THE 504 DATABASE
Government Accountability Records
1,105 documented records of ethics violations, criminal charges, convictions, and scandals involving Canadian elected officials — federal, provincial, and municipal. Every entry sourced from official government reports, court records, and parliamentary proceedings. Public record only.
Why "The 504"?
This database is named after Criminal Code s.504 — a constitutional right that most Canadians don't know they have.
Section 504: Any one who, on reasonable grounds, believes that a person has committed an indictable offence may lay an information in writing and under oath before a justice.
— Criminal Code of Canada, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46, s. 504
This means any person in Canada can lay an Information before a Justice of the Peace to initiate a private prosecution. You don't need a lawyer. You don't need police permission. You don't need the Crown's approval. You need reasonable grounds and a sworn information.
When the Crown refuses to prosecute, when the RCMP declines to investigate, when Ethics Commissioners issue toothless "findings" — s.504 is the citizen's backstop. This database exists to help Canadians assess whether reasonable grounds exist to exercise that right.
Every record in this database is sourced from public documents: Ethics Commissioner findings, Auditor General reports, court judgments, Hansard transcripts, provincial integrity commissioner rulings, commission testimony, and government data. Nothing is fabricated. Nothing is opinion. This is the documented public record that politicians hope you forget.
Coverage
888
Federal
177
Provincial
40
Municipal
All parties represented. All provinces. 1885–2026. Sources: Ethics Commissioner, Auditor General, court records, Hansard, Charbonneau Commission, provincial integrity commissioners.