or helping them access those services; providing them with translation and interpretation services; assisting them, if they are without means, in relation to necessities such as food and housing; and assisting them, if they are without means, in obtaining legal assistance in relation to making an application or providing a written response to an investigation report prepared by the Commission.