Can I board a flight to Canada on an expired PR card if I have not renewed it yet?

No, generally an airline will not allow a permanent resident to board a flight to Canada on an expired PR card, since it is not considered valid travel documentation for boarding purposes, even though the person's underlying permanent resident status may still be valid. Airlines are required to verify appropriate documentation before boarding passengers travelling to Canada, and an expired card does not satisfy that requirement.

A permanent resident in this situation generally needs either a valid PR card, if there is enough time to renew it before travelling, or a PR travel document issued by a Canadian government office abroad, which is a separate document specifically meant to allow a PR without a valid card to travel back to Canada. Simply holding onto an expired card and hoping it will be accepted is not a safe plan.

Anyone who realizes their PR card has expired, or is about to expire, while abroad, or who is planning travel and knows their card will be expired by then, should apply for renewal or a PR travel document well in advance, since arranging either one from outside Canada can take real lead time.