The National DNA Data Bank of Canada - Annual Report 2022-2023

On this page

1. Alternate formats
2. List of charts
3. List of tables
4. List of acronyms and abbreviations
5. Message from the Commissioner, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
6. Quick facts
7. The National DNA Data Bank
8. Offender and forensic hits
9. Convicted offender submissions
10. Processing of biological samples
11. Comparing DNA profiles
12. International participation
13. Privacy of information
14. The value of secondary designated offence submissions
15. Success stories
16. National DNA Data Bank advisory committee
17. Key statistics
18. Financial statement
19. Footnotes

Alternate formats

List of charts

• Chart 1: Offenders and forensic hits

List of tables

• Table 1: DNA profiles contained in the criminal indices
• Table 2: DNA profiles contained in the humanitarian indices
• Table 3: Breakdown of DNA profiles contained in the Crime Scene Index
• Table 4: Matches and associations reported
• Table 5: Offender hits by case type
• Table 6: Convicted offender submissions received – breakdown by category of offence
• Table 7: Convicted offender submissions received – breakdown by type of offender
• Table 8: Convicted offender submissions received – breakdown by type of offence
• Table 9: Convicted offender submissions received by province and territory
• Table 10: Breakdown of biological samples destroyed and DNA profiles removed from the Convicted Offenders Index
• Table 11: Summary of National DNA Data Bank indices and associations made
• Table 12: Financial statement of April 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023

List of acronyms and abbreviations

B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid

INTERPOL

International Criminal Police Organization

IT

Information technology

Ph. D.

Doctor of Philosophy

RCMP

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Message from the Commissioner, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

I am pleased to present the 2022-2023 National DNA Data Bank annual report.

For more than 20 years, the National DNA Data Bank and its many partners have provided a valuable service to Canadians. Its important work has contributed to solving criminal and humanitarian investigations by identifying suspects, victims and missing persons, and by linking crime scenes.

In spite of the residual impacts of the pandemic, the dedicated professionals at the National DNA Data Bank have pressed forward in providing essential national services. With more than half a million DNA profiles in the criminal indices, the National DNA Data Bank has matched 85,344 DNA profiles to date. These matches provide vital information that can help law enforcement agencies further or conclude criminal investigations. I am pleased to share several of these success stories in this year's report.

The National Missing Persons DNA Program is growing, as partner agencies continue to submit biological samples and DNA profiles for humanitarian investigations. The database now contains 2,155 DNA profiles and has reported 67 DNA associations. This valuable work provides information about unidentified human remains, which can help bring closure to the loved ones of missing persons.

I am deeply proud of our employees at the National DNA Data Bank for their unwavering commitment to help keep Canadians safe, and to bring needed answers to victims and their loved ones. Thank you all for your resolve, your expertise and your professionalism.

Mike Duheme
Commissioner

Quick facts

• 16,975 Convicted Offender Samples Received in 2022-23 ^{Footnote 1 Footnote 2}
• 13,174 Increase in the Crime Scene Index in 2022-23
• 5,236 Offender Hits (Convicted Offender to Crime Scene) in 2022-23
• 736 Forensic Hits (Crime Scene to Crime Scene) in 2022-23
• 5,972 Associations made in 2012-22 (Number of Offender and Forensic Hits)
• 85,344 Associations made since June 30, 2000 (Number of Offender and Forensic Hits)
• 67 Human Remains Hits – Putative identifications made since March 6, 2018 ^{Footnote 3}

The National DNA Data Bank

The National DNA Data Bank is a centralized collection of over half a million deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) profiles that helps investigators across the country solve a range of crimes. The main goals are simple:

• link crime scenes across jurisdictional boundaries;
• help identify or eliminate suspects;
• determine whether a serial offender has been involved in certain crimes; and
• assist investigators, coroners and medical examiners to find missing persons and identify human remains.

On behalf of the Government of Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is the steward of the National DNA Data Bank, which operates for the benefit of Canada's entire law enforcement community.

The DNA Identification Act allows the National DNA Data Bank to maintain the following indices (databases):

• Convicted Offenders Index
• Crime Scene Index
• Victims Index
• Voluntary Donors Index
• Missing Persons Index
• Relatives of Missing Persons Index
• Human Remains Index

The Convicted Offenders Index, Crime Scene Index, Victims Index and Voluntary Donors Index provide assistance to criminal investigations as follows:

• DNA profiles found at crime scenes are compared to the DNA profiles of convicted offenders. When a match is made, it can help identify a suspect. An "offender hit" is the term used to describe this type of DNA match. If no match is made, this information can also help eliminate suspects.
• DNA profiles found at different crime scenes are compared. When a match is made between DNA profiles found at separate crime scenes, it can help link crimes for which no suspects have been identified. This determines whether a serial offender is involved in a number of cases. A "forensic hit" is the term used to describe this type of DNA match.
• DNA profiles contained in the Victims Index and Voluntary Donors Index are compared to DNA profiles in the other indices. This helps to identify unknown victims, link crime scenes together through victim and voluntary donor DNA profiles, or eliminate the voluntary donors from the focus of an investigation. The DNA profiles from voluntary donors can also be used for elimination purposes in humanitarian investigations.

As part of the National Missing Persons DNA Program, the National DNA Data Bank maintains the Missing Persons Index, Relatives of Missing Persons Index and Human Remains Index to support humanitarian investigations at the national level. These indices allow DNA profiles developed from biological samples and other items collected and submitted by police, coroners and medical examiners to be compared to other DNA profiles in the National DNA Data Bank. The DNA profiles in the Relatives of Missing Persons Index can only be compared to those in the Missing Persons Index and Human Remains Index.

Offender and forensic hits

When the National DNA Data Bank first began operating in 2000, it contained few DNA profiles. As more DNA profiles were added over the years, a greater number of matches were made in less time.

Convicted offender submissions

Every year, the National DNA Data Bank processes convicted offender submissions consisting of:

• biological samples (used to generate DNA profiles that are entered into the Convicted Offenders Index); or
• endorsement submissions (fingerprints and documentation for convicted offenders whose DNA profiles are already in the Convicted Offenders Index).

Before executing a new DNA order or authorization, a police officer must query the Canadian Police Information Centre to determine whether a convicted offender's DNA profile is already in the Convicted Offenders Index. Endorsements therefore consist only of fingerprints and documentation. The endorsement process ensures that a convicted offender's DNA profile will remain in the index if:

• the conviction for which the original DNA order was made is being quashed on appeal;
• the original DNA order/authorization is being quashed on appeal; or
• the retention period is expiring because the person was either:
• convicted as a young person; or
• previously discharged under Section 730 of the Criminal Code of a designated offence.
  

  Note

  This condition was removed as of March 6, 2018 when amendments to the DNA Identification Act came into force).

When a biological sample or an endorsement submission is received, the documentation is reviewed to ensure that the DNA order was issued for a criminal offence for which DNA can legally be collected and that the offender's personal information required for the submission is complete and accurate.

All convicted offender submissions are recorded in an internal tracking system without any of the offender's personal information. Documentation for convicted offender biological sample and endorsement submissions are sent to the RCMP's Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services so they can be certified; associated with an individual by fingerprint comparison; and recorded in the individual's criminal record.

Processing of biological samples

Comparing DNA profiles

The DNA profiles are compared using the Combined DNA Index System, which is a secure network and software program developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Justice, and provided to the RCMP. Combined DNA Index System has become an internationally accepted tool for forensic laboratories, allowing DNA profile information to be compared using a standard, secure format. In Canada, the National DNA Data Bank uses Combined DNA Index System for daily comparisons of DNA profiles. Each new DNA profile entered into one of the national DNA indices is automatically compared against all existing profiles contained in other national DNA indices, as permitted by the DNA Identification Act.

International participation

The National DNA Data Bank shares DNA information with international investigating authorities through an international DNA Information Sharing Agreement with the INTERPOL. This agreement is approved by the Government of Canada and is limited to investigations and prosecutions of designated offences or investigations involving missing persons and unidentified human remains.

Since the first international agreement was signed in 2002, 1,960 incoming international requests related to criminal investigations to search the Convicted Offenders Index, the Crime Scene Index, the Missing Persons Index and the Human Remains Index were received. These searches produced 9 offender hits and 13 forensic hits. Furthermore, 384 requests related to criminal investigations were sent to other countries with an INTERPOL agreement for comparison to DNA profiles developed from crime scene samples, resulting in 10 offender hits and 2 forensic hits.

In 2018, the agreement was updated to allow international comparisons of DNA profiles from missing persons and unidentified human remains. Since then, 103 incoming international requests were received to search missing persons and unidentified human remains profiles against the Convicted Offenders Index, the Crime Scene Index, the Missing Persons Index and the Human Remains Index. Furthermore, 58 requests were sent to other countries with an INTERPOL agreement for comparison of DNA profiles developed from missing persons and unidentified human remains. The incoming requests resulted in 1 putative identification and the outgoing requests resulted in 1 putative identification.

Privacy of information

The DNA Identification Act specifies that DNA profiles in the National DNA Data Bank's indices can only be used for law enforcement or humanitarian purposes. The Act also clearly states that the DNA profiles in the Relatives of Missing Persons Index can only be compared to DNA profiles in the Missing Persons Index and Human Remains Index.

As an additional safeguard to protect the privacy of an individual, when a convicted offender's DNA sample is received, the donor's identity is separated from his or her genetic information, and the sample is identified by a numeric bar code. These bar codes are the only link connecting personal information, the biological sample and the DNA profile. The offender's personal information is kept in a separate registry maintained by the RCMP's Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services, which National DNA Data Bank employees cannot access. This process ensures that the National DNA Data Bank employees do not have access to offenders' personal information for DNA profiles they are processing. Likewise, Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services employees do not have access to the genetic information of an offender. With the exception of biological sex, DNA profiles do not reveal any medical or physical information about the donor.

The Act further protects Canadians' privacy rights by requiring informed consent for submissions of DNA profiles to the Relatives of Missing Persons Index, the Victims Index and the Voluntary Donors Index. This consent can be withdrawn at any time by the contributor. In addition, at least once every five years, the investigating agency is contacted about the case to ensure that the person from whom the DNA profile was obtained has not withdrawn their consent. Investigators are also asked whether they believe the DNA profile will continue to assist in the investigation for which it was obtained. If removal is requested or if the investigating agency fails to respond, then the DNA profile is removed from the appropriate DNA index and the biological sample is destroyed.

Lastly, DNA information will only be shared with other investigative authorities as permitted by legislation.

The value of secondary designated offence submissions

The Criminal Code classifies those offences that may be the subject of a DNA order as either primary or secondary designated offences. When the National DNA Data Bank first started its operations in 2000, the number of secondary designated offences was limited. In 2008, the Criminal Code was amended and the list of secondary designated offences was expanded to include a wider range of offences (for example, failure to appear and drug offences). While usually less violent, these offences can help solve more serious criminal offences.

To illustrate the value of these offences, offender DNA match data was selected for a few common secondary designated offences. The figure below provides the number of offender matches to ongoing investigations (including murders and sexual assaults) that were the outcome of DNA orders being issued for offenders convicted of secondary designated offences.

• Secondary designated offences for which a DNA Order has been issued
  • S. 145 (1)-(11) Failure to appear, to comply, etc...
    • 2,877 associations ^{Footnote 4}
      • 113 murders
      • 182 sexual assaults
  • S. 266 Assault
    • 9,819 associations ^{Footnote 4}
      • 688 murders
      • 1,578 sexual assaults
  • Drug offences (Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and Cannabis Act)
    • 3,057 associations ^{Footnote 4}
      • 269 murders
      • 248 sexual assaults
  • S. 264.1 Uttering threat
    • 1,267 associations ^{Footnote 4}
      • 81 murders
      • 156 sexual assaults

Success stories

It is hard to imagine a time before the National DNA Data Bank was used for the identification of criminals in Canada. A driving force for the creation of the National DNA Data Bank in 2000 was Dr. Ronald Fourney. Hired by the RCMP nearly 34 years ago, Dr. Fourney was a founding member of the RCMP DNA Program. Not only did he witness the evolution of forensic science, his impact in leading the exploration and innovation on how DNA analysis might be used to help criminal and humanitarian investigations was remarkable.

The RCMP's use of DNA was first raised in a Canadian courtroom in 1989. At that time, DNA evidence was a new concept and the expertise of Dr. Fourney and other pioneers was needed to explain the science for it to be trusted in a court of law. Today, courtrooms routinely rely on DNA evidence that is collected at crime scenes.

Dr. Fourney started what turned out to be a long-standing commitment and career in advancing and promoting the standardized use of DNA to support investigations and criminal proceedings. He guided the implementation of sound processes that paved the way for the creation of the National DNA Data Bank in 2000. This included the development and implementation of one of the first electronic DNA sample tracking systems in the world, and a fully automated process for high volume DNA analysis of convicted offenders' biological samples.

The growing use of DNA required corresponding changes in legislation and Dr. Fourney was pivotal in guiding and moving these initiatives forward as the Director of the National DNA Data Bank. In 2008, a new law was enacted that increased the number of eligible designated offences. This significantly increased the number of biological samples collected from convicted offenders and subsequently the number of DNA profiles entered into the Convicted Offenders Index. In 2018, legislation was changed so that DNA could be used to assist in the investigations of missing persons and found unidentified human remains. Dr. Fourney was at the helm of each milestone and initiative, including in the identification of victims in several mass disasters.

While science continues to advance, Dr. Fourney announced his retirement from the RCMP last year. It is a time to reflect on the shoulders upon which so many victims and loved ones have relied on to get answers. His achievements and contributions lie at the heart of the following success stories and countless others that have taken place, that are being investigated and that will come to pass.

National DNA Data Bank advisory committee

Established in 2000 under the mandate of the DNA Identification Act, the National DNA Data Bank Advisory Committee provides strategic guidance and direction on scientific advancements, matters of law, legislative changes, privacy issues and ethical practices. In addition, the Advisory Committee reports to the Commissioner of the RCMP on matters related to the National DNA Data Bank operations and advises the Commissioner on a range of issues related to DNA ethics, scientific advancements and legislative changes. The members of the Advisory Committee are appointed by the Minister of Public Safety and collectively represent a diverse spectrum of expertise. The current members of the Advisory Committee are:

Brendan Heffernan (Chairperson)

RCMP Chief Superintendent (retired), representing the police community.

Derrill Prevett, King's Counsel (Vice-chair)

Attorney (retired) and legal contributor, Crown Counsel for thirty-three years with experience in many high profile cases involving DNA evidence.

Dr. Frederick R. Bieber, Ph. D.

Bio-Medical Ethics, Specialist and Associate Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Bieber is a medical geneticist at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

Dr. Ron Fourney, Ph. D., Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces ^{Footnote 5}

Director of Science and Strategic Partnerships, RCMP, and a founding member of the National DNA Data Bank (2000 to October 2022).

Sue O'Sullivan, B.A., Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces

Human Rights Specialist, with extensive experience in advocacy for victims of crime.

Dr. Michael Szego, Ph. D., Master of Health Science

Clinical Ethicist and Director of the Centre for Clinical Ethics. Dr. Szego is an Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Ben Koop, Ph. D.

Medical Genetics Expert and Professor of Biology at the University of Victoria.

Lacey Batalov

Representing the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

For more information about the Advisory Committee's role, please visit the National DNA Data Bank Advisory Committee website.

Key statistics

Biological samples: June 30, 2000 through March 31, 2023

Endorsements: January 1, 2008 through March 31, 2023

The global pandemic continued to impact the volume of submissions to the National DNA Data Bank throughout 2022-23.

Financial statement