Complaints, audits, investigations and appeals

Applicants have the right to register a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada regarding any matter relating to the processing of a request.  

During the 2018–2019 reporting period, there was one complaint filed against Environment and Climate Change Canada with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. The complaint related to exemptions applied.

The complaint received in 2018-2019, as well as two complaints from a previous reporting period were completed in 2018-2019 for a total of 3 complaints closed. Table 1 provides a breakdown of the reasons and results of the complaints that were completed in 2018-2019.

Explanation of the results of investigations

• Well founded: The government institution failed to respect the Privacy Act rights of an individual.
• Not well founded: The investigation uncovered no or insufficient evidence to conclude that the government institution violated the complainant's rights under the Privacy Act.
• Resolved: After a thorough investigation, the OPC helped negotiate a solution that satisfied all parties.
• Early resolution: Applied to situations in which the issue is dealt with before a formal investigation is undertaken.
• Settled during the course of investigation: The OPC helped negotiate a solution that satisfied all parties during the investigation, but did not issue a finding.
• Discontinued: The investigation was terminated before all the allegations were fully investigated.

There are no outstanding complaints.

The Department reviews the outcomes of all of the Privacy Commissioner investigations and where appropriate, incorporates lessons learned into business processes.

There were no recommendations raised by other Agents of Parliament during the reporting period.

Application/appeals to the federal court or federal court of appeal

There were no applications or appeals to the Federal Court or Federal Court of Appeal under the Privacy Act during the 2018–2019 reporting period.