Annual Report to Parliament on the Administration of the Access to Information Act 2023 to 2024

Table of contents

Introduction

This report is tabled in Parliament in accordance with section 94(2) of the Access to Information Act and Section 20 of the Service Fees Act under the direction of the Minister of Public Safety. The report describes how Public Safety Canada (Public Safety) administered and fulfilled its obligations under the Access to Information Act between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.

Purpose of the Access to Information Act

The Access to Information Act came into force on July 1, 1983 and was amended by Bill C-58 on June 21, 2019. It provides Canadian citizens and permanent residents, as well as persons and corporations physically present in Canada, an enforceable right of access to records under the control of a government institution. The purpose of the Access to Information Act is to enhance the accountability and transparency of federal institutions in order to promote an open and democratic society and to enable public debate on the conduct of those institutions. Individuals who are not satisfied with an institution’s handling of any matter related to a formal request made under the Access to Information Act are entitled to complain to the Information Commissioner of Canada.

Mandate of Public Safety

Public Safety was created in 2003 to ensure coordination across all federal departments and agencies responsible for national security and the safety of Canadians. Our mandate is to keep Canadians safe from a range of risks such as natural disasters, crime and terrorism. Our mission is to build a safe and resilient Canada. Our vision is to, through outstanding leadership, achieve a safe and secure Canada and strong and resilient communities.

Legislation governing the Department sets out three essential roles:

Organizational Structure

Public Safety

During the 2023-24 fiscal year, the department was organized into seven branches: Emergency Management and Programs, Crime Prevention, Portfolio Affairs and Communications, National and Cyber Security, Corporate Management, Firearms Compensation Program, and the Indigenous Affairs Secretariat. The department also has a Chief Audit and Evaluation Executive and is supported by the Legal Services Unit.

Five Regional Offices represent the Atlantic, Quebec and Nunavut, Ontario, Prairies and Northwest Territories, and British Columbia and Yukon. These offices are the primary point of contact for the department at the regional level. They deliver a coordinated federal response to emergencies; facilitate the effective delivery of emergency management, Indigenous policing and crime prevention programs; and improve partnerships with other levels of government and key regional stakeholders.

The Public Safety Portfolio: Partner Agencies and Review Bodies

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) manages the nation's borders by enforcing Canadian laws governing trade and travel, as well as international agreements and conventions. CBSA facilitates legitimate cross-border traffic and supports economic development while stopping people and goods that pose a potential threat to Canada.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) investigates and reports on activities that may pose a threat to the security of Canada. CSIS also provides security assessments, on request, to all federal departments and agencies.

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) helps protect society by encouraging offenders to become law-abiding citizens while exercising reasonable, safe, secure and humane control. CSC is responsible for managing offenders sentenced to two years or more in federal correctional institutions and under community supervision.

The Parole Board of Canada (PBC) is an independent body that grants, denies or revokes parole for inmates in federal prisons and provincial inmates in provinces without their own parole board. The PBC helps protect society by facilitating the timely reintegration of offenders into society as law-abiding citizens.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is Canada’s national police service and is the police of jurisdiction for all provinces and territories except Ontario and Quebec. The RCMP works at the community, provincial, territorial and federal levels to prevent crime; enforce the law; investigate offences; keep Canadians, and their interests, safe and secure; and assist Canadians in emergency situations/incidents. The RCMP also offers expertise at the international level by providing specialized training for police officers; conducting international policing activities, including peacekeeping; and sharing intelligence with trusted partners to support investigations, as well as disrupt and dismantle criminal operations.

The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (CRCC) investigates complaints from the public about the conduct of members of the RCMP in an open, independent and objective manner. The Commission also holds public hearings and conducts research and policy development to improve the public complaints process.

The Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI) conducts independent, thorough and timely investigations regarding issues related to the Correctional Service of Canada. The OCI may initiate an investigation based on a complaint from (or on behalf of) an offender, as the result of a ministerial request, or on its own initiative.

The RCMP External Review Committee (ERC) is an independent agency that promotes fair and equitable labour relations within the RCMP. The Committee conducts an independent review of appeals in disciplinary, discharge and demotion matters, as well as certain kinds of grievances.

The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Office

The department’s Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Office is responsible for the coordination and implementation of policies, guidelines, and procedures to ensure departmental compliance with the Access to Information Act as well as the Privacy Act. The ATIP Office is also responsible for responding to requests made under the Acts. In keeping with the department’s role to support the Minister in the coordination of entities within the Public Safety Portfolio, it also plays a leadership role with respect to ensuring alignment of approach with the ATIP Offices of other Public Safety Portfolio organizations, where appropriate.

The ATIP Office is housed within the department’s Portfolio Affairs and Communications Branch, and is headed by the Director of ATIP and Executive Services, who is also responsible for Ministerial Correspondence and Secretariat Services. It is divided into two teams, the ATIP Operations Unit and the Privacy Policy and Governance Unit (PPGU), each of which is headed by a Manager who reports to the Director of ATIP and Executive Services. In 2023-24, the ATIP Office consisted of 17 full-time employees.

Public Safety was not a party to any service agreements to provide services to other organizations under section 96 of the Access to Information Act during the fiscal year.

The ATIP Office has overall responsibility for the department’s proactive publication obligations under Part 2 of the Access to Information Act. The ATIP Office is directly responsible for proactive publication of the following information:

Proactive publication of financial and human resources information under Part 2 of the Access to Information Act is handled by the department’s Corporate Management Branch, including:

Additional information on the department’s proactive publication activities can be found in the section on Proactive Publication below.

Delegation Order

As of October 26, 2021, the responsibilities of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness are divided between two Ministers: the Minister of Public Safety and the Minister of Emergency Preparedness. Despite this change, a single Delegation Order, signed by the Minister of Public Safety, remains valid for all exercises of delegated authorities by employees of the department under the Access to Information Act. Public Safety’s current delegation order for the Access to Information Act and related regulations was signed by the Minister of Public Safety on May 23, 2024 and can be found in Annex A.

The following authorities are granted under this delegation order:

Performance 2023-2024

The following sections provide an overview of key data on Public Safety’s processing of Access to Information Act requests between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024. The full statistical report can be found in Annex B, and the Supplemental Statistical Report found in Annex C.

Response within Legislated Timelines

During the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Public Safety saw a record number of formal and informal requests received and closed, while experiencing a slight decrease in the number of consultations received.

Of the 600 new formal requests completed, 67% were completed on time, a slight decrease compared with the previous year (73%). The team also saw a drop in the on-time completion rate for new files received, compared to the previous year. For example, in 2022-23, the department’s on-time completion rate for new files received during the year was 93%. In 2023-24, the on-time rate for new files had dropped to 73%.

All of these decreases were linked to the surge in overall volume of requests received during the year, which resulted in a major increase in overall workload for the department and the ATIP Office. To complicate the situation, due to a temporary pause in new hiring that was implemented across the department during the year for budgetary reasons, the ATIP Office was unable to hire additional staff to meet this increased  volume of work, which meant the team’s had workload was managed using existing resources.

Nevertheless, the deparetment was able to largely keep pace with the volume of new requests received, closing 600 of 632 formal requests and 660 of 667 informal requests over the course of the year.

Completion Times

A total of 600 formal requests were completed during the fiscal year. Due to the focus on completing backlog files delayed by the pandemic, there has been an increase in files with longer completion times (greater than 180 days), similar to last year.

Completion Times
Completion Time Number of Files
1 to 15 days 105
16 to 30 days 107
31 to 60 days 113
61 to 120 days 126
121 to 180 days 41
181 to 365 days 36
More than 365 days 72

Active Requests Outstanding from Previous Reporting Periods

At the end of the fiscal year, Public Safety had a total of 454 active requests that were carried over to the next reporting period. Of these, 97 were within the legislated timeline, while 357 were beyond the legislated timeline. Of the 357 requests, 205 (58%) were delayed due to the pandemic, a large decrease from the previous year. Public Safety also has a small number of complex files (2018 and earlier) where multi-year extensions were taken due to the large volume of records that must be processed.

Active Requests Outstanding from Previous Reporting Periods
Fiscal Year Received Number of Files
2023-24 194
2022-23 48
2021-22 90
2020-21 96
2019-20 18
2018-19 2
2017-18 2
2016-17 0
2015-16 4

Active Complaints Outstanding from Previous Reporting Periods

At the end of the fiscal year, Public Safety had a total of 30 active complaints that were carried over to the next reporting period. The ATIP Office continues to maintain a transparent and positive working relationship with the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC). Throughout the year, the ATIP Office worked to ensure complaints were addressed within the timelines identified by the OIC, and no significant issues were flagged.

Active Complaints Outstanding from Previous Reporting Periods
Fiscal Year Received Number of Files
2023-24 20
2022-23 8
2021-22 1
2020-21 0
2019-2020 1

Reasons for Extensions

A total of 269 extensions were taken during the fiscal year. The distribution of reasons for extensions was consistent with previous years.

Reasons for Extensions
Reason for Extension (With corresponding section of the Act) Number of Files
Interference with Operations – s. 9(1)(a) 153
Consultations – s. 9(1)(b) 197
Notice to Third Parties – s. 9(1)(c) 29

Consultations from Other Institutions

Public Safety completed 197 consultations for other institutions. The distribution of completion timelines was consistent with previous fiscal years.

Consultations from Other Institutions
Completion Time Number of Files
1 to 15 days 70
16 to 30 days 63
31 to 60 days 42
61 to 120 days 12
121 to 180 days 1
181 to 365 days 1
More than 365 days 8

Disposition of Requests

Of the 600 completed requests, 12% had records that were entirely disclosed, and 60% had records that were disclosed in part. The remaining requests were either exempted or excluded in their entirety; transferred; abandoned; or no records existed corresponding to the request. This breakdown was consistent with previous years.

Training and Awareness

Public Safety remains committed to promoting awareness and providing ongoing training opportunities to all employees. During the year, the ATIP Office continued its outreach to the department to reinforce knowledge and understanding of the legislation and ATIP processes among policy and program areas. The ATIP Office provided 16 training and information sessions on the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act. A variety of subject matter was presented, including strategies for retrieving records and applying exemptions, as well as requirements for proactive publication. A total of  244 people attended these sessions.

Policies, Guidelines and Procedures

During the year, Public Safety’s ATIP Office worked closely with external and internal partners to ensure continuous alignment with policies, guidelines, and procedures issued by Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) and the Privy Council Office to support security of information in both the remote and hybrid work environment. For example, the ATIP Office worked closely with the department’s Cabinet Affairs Unit to support the development and implementation of new procedures governing the handling of Cabinet documents, which were implemented on April 1, 2024.

Proactive Publication under Part 2 of the ATIA

Public Safety is a government institution listed under Schedule I of the Financial Administration Act, for the purposes of Part 2 of the ATIA. In line with the department’s obligations under Part 2 of the ATIA, the table below shows the department’s performance in meeting timelines outlined under Part 2 of the ATIA during the fiscal year.

Proactive Publication under Part 2 of the ATIA
Legislative Requirement Publication Timeline # On time Average in percentage (%)
Packages of briefing materials prepared for new or incoming ministers or deputy heads or equivalent Within 120 days after appointment 2 2 100%
Packages of briefing materials prepared for a minister or a deputy head or equivalent’s appearance before a committee of Parliament Within 120 days after appearance 14 12 86%
Package of question period notes prepared by a government institution for the minister and in use on the last sitting day of the House of Commons in June and December Within 30 days after last sitting day of the House of Common in June and December 2 2 100%
Titles and reference numbers of memoranda prepared for a minister or deputy head or equivalent, that is received by their office Within 30 days after the end of the month received 12 11 92%
Reports tabled in Parliament Within 30 days after tabling 3 2 67%
Reclassification of positions Within 30 days after the quarter 4 4 100%
Travel Expenses Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement 12 12 100%
Hospitality Expenses Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement 12 12 100%
Contracts over $10,000

Q1-3: Within 30 days after the quarter

Q4: Within 60 days after the quarter

 4 4 100%
Grants and Contributions over $25,000 Within 30 days after the quarter 4 4 100%
Total 69 65 94%

Initiatives and Projects to Improve Access to Information

In 2023-24, the ATIP team took steps towards modernizing the current request processing software. These efforts are scheduled to continue through 2024-25 and are intended to streamline ATIP process and support alignment with other government departments going forward. In addition, the ATIP Office provided dedicated support on a number of high visibility files within Public Safety and the Portfolio, that required a coordinated approach to handling of ATIP requests, above and beyond the normal ATIP process. For example, the ATIP Office provided support to the Public Inquiry on Foreign Interference (PIFI), loaning two senior ATIP staff over a period of several weeks to review records in a secure environment. These efforts helped support transparency in the materials being shared with the committee. The team also provided support in reviewing documents in response to a number of Parliamentary Committee motions for document production over the course of the fiscal year.

Summary of Key Issues and Actions Taken on Complaints

As in previous years, Public Safety received a comparatively low volume of complaints on requests made under the Access to Information Act. During the year, the OIC received 37 new complaints against the department, and concluded 27 investigations on Public Safety files. Of these, only two files (7%) were deemed to be well-founded.

During the year, the ATIP Office maintained a constructive relationship with the OIC. Through regular meetings, the ATIP Office worked collaboratively with the OIC to ensure ongoing alignment of approach, to identify priority files for attention, and to address any areas of concern as they arose. No specific areas of concern were noted by the OIC. The Information Commissioner has adopted a new approach in which orders are now being issued automatically when files are found to be well-founded and records are outstanding. The department received two orders during the year; in both cases, Public Safety complied with the order by the specified date, and the files were closed.

Reporting on Access to Information Fees for the Purposes of the Service Fees Act

The Service Fees Act requires a responsible authority to report annually to Parliament on the fees collected by the institution. With respect to fees collected under the Access to Information Act, the information below is reported in accordance with the requirements of section 20 of the Service Fees Act.

Monitoring Compliance

Time Taken to Process Access to Information Requests

Public Safety prepares four recurring ATIP reports to inform senior management of the program during the fiscal year. These reports track a range of information including the list of new formal Access to Information requests received by the department each week, deadlines assigned for retrieval, as well as quarterly record retrieval response time for the branches. Reports are shared regularly with Assistant Deputy Ministers and other senior officials and discussed at senior management meetings as required. In addition, ATIP performance is monitored at the ADM level through performance agreements and evaluations, to ensure ATIP remains a priority within the department.

Inter-Institutional Consultation

Public Safety limits inter-institutional consultation by assessing the sensitivity of records. When information pertains to a routine process, the department may release the information without consultation. A courtesy consultation is often used to advise other institutions that information is to be released on a given date and to invite comments within a given timeframe, which is done with a short turnaround time for review. Formal consultations are reserved for more sensitive matters or where Public Safety is unable to properly assess the sensitivity of records without seeking fulsome input from another institution. Both courtesy and formal consultations are monitored by the Manager, ATIP Operations in discussion with the Director, ATIP and Executive Services.

Frequently Requested Types of Information

As the lead department for the Public Safety Portfolio, Public Safety is responsible for a wide range of policy deliverables. As such, records related to the department’s major policy files (e.g., policy documents, briefing materials, correspondence of senior officials on policy deliverables) are among the most frequently recurring categories of information requested under the Access to Information Act. Over the past two years, the department has seen a large increase in the volume of informal requests for previous ATIP release packages. Significant steps were taken in 2022-23 to increase the ATIP Office’s capacity to receive and process informal requests. These processes worked smoothly in 2023-24, such that all informal requests made during the year were completed on time.

Contracts, Information Sharing Agreements, and Information Sharing Arrangements

As required under Part 2 of the Access to Information Act, contracts over $10,000 are posted on the Open Government site. Any contract, information sharing agreement, or information sharing arrangement not posted on Open Government can be requested under the Access to Information Act. In processing any request, the ATIP Office strives to uphold the principle of transparency and to support the right of access to the greatest extent possible, with a focus on ensuring that any exemptions or exclusions are specific, targeted, and reasonable.

Accuracy and Completeness of Proactively Published Information

During the year, the ATIP Office implemented new procedures to monitor proactive publication timelines. Periodic updates were provided to the ATIP Director to monitor progress and to ensure timely processing of proactive publication deliverables.

Annex A: Access to Information Act Delegation Order

The Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, pursuant to section 95(1) of the Access to Information Act, hereby designates the persons holding the positions set out in the schedule hereto, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers, duties and functions of the Minister as the head of the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, under the provisions of the Access to Information Act and related regulations set out in the schedule opposite each position. This designation replaces all previous delegation orders.

Access to Information Act Delegation Order
Position Authorities Under the Access to Information Act and Access to Information Regulations

Deputy Minister

Associate Deputy Minister

Assistant Deputy Minister, Portfolio Affairs and Communications

Director General, Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs, and Executive Services

Director, ATIP and Executive Services

ATIP Manager

 Full authority

Team Leader, ATIP Operations

ATIP Analyst

 Sections 4(2.1), 9 and 11(2) of the Access to Information Act and 7 of the Access to Information Regulations

Dated, at the City of Ottawa, this 23 day of May, 2024.

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, P.C., K.C., M.P.
Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs

Annex B: Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act

Section 1: Requests Under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Number of requests
Number of Requests
Received during reporting period 632

Outstanding from previous reporting periods:

  • Outstanding from previous reporting period: 115
  • Outstanding from more than one reporting period: 307
 422
Total 1,054
Closed during reporting period 600

Carried over to the next reporting period:

  • Carried over within legislated timeline: 97
  • Carried over beyond legislated timeline: 357
 454
1.2 Sources of requests
Source Number of requests
Media 340
Academia 22
Business ( private sector) 14
Organization 11
Public 119
Decline to Identity 126
Total 632
1.3 Channels of requests
Source Number of requests
Online 623
E-mail 7
Mail 2
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 0
Total 632

Section 2: Information Requests

2.1 Number of informal requests
Number of Requests
Received during reporting period 667

Outstanding from previous reporting periods

  • Outstanding from previous reporting period: 1
  • Outstanding from more than one reporting period: 0
 1
Total 668
Closed during reporting period 600
Carried over to the next reporting period 8
2.2 Channels of informal requests
Source Number of requests
Online 640
E-mail 26
Mail 1
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 0
Total 667
2.3 Completion time of informal requests
Completion Time
0 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
0 472 188 0 0 0 0 660
2.4 Pages released informally
Less Than 100 Pages Released 100-500 Pages Released 501-1,000 Pages Released 1,001-5,000 Pages Released More Than 5,000 Pages Released
Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2.5 Pages re-released informally
Less Than 100 Pages Released 100-500 Pages Released 501-1,000 Pages Released 1,001-5,000 Pages Released More Than 5,000 Pages Released
Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released
483 11,407 144 31,410 27 19,222 3 3,578 3 102,563

Section 3 : Applications to the Information Commissioner on Declining to Act on Requests

Applications to the Information Commissioner on Declining to Act on Requests
Number of requests
Outstanding from previous reporting period 0
Sent during reporting period 0
Total 0
Approved by the Information Commissioner during reporting period 0
Declined by the Information Commissioner during reporting period 0
Withdrawn during reporting period 0
Carried over to next reporting period 667

Section 4 : Requests Closed During the Reporting Period

4.1 Disposition and completion time
Disposition of requests Completion Time
0 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 10 26 22 9 3 0 4 74
Disclosed in part 29 46 70 101 37 32 47 362
All Exempted 2 1 5 5 0 0 2 15
All Excluded 6 4 7 3 1 2 14 37
No record exist 40 29 9 7 0 2 0 87
Request transferred 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
Request abandoned 13 1 0 1 0 0 5 20
Neither Confirmed or Denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 105 107 113 126 41 36 72 600
4.2 Exemptions
Section Number of Requests
13(1)(a) 17
13(1)(b) 2
13(1)(c) 22
13(1)(d) 7
13(1)(e) 0
14 17
14(a) 39
14(b) 6
15(1) 27
15(1) - I.A.Footnote 1 95
15(1) – Def Footnote 2 22
15(1) – S.A Footnote 3 129
16(1)(a)(i) 21
16(1)(a)(ii) 3
16(1)(a)(iii) 4
16(1)(b) 25
16(1)(c) 39
16(1)(d) 4
16(2) 44
16(2)(a) 1
16(2)(b) 0
16(2)(c) 32
16(3) 1
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 0
16.6 0
17 32
18(a) 3
18(b) 1
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) 136
20(1)(a) 0
20(1)(b) 34
20(1)(b.1) 0
20(1)(c) 28
20(1)(d) 2
20.1 0
20.2 0
20.4 0
21(1)(a) 182
21(1)(b) 139
21(1)(c) 23
21(1)(d) 2
22 0
22.1(1) 0
23 55
23.1 0
24(1) 38
26 2
4.3 Exclusions
Section Number of Requests
68(a) 14
68(b) 0
68(c) 0
68.1 0
68.2(a) 0
68.2(b) 0
69(1) 0
69(1)(a) 59
69(1)(b) 0
69(1)(c) 8
69(1)(d) 16
69(1)(e) 87
69(1)(f) 8
69(1)(g) re (a) 138
69(1)(g) re (b) 0
69(1)(g) re (c) 46
69(1)(g) re (d) 13
69(1)(g) re (e) 59
69(1)(g) re (f) 26
69.1(1) 0
4.4 Format at information released
Paper Electronic Other
E-record Data set Video Audio
3 433 0 0 0 0

4.5 Complexity

4.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed for paper, e-record and dataset formats
Number of Pages Processed Number of Pages disclosed Number of Requests
86,989 47,775 508
4.5.2 Relevant pages processed per request disposition for paper, e-record and dataset formats by size of requests
Disposition Less Than 100 Pages Released 100-500 Pages Released 501-1,000 Pages Released 1,001-5,000 Pages Released More Than 5,000 Pages Released
Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed
All disclosed 68 1,430 5 783 0 0 1 1,063 0 0
Disclosed in part 260 6,435 71 18,054 17 11,422 11 22,499 3 18,849
All exempted 10 266 5 1,059 0 0 0 0 0 0
All Excluded 26 802 10 1,856 0 0 1 1,231 0 0
Request abandoned 19 91 0 0 0 0 1 1,199 0 0
Neither confirmed nor Denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Decline to act with the approval of Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 383 9,024 91 21,752 17 11,422 14 25,942 3 18,849
4.5.3 Relevant minute processed and disclosed for audio formats
Number of Minutes Processed Number of Minutes disclosed Number of Requests
0 0 0
4.5.4 Relevant minute processed per request disposition for audio formats by size requests
Disposition Less Than 60 Minutes Released 60 -120 Minutes Released More Than 120 Minutes Released
Number of Requests Minutes Processed Number of Requests Minutes Processed Number of Requests Minutes Processed
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0
All Excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor Denied 0 0 0 0 0 0
Decline to act with the approval of Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0
4.5.5 Relevant minute processed  and disclosed for video formats
Number of Minutes Processed Number of Minutes disclosed Number of Requests
0 0 0
4.5.6 Relevant minute processed per request disposition for video formats by size requests
Disposition Less Than 60 Minutes Released 60 -120 Minutes Released More Than 120 Minutes Released
Number of Requests Minutes Processed Number of Requests Minutes Processed Number of Requests Minutes Processed
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0
Decline to act with the approval of Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0
4.5.7 Other Complexities
Disposition Consultation Required Legal Advice Sought Other Total
All disclosed 21 4 0 25
Disclosed in part 242 118 0 360
All exempted 3 11 0 14
All Excluded 5 28 0 33
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor Denied 0 0 0 0
Decline to act with the approval of Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0
Total 271 161 0 432

4.6 Closed requests

4.6.1 Requests closed within legislated timelines
Number of requests closed within legislation timelines 403
Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines (%) 67.16666667

4.7 Deemed refusals

4.7.1 Reason for not meeting legislated timelines
Number of requests closed past the legislated timelines Principal reason
Interference with Operations/Workload External Consultation Internal Consultation Other
197 0 0 0 197
4.7.2 Requests closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)
Number of days past legislated timelines Number of days past legislated timelines where no extension was taken Number of days past legislated timelines where extension was taken Total
1 to 15 days 9 11 20
16 to 30 days 9 10 19
31 to 60 days 16 21 37
61 to 120 days 16 11 27
121 to 180 days 7 9 16
181 to 365 days 6 7 13
More than 365 days 38 27 65
Total 101 96 197
4.8 Request for translation
Translation Requests Accepted Refused Total
English to French 0 0 0
French to English 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0

Section 5: Extensions

5.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of request
Disposition of Requests Where an Extension Was Taken 9(1)(a) Interference with Operations/ Workload 9(1)(b) Consultation 9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice
Section 69 Other
All disclosed 15 0 15 3
Disclosed in part 128 6 157 23
All exempted 1 0 8 1
All Excluded 6 0 7 0
Request abandoned 1 0 2 1
Neither confirmed nor Denied 2 0 2 1
Decline to act with the approval of Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0
Total 153 6 191 29
5.2 Length of extensions
Length of extensions 9(1)(a) Interference with Operations/ Workload 9(1)(b) Consultation 9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice
Section 69 Other
30 days or less 107 5 72 0
31 to 60 days 23 0 51 29
61 to 120 days 18 0 38 0
121 to 180 days 4 1 19 0
181 to 365 days 0 0 9 0
365 days and more 1 0 2 0
Total 153 6 191 29

Section 6: Fees

Fees
Fee Type Fee Collected Fee Waived Fee Refunded
Number of requests Amount Number of requests Amount Number of requests Amount
Application 432 $2,160 200 $1,000 0 $0
Other fees 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0
Total 432 $2,160 200 $1,000 0 $0

Section 7: Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations

7.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institution and other Organization
Consultations Other Government of Canada Institutions Number of Pages to Review Other Organizations Number of Pages Review
Received during the reporting period 191 6,230 0 0
Outstanding from the previous reporting period 19 1,552 0 0
Total 210 7,782 0 0
Closed during the reporting period 197 7,380 0 0
Carried over within negotiated timelines 10 388 0 0
Carried over beyond negotiated timelines 3 14 0 0
7.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultation received from other Government of Canada institutions
Recommendations Number of Days Required to Complete Consultations Requests
0 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 45 44 14 5 0 0 2 110
Disclose in part 10 13 18 5 1 1 5 53
Exempt entirely 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
Exclude entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 14 5 10 2 0 0 1 32
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 70 63 42 12 1 1 8 197
7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultation received from other organizations outside the Government of Canada
Recommendations Number of Days Required to Complete Consultations Requests
0 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

Section 8: Completion time of Consultations on Cabinet Confidences

8.1 Request with Legal Services
Number of Days Less Than 100 Pages Released 100-500 Pages Released 501-1,000 Pages Released 1,001-5,000 Pages Released More Than 5,000 Pages Released
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 days 5 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 days 7 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 days 25 428 2 215 0 0 0 0 0 0
61 to 120 days 32 541 5 1,139 0 0 0 0 0 0
121 to 180 days 5 40 3 853 0 0 0 0 0 0
181 to 365 days 12 526 5 979 0 0 0 0 0 0
More than 365 days 0 0 1 291 0 0 1 2,250 0 0
Total 86 1,550 16 3,477 0 0 1 2,250 0 0
8.2 Request with Privy Council Office
Number of Days Less Than 100 Pages Released 100-500 Pages Released 501-1,000 Pages Released 1,001-5,000 Pages Released More Than 5,000 Pages Released
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 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
61 to 120 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
121 to 180 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
181 to 365 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More than 365 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Section 9: Investigations and Reports of finding

9.1 Investigations
Section 32 notice of intention to investigate Subsection 30(5) Ceased to investigate Section 35 Formal Representations
37 11 0
9.2 Investigations and Reports of finding
Section 37(1) Initial Reports Section 37(2) Final Report
Received Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner Containing an intent to issue an order by the Information Commissioner Received Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner Containing an intent to issue an order by the Information Commissioner
3 0 3 9 0 2

Section 10: Court Action

10.1 Court actions on complaints: Section 41
Complainant (1) Institution (2) Third Party (3) Privacy Commissioner (4) Total
0 0 0 0 0
10.2 Court Actions on third party notifications under paragraph 28(1)(b):
Section 44 – under paragraph 28(1)(b) 0

Section 11: Resources Related to the Access to Information Act

11.1 Allocated Cost
Expenditures Amount
Salaries $1,431,017
Overtime $2,471

Goods and Services

  • Professional services contracts: $0
  • Other: $35,276
 $35,276
Total $1,468,764
11.2 Human Resources
Resources Person Years Dedicated to Access to Information Activities
Full-time employees 15.267
Part-time and Casual employees 0.000
Regional Staff 0.000
Consultants and agency personnel 0.000
Students 0.000
Total 15.267

Annex C: Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act

Name of the Institution:
Public Safety Canada
Reporting period:
2023-04-01 to 2024-03-31

Section 1: Open Requests and Complaints Under the Access to Information Act

Number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods
Fiscal year open Requests Were Received Open Requests that are Within Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2024 Open Requests that are Beyond Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2024 Total
Received in 2023-24 87 107 194
Received in 2022-23 3 45 48
Received in 2021-22 0 90 90
Received in 2020-21 1 95 96
Received in 2019-20 2 16 18
Received in 2018-19 1 1 2
Received in 2017-18 0 2 2
Received in 2016-17 0 0 0
Received in 2015-16 3 1 4
Received in 2014-15 or earlier 0 0 0
Total 97 356 454
1.2 Number of open complaints with the Information Commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods
Fiscal Year Open Complaints Were Received by Institution Number of Open Complaints
Received in 2023-24 20
Received in 2022-23 8
Received in 2021-22 1
Received in 2020-21 0
Received in 2019-20 1
Received in 2018-19 0
Received in 2017-18 0
Received in 2016-17 0
Received in 2015-16 0
Received in 2014-15 or earlier 0
Total 30

Section 2: Open Requests and Complaints Under the Privacy Act

2.1 Number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods
Fiscal year open Requests Were Received Open Requests that are Within Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2024 Open Requests that are Beyond Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2024 Total
Received in 2023-24 3 0 3
Received in 2022-23 0 0 0
Received in 2021-22 0 0 0
Received in 2020-21 0 0 0
Received in 2019-20 0 1 1
Received in 2018-19 0 0 0
Received in 2017-18 0 0 0
Received in 2016-17 0 0 0
Received in 2015-16 0 0 0
Received in 2014-15 or earlier 0 0 0
Total 3 1 4
2.2 Number of open complaints with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods
Fiscal Year Open Complaints Were Received by Institution Number of Open Complaints
Received in 2023-24 0
Received in 2022-23 0
Received in 2021-22 0
Received in 2020-21 0
Received in 2019-20 0
Received in 2018-19 0
Received in 2017-18 0
Received in 2016-17 0
Received in 2015-16 0
Received in 2014-15 or earlier 0
Total 0

Section 3: Social Insurance Number

Has your institution begun a new collection or a new consistent use of the SIN in 2023-24?
No

Section 4: Universal Access under the Privacy Act

How many requests were received from foreign nationals outside of Canada in 2023-24?
0
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