If you had submitted your pcc in the beginning and it had expired at cic office you would probably have had a stronger argument (you hadn't visited your country since PCC issuance, but as someone pointed out that someone may get convicted after leaving the country in the next one year).
But since you did not submit at that time and cic did not get the older pcc before expiry, you do not have any argument. You will have to get a new one and submit. Again, you can always call cic. But beware, agent might agree but your officer might request a new one as per guidelines. This will delay your processing.
