Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said some Canadians wishing to work or volunteer with vulnerable people have had to wait months for police background checks verifying their identity.

New technology will now begin to reduce that timeline to minutes, Toews said Tuesday.

The lengthy wait time is the result of a backlog at the RCMP, which performs the checks, and stems from changes the federal government made last year to tighten up restrictions on sex offenders.

With the new changes fingerprints are now required for many applicants seeking to work with children or other vulnerable people, in roles ranging from hockey coaches to support workers for the elderly.

The process of mailing in the prints, then waiting for them to be cross-checked against the RCMP's database and mailed back, can add weeks or even months to the process.

That backlog should begin to disappear, Toews announced Tuesday, now that new technology is being implemented to allow near-instantaneous fingerprint verification.

Local police agencies that have the technology can send a fingerprint digitally to the RCMP. It is then checked against the RCMP's database and a response is sent back.

"If the individual's fingerprints do not match a criminal holding, police agencies will be able to receive a response electronically within minutes," Toews told a news conference.

"This technology, when used for vulnerable sector screening, will dramatically improve wait times for Canadians seeking work with vulnerable communities, it's a win-win."

The technology has been fully implemented by Halton Regional Police in Ontario, with the Ottawa police and several other jurisdictions to follow, Toews said.

Roughly 20 other jurisdictions across Canada have the technology, but have not yet fully implemented it as part of their background check process.

Toews said the federal government is encouraging local police departments to purchase the print scan machines, which range in price from $5,000 to $15,000 depending on the capabilities. However he said the federal government has no plans to help pay for the technology.

"The actual machine itself, the cost would be borne by the police department or the municipality that is responsible for the police department," Toews told CTV News Channel.

"But having said that it's also clear these municipalities and police departments can charge a fee for that, as they do presently."