Annual Report on the Access to Information Act—2018–19
Office of the Auditor General of CanadaAnnual Report on the Access to Information Act—2018–19
Introduction
When the Federal Accountability Act was enacted in 2006, amendments were made to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, both of which came into force in 1983. The scope of application of these laws was expanded, and the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) became subject to the Access to Information Act.
The Access to Information Act gives Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and any person and corporation present in Canada, the right to access information contained in government records, subject to certain specific and limited exceptions.
Section 72 of the Act requires the head of each government institution to prepare an annual report on the administration of the Act within the institution and to submit the report to Parliament.
This annual report on the Access to Information Act at the OAG describes how we administered our responsibilities under the Act during the 2018–19 fiscal year.
If you require more information or wish to make a request under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act, please direct your inquiries to the following:
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
Office of the Auditor General of Canada
240 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G6
Telephone: 613-952-0213 (ext. 6455)
Fax: 613-954-0441
Email: privacy@oag-bvg.gc.ca
Who we are
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) audits federal government operations and provides Parliament with independent information, advice, and assurance regarding the federal government’s stewardship of public funds. While the OAG may comment on policy implementation in an audit, it does not comment on policy itself.
We are in the business of legislative auditing. We conduct
- performance audits of federal departments and agencies;
- annual financial audits of the government’s financial statements;
- special examinations and annual financial audits of Crown corporations; and
- audits of the governments of Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.
Since 1995, the OAG has also had a specific environmental and sustainable development mandate, which was established through amendments to the Auditor General Act.
The Auditor General of Canada is the designated head of the institution for the Access to Information Act as well as the Privacy Act. Pursuant to section 73 of both acts, the Auditor General delegated full authority to the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator.
Access to Information and Privacy team
The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator is accountable for the development and implementation of effective policies, guidelines, systems, and procedures to ensure that the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) meets its responsibilities under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.
The ATIP team at the OAG consists of
- one full-time ATIP Coordinator;
- one full-time Public Disclosure of Information and Privacy Protection Manager, who performs ATIP duties as required;
- one full-time employee from the Legal Services group, who helps the ATIP team on a part-time, ad hoc basis; and
- one full-time Legal Counsel, who manages the ATIP team in addition to fulfilling normal duties as OAG Legal Counsel.
The main activities of the ATIP Coordinator include
- monitoring compliance with ATIP legislation, regulations, and relevant procedures and policies;
- processing requests under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act;
- developing and maintaining policies, procedures, and guidelines to ensure that the OAG respects the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act;
- promoting awareness of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act within the OAG to ensure that employees are aware of their responsibilities;
- preparing annual reports to Parliament and other statutory reports, as well as other material that may be required by central agencies;
- representing the OAG in dealings with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the information and privacy commissioners, and other government departments and agencies in matters pertaining to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act; and
- helping the OAG meet its commitments to ensure openness and transparency, through proactive and informal disclosure of information.
Highlights, trends, and accomplishments for the 2018–19 fiscal year
100% compliance
No formal Access to Information Act requests exceeded their legislative deadlines during the 2018–19 fiscal year. The Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) is proud to have maintained 100% compliance with legislative deadlines.
Trends
The OAG received multiple requests that were ultimately abandoned. These requests required a significant amount of work and resources. Of the 15 requests processed during the reporting period, 5 were abandoned by the requester, with more than 175,000 pages processed (either retrieved or reviewed, or both) prior to abandonment.
Training
The OAG now requires that all employees complete mandatory Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) training, offered by the Canada School of Public Service as an online self-paced service.
Current employees are required to complete the training within two years of 1 April 2018, and new employees are required to complete the training within one year of the start of their employment.
During the reporting period, 162 employees completed this training.
Administration of the Access to Information Act
Requests under the Access to Information Act
Received during the reporting period: | 7 |
Outstanding from the previous period: | 8 |
Total: | 15 |
Sources of requests received
During the reporting period, 6 requests were submitted by members of the public, and 1 request came from academia.
Disposition of completed requests
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) finalized 15 formal requests in the reporting period:
- 1 request was disclosed in its entirety,
- 4 requests were disclosed in part,
- 5 requests could not be processed because no relevant records existed, and
- 5 requests were abandoned by the requester.
Exemptions invoked
Of the 4 requests in which exemptions were invoked,
- section 16.5 was invoked in 1 request,
- section 18(d) was invoked in 1 request,
- section 19(1) was invoked in 2 requests,
- section 20(1)(b) was invoked in 1 request,
- section 20(1)(c) was invoked in 1 request, and
- section 20(1)(d) was invoked in 1 request.
Exclusions cited
The OAG did not invoke any exclusions for the reporting period.
Completion time
Of the 5 requests completed during the reporting period,
- 1 was completed within 30 days,
- 1 required 30 or fewer additional days,
- 1 required 31 to 60 additional days,
- 1 required 61 to 120 additional days, and
- 1 required 181 to 365 additional days.
Extension of time limits
Section 9 of the Access to Information Act provides for the extension of the statutory time limits if consultations are necessary, or if a large number of records have been requested and processing the request within the original time limit would unreasonably interfere with OAG operations. Of the 5 requests completed during the reporting period,
- 2 were extended for up to 30 days pursuant to section 9(1)(a),
- 1 was extended for 31 to 60 days pursuant to section 9(1)(b),
- 1 was extended for 181 to 365 days pursuant to section 9(1)(a), and
- 1 was extended for 60 days pursuant to section 9(1)(c).
Method of access
Electronic copies were provided for all 5 requests completed during the reporting period.
Fees
The fees collected during the reporting period totalled $20. For 4 of the requests, payment of the $5 application fee was submitted in cash, by cheque, or by postal money order accompanying the requests. In compliance with the Treasury Board’s Interim Directive on the Administration of the Access to Information Act, the OAG does not charge search or production fees, and it waives the application fee when requested to do so. During the reporting period, the $5 application fee was waived in three instances.
Costs
The costs directly associated with administration of the Access to Information Act for the reporting period are estimated to be $165,150 for salaries and $1,925 for goods and services, for a total of $167,075. For more information on the cost of salaries, please see “Monitoring compliance” below.
Complaints and investigations
The OAG received no complaints in the reporting period. The OAG has not received any complaints since the 2011–12 fiscal year.
Institution-specific policies, guidelines, and procedures
The OAG did not revise policies, guidelines, or procedures related to the Access to Information Act—or implement new ones—during the 2018–19 fiscal year.
Monitoring compliance
The OAG uses time-code (product-code) management software, essentially a digital “timesheet,” to track all audit and audit-service activities, including
- management of the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) team,
- management of Access to Information cases (treatment of formal Access to Information Act requests and consultations),
- management of privacy cases (treatment of formal and informal Privacy Act requests), and
- privacy impact assessments.
Whenever employees or contractors of the OAG participate in any ATIP-related activity, they must track the time they spend on the activity by entering the number of hours or partial hours into the product-code management software. These records are monitored on a regular basis for human resource and financial purposes. Any employee with access to the OAG network can use the OAG’s INTRAnet (internal Internet) to view this data.
Senior officials, up to and including the Auditor General, are advised about compliance with legislative, policy, and regulatory obligations, as requested or required.
As reflected in part 9.2 of the Appendix and described in the introduction of this report, the OAG dedicated 1.25 person-years to ATIP-related activities.
Appendix—Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act
Name of institution: Office of the Auditor General of Canada
Reporting period: 2018-04-01 to 2019-03-31
Part 1: Requests Under the Access to Information Act
1.1 Number of Requests
Number of Requests | |
---|---|
Received during reporting period | 7 |
Outstanding from previous reporting period | 8 |
Total | 15 |
Closed during reporting period | 15 |
Carried over to next reporting period | 0 |
1.2 Sources of requests
Source | Number of Requests |
---|---|
Media | 0 |
Academia | 1 |
Business (private sector) | 0 |
Organization | 0 |
Public | 6 |
Decline to Identify | 0 |
Total | 7 |
1.3 Informal requests
Completion Time | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 to 15 Days | 16 to 30 Days | 31 to 60 Days | 61 to 120 Days | 121 to 180 Days | 181 to 365 Days | More Than 365 Days | Total |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Part 2: Requests Closed During the Reporting Period
2.1 Disposition and completion time
Disposition of Requests | Completion Time | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 to 15 Days | 16 to 30 Days | 31 to 60 Days | 61 to 120 Days | 121 to 180 Days | 181 to 365 Days | More Than 365 Days | Total | |
All disclosed | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Disclosed in part | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All excluded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
No records exist | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Request transferred | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Request abandoned | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 1 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
2.2 Exemptions
Section | Number of Requests |
---|---|
13(1)(a) | 0 |
13(1)(b) | 0 |
13(1)(c) | 0 |
13(1)(d) | 0 |
13(1)(e) | 0 |
14 | 0 |
14(a) | 0 |
14(b) | 0 |
15(1) - International Affairs | 0 |
15(1) - Defence of Canada | 0 |
15(1) - Subversive Activities | 0 |
16(1)(a)(i) | 0 |
16(1)(a)(ii) | 0 |
16(1)(a)(iii) | 0 |
16(1)(b) | 0 |
16(1)(c) | 0 |
16(1)(d) | 0 |
16(2) | 0 |
16(2)(a) | 0 |
16(2)(b) | 0 |
16(2)(c) | 0 |
16(3) | 0 |
16.1(1)(a) | 0 |
16.1(1)(b) | 0 |
16.1(1)(c) | 0 |
16.1(1)(d) | 0 |
16.2(1) | 0 |
16.3 | 0 |
16.4(1)(a) | 0 |
16.4(1)(b) | 0 |
16.5 | 1 |
17 | 0 |
18(a) | 0 |
18(b) | 0 |
18(c) | 0 |
18(d) | 1 |
18.1(1)(a) | 0 |
18.1(1)(b) | 0 |
18.1(1)(c) | 0 |
18.1(1)(d) | 0 |
19(1) | 2 |
20(1)(a) | 0 |
20(1)(b) | 1 |
20(1)(b.1) | 0 |
20(1)(c) | 1 |
20(1)(d) | 1 |
20.1 | 0 |
20.2 | 0 |
20.4 | 0 |
21(1)(a) | 0 |
21(1)(b) | 0 |
21(1)(c) | 0 |
21(1)(d) | 0 |
22 | 0 |
22.1(1) | 0 |
23 | 0 |
24(1) | 0 |
26 | 0 |
2.3 Exclusions
Section | Number of Requests |
---|---|
68(a) | 0 |
68(b) | 0 |
68(c) | 0 |
68.1 | 0 |
68.2(a) | 0 |
68.2(b) | 0 |
69(1) | 0 |
69(1)(a) | 0 |
69(1)(b) | 0 |
69(1)(c) | 0 |
69(1)(d) | 0 |
69(1)(e) | 0 |
69(1)(f) | 0 |
69(1)(g) re (a) | 0 |
69(1)(g) re (b) | 0 |
69(1)(g) re (c) | 0 |
69(1)(g) re (d) | 0 |
69(1)(g) re (e) | 0 |
69(1)(g) re (f) | 0 |
69.1(1) | 0 |
2.4 Format of information released
Disposition | Paper | Electronic | Other Formats |
---|---|---|---|
All disclosed | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Disclosed in part | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 5 | 0 |
2.5 Complexity
2.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed
Disposition of Requests | Number of Pages Processed | Number of Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests |
---|---|---|---|
All disclosed | 5,287 | 5,287 | 1 |
Disclosed in part | 9,272 | 8,096 | 4 |
All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All excluded | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Request abandoned | 17,223 | 0 | 5 |
Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2.5.2 Relevant pages processed and disclosed by size of requests
Disposition | Less Than 100 Pages Processed | 101-500 Pages Processed | 501-1000 Pages Processed | 1001-5000 Pages Processed | More Than 5000 Pages Processed | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | |
All disclosed | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5,287 |
Disclosed in part | 0 | 0 | 2 | 238 | 1 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7,820 |
All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All excluded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Request abandoned | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 0 | 2 | 238 | 1 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13,107 |
2.5.3 Other complexities
Disposition | Consultation Required | Assessment of Fees | Legal Advice Sought | Other | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
All disclosed | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Disclosed in part | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All excluded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Request abandoned | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2.6 Deemed refusals
2.6.1 Reasons for not meeting statutory deadline
Number of Requests Closed Past the Statutory Deadline | Principal Reason | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Workload | External Consultation | Internal Consultation | Other | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2.6.2 Number of days past deadline
Number of Days Past Deadline | Number of Requests Past Deadline Where No Extension Was Taken | Number of Requests Past Deadline Where An Extension Was Taken | Total |
---|---|---|---|
1 to 15 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
16 to 30 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
31 to 60 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
61 to 120 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
121 to 180 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
181 to 365 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
More than 365 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2.7 Requests for translation
Translation Requests | Accepted | Refused | Total |
---|---|---|---|
English to French | 0 | 0 | 0 |
French to English | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Part 3: Extensions
3.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests
Disposition of Requests Where an Extension Was Taken | 9(1)(a) Interference With Operations |
9(1)(b) Consultation |
9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Section 69 | Other | |||
All disclosed | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Disclosed in part | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All excluded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
No records exist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Request abandoned | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Total | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
3.2 Length of extensions
Length of Extensions | 9(1)(a) Interference With Operations |
9(1)(b) Consultation |
9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Section 69 | Other | |||
30 days or less | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
31 to 60 days | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
61 to 120 days | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
121 to 180 days | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
181 to 365 days | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
365 days or more | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
Part 4: Fees
Fee Type | Fee Collected | Fee Waived or Refunded | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Number of Requests | Amount | Number of Requests | Amount | |
Application | 4 | $20 | 3 | $15 |
Search | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 |
Production | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 |
Programming | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 |
Preparation | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 |
Alternative format | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 |
Reproduction | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 |
Total | 4 | $20 | 3 | $15 |
Part 5: Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations
5.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and organizations
Consultations | Other Government of Canada Institutions | Number of Pages to Review | Other Organizations | Number of Pages to Review |
---|---|---|---|---|
Received during reporting period | 82 | 1,859 | 0 | 0 |
Outstanding from the previous reporting period | 5 | 78 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 87 | 1,937 | 0 | 0 |
Closed during the reporting period | 85 | 1,901 | 0 | 0 |
Pending at the end of the reporting period | 2 | 36 | 0 | 0 |
5.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions
Recommendation | Number of Days Required to Complete Consultation Requests | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 to 15 Days | 16 to 30 Days | 31 to 60 Days | 61 to 120 Days | 121 to 180 Days | 181 to 365 Days | More Than 365 Days | Total | |
Disclose entirely | 46 | 25 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 |
Disclose in part | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Exempt entirely | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Exclude entirely | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Consult other institution | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 52 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 85 |
5.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations
Recommendation | Number of Days Required to Complete Consultation Requests | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 to 15 Days | 16 to 30 Days | 31 to 60 Days | 61 to 120 Days | 121 to 180 Days | 181 to 365 Days | More Than 365 Days | Total | |
Disclose entirely | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Disclose in part | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Exempt entirely | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Exclude entirely | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Consult other institution | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Part 6: Completion Time of Consultations on Cabinet Confidences
6.1 Requests with Legal Services
Number of Days | Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed | 101-500 Pages Processed | 501-1000 Pages Processed | 1001-5000 Pages Processed | More Than 5000 Pages Processed | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | |
1 to 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
16 to 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
31 to 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
61 to 120 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
121 to 180 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
181 to 365 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
More than 365 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
6.2 Requests with Privy Council Office
Number of Days | Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed | 101-500 Pages Processed | 501-1000 Pages Processed | 1001-5000 Pages Processed | More Than 5000 Pages Processed | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests | Pages Disclosed | |
1 to 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
16 to 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
31 to 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
61 to 120 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
121 to 180 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
181 to 365 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
More than 365 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Part 7: Complaints and Investigations
Section 32 | Section 35 | Section 37 | Total |
---|---|---|---|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Part 8: Court Action
Section 41 | Section 42 | Section 44 | Total |
---|---|---|---|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Part 9: Resources related to the Access to Information Act
9.1 Costs
Expenditures | Amount |
---|---|
Salaries | $165,150 |
Overtime | $0 |
Goods and Services | $1,925 |
Professional services contracts | $595 |
Other | $1,330 |
Total | $167,075 |
9.2 Human Resources
Resources | Person Years Dedicated to Access to Information Activities |
---|---|
Full-time employees | 1.25 |
Part-time and casual employees | 0.00 |
Regional staff | 0.00 |
Consultants and agency personnel | 0.00 |
Students | 0.00 |
Total | 1.25 |