The National DNA Data Bank of Canada - Annual Report 2021-2022

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. Essential services throughout a worldwide pandemic
8. The National DNA Data Bank
9. Offender and forensic hits
10. Convicted offender submissions
11. Processing of biological samples
12. Comparing DNA profiles
13. International participation
14. Privacy of information
15. The value of secondary designated offence submissions
16. Success stories
17. National DNA Data Bank advisory committee
18. Key statistics
19. Financial statement
20. Footnotes

Alternate formats

List of charts

• Chart 1: Impact of COVID-19 on the National DNA Data Bank
• Chart 2: Impact of COVID-19 on the National DNA Data Bank - associations made
• Chart 3: 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, 2021 – March 31, 2022

List of acronyms and abbreviations

B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

COVID-19

Coronavirus disease

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 2021-2022 National DNA Data Bank annual report and to acknowledge the incredible work of the National DNA Data Bank and all of its partners, particularly over the last two years. During this period, the National DNA Data Bank continued to adapt and maintain its operational and technological services to help serve and protect Canadians, even during the global pandemic.

This unprecedented time in history impacted everyone on various levels. Personally, people struggled to secure care for dependents when schools closed. Professionally, organizations had to pivot to ensure employees were safe, secure, and able to continue working given their own unique circumstances. At times, this involved providing technological support to employees to help facilitate the transition to working remotely.

The National DNA Data Bank operates in a unique controlled environment and uses highly specialized equipment, which made it impossible for hands on laboratory work to be done remotely. Instead, protocols to safely and efficiently keep essential laboratory operations running were implemented and employees at all levels remained flexible and committed to supporting investigations.

Despite the restrictive measures introduced by the pandemic, the National DNA Data Bank now stores more than 600,000 DNA profiles in the criminal indices. This has produced over 79,000 matches that have helped law enforcement agencies identify suspects and victims, link crime scenes, and solve active cases.

The National Missing Persons DNA Program also continues to grow. It now contains approximately 1,600 DNA profiles in its database. We continue to work with partner agencies so that we can provide answers to the families and friends of missing persons when possible.

The feature article and success stories in this report highlight how the National DNA Data Bank forged ahead and continued to assist the law enforcement and criminal justice communities during the pandemic. Their achievements are impressive and I am proud of the work and dedication of all National DNA Data Bank employees, which speaks to their resiliency and continued service to Canadians.

Brenda Lucki
Commissioner

Quick facts

• 15,397 Convicted Offender Samples Received in 2021-22 ^{footnote 1 footnote 2}
• 12,278 Increase in the Crime Scene Index in 2021-22
• 5,031 Offender Hits (Convicted Offender to Crime Scene) in 2021-22
• 591 Forensic Hits (Crime Scene to Crime Scene) in 2021-22
• 5,622 Associations made by the National DNA Data Bank in 2012-22 (Number of Offender and Forensic Hits)
• 79,372 Associations made by the National DNA Data Bank since June 30, 2000 (Number of Offender and Forensic Hits)
• 40 Human Remains Hits – Putative identifications made since March 6, 2018 ^{footnote 3}

Essential services throughout a worldwide pandemic

National DNA Data Bank employees were at work when the stay at home orders came down in late March 2020. They were taking in DNA submissions from convicted offenders and from missing person investigations, and maintaining essential services to support Canadian law enforcement agencies.

Within a few weeks, the National DNA Data Bank, in close consultation with the Divisional Emergency Operations Centres, established protocols to safely and effectively keep essential operations running. As an accredited and secure DNA facility, decontamination procedures and Personal Protective Equipment were already in place to ensure the proper handling of DNA samples; however, physical distancing and close monitoring of product supply chains introduced new measures that needed to be adhered to. Managers created rotating work schedules for operational employees, including non-routine hours and the provision of IT tools necessary to securely meet, communicate, perform administrative work, and in some cases work completely from home.

During this time, the criminal justice system faced similar challenges. Courts were not operating as usual thus reducing the number of DNA orders issued. In addition, in-person attendance at court (required for effective DNA collection in many court houses) was prohibited or very limited during the first few months of the pandemic. Moreover, police resources had to be coordinated in response to the pandemic and maintain essentials duties.

Submissions to the National DNA Data Bank continued to be affected during the pandemic. Compared to 2019-20, the submissions to the National DNA Data Bank were reduced by 38 % in 2020-21 and 24% in 2021-22. The lower decrease in 2021-22 shows a gradual return to normal service levels.

Public forensic laboratories at the RCMP and in Ontario and Quebec also continued to operate at varying levels of capacity throughout the pandemic. The forensic laboratories' DNA crime scene profile submissions to the national index were reduced by 19% in 2020-21 of what was sent in 2019-20 and 11% in 2021-22. The National DNA Data Bank made 4,327 DNA matches in 2020-21 and 5,622 DNA matches in 2021-22 compared to 6,857 matches in 2019-20. Again, these numbers suggest a gradual return to pre-pandemic operations The chart below illustrates the number of convicted offender submissions received, the number of profiles added to the crime scene index and number of associations made during the past 3 years.

The National Missing Persons DNA Program also continued to operate at varying levels of capacity throughout the pandemic. Since its creation, the National DNA Data Bank has reported 40 DNA associations that have assisted in the identification of unidentified human remains.

Two years later, with many in the Canadian population becoming fully vaccinated, restrictions on gathering and attendance are gradually being lifted. There has been nothing positive about the pandemic, except that the National DNA Data Bank, and its dedicated personnel, have weathered the storm and have come out stronger and more prepared should another emergency present itself.

The National DNA Data Bank

The National DNA Data Bank is a centralized collection of over half a million 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
• 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 (RCMP) 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:

• Comparing DNA profiles found at crime scenes against the DNA profiles of convicted offenders (Crime Scene Index to Convicted Offenders Index). 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.
• Comparing DNA profiles found at different crime scenes (Crime Scene Index to Crime Scene Index). 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.
• Comparing DNA profiles contained in the Victims Index and the Voluntary Donors Index. 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 Voluntary Donors Index 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 are only compared to those in the Missing Persons Index and the 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 are added to the National DNA Data Bank over the years, a greater number of matches are 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 National DNA Data Bank. Endorsements therefore consist only of fingerprints and documentation. The endorsement process ensures that a convicted offender's DNA profile will remain in the National DNA Data Bank 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 the National DNA Data Bank receives either a biological sample or an endorsement submission, 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 the National DNA Data Bank's 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 in the National DNA Data Bank 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 for use by the National DNA Data Bank. Combined DNA Index System has become an internationally accepted tool for many 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 Data Bank's DNA indices is automatically compared against all existing profiles contained in other 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 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, the National DNA Data Bank has received 1,940 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. These searches produced 9 offender hits and 12 forensic hits. Furthermore, the National DNA Data Bank has sent 366 requests related to criminal investigations to other INTERPOL countries for comparison to DNA profiles developed from crime scene samples, resulting in 8 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, the National DNA Data Bank has received 92 incoming international requests 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. The National DNA Data Bank has sent 38 requests to other INTERPOL countries for comparison of DNA profiles developed from missing persons and unidentified human remains. The incoming requests resulted in one putative identification and the outgoing requests also resulted in one 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 arrives at the National DNA Data Bank, 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 National DNA Data Bank staff never know which convicted offender's DNA profile 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 held within the indices of the National DNA Data Bank do not reveal any medical or physical information about the donor.

The Act further protects Canadians' privacy rights by requiring informed consent for submissions 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, the National DNA Data Bank will only share DNA information 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 hit data was selected from the National DNA Data Bank for a few common secondary designated offences. The figure below provides the number of offender hits 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...
    • 2,580 associations
      • 101 murders
      • 170 sexual assaults
  • S. 266 Assault
    • 9,179 associations
      • 653 murders
      • 1,474 sexual assaults
  • Drug offences (Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and Cannabis Act)
    • 2,779 associations
      • 240 murders
      • 221 sexual assaults
  • S. 264.1 Uttering threat
    • 1,170 associations
      • 75 murders
      • 141 sexual assaults

Success stories

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 the National DNA Data Bank with 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, Queen'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

Director of Science and Strategic Partnerships, RCMP, and a founding member of the National DNA Data Bank.

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 (Represented by Alexandra Foster)

Representing the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

Key statistics

Biological samples: June 30, 2000 through March 31, 2022

Endorsements: January 1, 2008 through March 31, 2022

The global pandemic continued to impact the volume of submissions to the National DNA Data Bank throughout 2012-22.

Financial statement