2023 to 2024 Annual Report on the Access to Information Act

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Introduction

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) is pleased to present to Parliament its annual report on the administration of the Access to Information Act (ATIA) for 2023–24 (April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024).

This report is prepared and tabled in accordance with section 94 of the ATIA, which requires that the head of every federal institution prepare and submit an annual report to Parliament on the administration of the act in the institution during the fiscal year.

Purpose of the Access to Information Act

The purpose of the ATIA is to enhance the accountability and transparency of federal institutions to promote an open and democratic society and to enable public debate on the conduct of those institutions. To further that purpose:

  • Part 1 extends the present laws of Canada to provide a right of access to information in records under the control of a government institution in accordance with the principles that government information should be available to the public, that necessary exceptions to the right of access should be limited and specific, and that decisions about the disclosure of government information should be reviewed independently of government
  • Part 2 sets out requirements for the proactive publication of information

Mandate of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

As the administrative arm of the Treasury Board, TBS has a dual mandate: to support the Treasury Board as a committee of ministers and to fulfill the statutory responsibilities of a central government agency and those of a line department. The Treasury Board’s mandate is derived from the Financial Administration Act.

To fulfill its mandate, TBS organizes its business and resources around four core responsibilities:

  • spending oversight
  • administrative leadership
  • employer
  • regulatory oversight

TBS provides advice and support to Treasury Board ministers in their role of ensuring value for money. TBS also provides oversight of the financial management functions in federal institutions.

TBS makes recommendations and provides advice to the Treasury Board on policies, directives, regulations and program expenditure proposals with respect to the management of the government’s resources. TBS is responsible for the general management of government-wide initiatives, issues and activities (as reported in the Main Estimates).

The offices of the following government officials are part of TBS:

  • the Comptroller General of Canada
  • the Chief Human Resources Officer of Canada
  • the Chief Information Officer of Canada

The Comptroller General is responsible for the comptrollership function of government and provides government-wide leadership, direction, oversight and capacity-building for financial management, internal audit, and the management of assets and acquired services.

The Chief Human Resources Officer provides government-wide leadership on people management through policies, programs and strategic engagement by centrally managing labour relations, compensation, pensions and benefits, and by contributing to the management of executives.

The Chief Information Officer provides government-wide leadership, direction, oversight and capacity-building for information management, information technology, government security (including identity management), access to information, privacy, and internal and external service delivery.

Delegation order for the Access to Information Act

Pursuant to subsection 95(1) of the ATIA, the President of the Treasury Board has delegated the powers, duties and functions for the administration of the ATIA to the following TBS officials:

  • the Secretary of the Treasury Board
  • the Assistant Secretary of Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs
  • the Senior Director of Ministerial Services
  • the Director of Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP)
  • managers and team leaders of the ATIP office

The delegation order was signed on November 29, 2023, and a copy can be found in Appendix A.

Organization structure

The ATIP office is part of the Ministerial Services division of TBS’s Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs sector.

The ATIP office is responsible for:

  • implementing and managing programs and services related to TBS’s administration of the ATIA and the Privacy Act (PA)(the acts)
  • providing advice to TBS employees as they fulfill their obligations under the acts
  • reviewing and releasing records under Part 2 of the ATIA specifically, briefing note titles, parliamentary committee appearance binders, Question Period notes and transition binders

Outside of the administration of the acts, the ATIP office provides support in the following areas:

  • internal reviews of documents intended for publication by sectors
  • reviews of documents subject to parliamentary production motions
  • reviews of documents related to class action lawsuits
  • training sessions on the administration of the acts for sectors and sector officials
  • policy updates and research related to the administration of the acts
  • research and reporting on trends within the ATIP office
  • systems administration of ATIP software
  • various reports
  • privacy breach management
  • access to information and privacy advice to program sectors

The ATIP office is led by a director who is supported by three managers. Each of these managers oversees a unit that is responsible for a different functional area. The three key units include:

  • ATIP Intake and Governance Unit
  • ATIP Operations Unit
  • Privacy Policy Unit

The ATIP Intake and Governance Unit and the ATIP Operations Unit work together to process ATIP requests, whereas the Privacy Policy Unit supports sector officials on privacy-related matters, including the review of privacy impact assessments and privacy breach management.

The ATIP office comprises employees at various levels. There was an equivalent of 18.4 full-time employees who administered the ATIA in 2023–24 consisting of 17 full-time employees, 4 casual employees and 1 student. There was an additional equivalent of 7.7 full-time employees who administered the PA in 2023–24 consisting of 7 full-time employees and 1 part-time employee. Certain employees within the ATIP office contribute to both the ATIA and the PA, and these activities are recorded in the appropriate report proportional with their contributions.

Figure 1 shows the roles of the individuals and teams involved in processing ATIP requests at TBS. The ATIP office has three functional units. Sector liaison officers are not part of the ATIP office but play an important role in processing requests because they coordinate ATIP activities in their respective sectors.

Figure 1: roles in processing ATIP requests
Figure 1. Text version below
Figure 1 - Text version

ATIP Director

ATIP Intake and Governance Unit

Coordinates and reviews documents that must be published under Part II of the Access to Information Act.

Offers client services to individuals that have submitted ATIP requests

Liaises with sectors to obtain and retrieve documents needed to process ATIP requests.

Conducts monitoring, performance reporting and data analytics for ATIP.

8 employees and 1 student

ATIP Operations Unit

Reviews documents that are responsive to requests made under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Liaises with the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to resolve complaints.

Supports the review of records through other processes such as parliamentary motions and other disclosures.

9 employees

Privacy Policy Unit

Advises and supports TBS officials to ensure compliance with the Privacy Act and related policy instruments.

Supports TBS officials to ensure that the privacy rights of individuals are respected when delivering programs and activities.

Supports the ATIP Director in their role as the delegate responsible for section 10 of the Privacy Act.

6 employees

ATIP sector liaison officers

Support the ATIP program by coordinating ATIP activities within their sector.

The TBS ATIP office works with the 19 sectors across TBS that retrieve responsive records to ATIP requests. Each sector has assigned sector liaison officers that work directly with the ATIP office to efficiently process requests. The ATIP office also works in partnership with sectors across TBS to complete proactive publication requirements under Part 2 of the ATIA.

Section 96 of the ATIA allows government institutions to provide access to information services to another government institution that is presided over by the same minister. In 2023–24, the ATIP office did not provide any such services.

Statistical report

Statistical reports prepared by government institutions provide aggregate data on the application of the ATIA and the PA. This information is made public annually in a statistical report that is included with the annual reports on access to information and privacy tabled in Parliament by each institution. TBS’s statistical report on the ATIA for 2023–24 is found at Appendix B.

This year, institutions were required to report on the following additional criteria:

  • open requests from previous reporting periods
  • open complaints from previous reporting periods
  • new authorities to collect or use social insurance numbers
  • privacy requests made by foreign nationals

The 2023–24 Supplemental Statistical Report on the ATIA and PA is found at Appendix C.

The following sections contain:

  • highlights of TBS’s performance in 2023–24 in relation to its obligations under the ATIA
  • analyses of the notable statistical data for this year compared with previous years

Interpretation of the Statistical Report for the Access to Information Act

In this section

Introduction

In 2023–24, TBS observed a continuation of the following important trends that have emerged over the previous 3 years. Many of the underlying metrics that impact these trends extend as far back as 2014–15.

  • The number of requests carried forward remains consistent
  • The number of pages processed is increasing
  • The on-time compliance rate is decreasing
  • Operational resourcing remains constant

Table 1 presents a 10-year overview of the institution’s processing of access to information requests.

Table 1: a 10-year overview of the institution’s processing of access to information requests
Fiscal year Requests received Requests completed Requests carried forward Number of pages processed Number of pages released On-time compliance rate Number of full-time employees

Table 1 Notes

Table 1 Note 1

This figure is the result of the collection of documents in response to 3 ATIP requests pertaining to audits conducted within the office of the Comptroller General of Canada. These pages were exempted entirely from disclosure pursuant to section 22.1 – Internal Audits.

Return to table 1 note * referrer

2023–24 365 363 151 100,014 50,502 71% 18.4
2022–23 369 392 149 76,784 38,859 81% 19.92
2021–22 435 428 172 72,420 44,892 90% 17.45
2020–21 328 317 165 65,675 27,801 81% 18.81
2019–20 380 420 154 15,039,174table 1 note 1 21,533 91% 16.65
2018–19 564 518 196 46,241 33,125 97% 15.81
2017–18 574 557 150 75,958 49,753 93% 10
2016–17 534 523 133 57,046 32,085 96% 7.82
2015–16 503 464 122 39,310 23,986 95% 7.50
2014–15 417 419 82 34,808 23,920 96% 7.5

The underlying metrics that support these trends illustrate the challenges faced by many ATIP offices within the Government of Canada. Within TBS, the primary challenge stems from an increase in demand for ATIP services as a result of:

  • increased level of public interest in departmental activities, which often results in a greater number of records that require processing
  • increased creation of records resulting from a digital work environment
  • increased training, technology and policy requirements for the ATIP program
  • increased support for non-legislative activities (litigation, publication reviews, parliamentary production motions)

While the recorded number of employees dedicated to the administration of the ATIA has increased significantly relative to the years prior to 2018–19, the number of employees dedicated to processing requests under Part 1 of the ATIA has remained consistent at 9.4 full-time equivalents.

Modernization and governance activities associated with improving the efficiency of the ATIP program have been a focal point for TBS and have increased significantly over the previous 5 years. Consequently, 3 resources recorded as administering the ATIA fulfill these responsibilities, which include but are not limited to:

  • supporting departmental officials in their responsibilities under the ATIA
  • proactive publication requirements
  • digital modernization
  • compliance monitoring
  • departmental training

To increase modernization in 2023–24, the ATIP office introduced a new sector response form that requires subject matter experts in sectors to provide detailed recommendations and validation of the repositories that they searched for relevant information. This new form aligns with recommendations made by the Office of the Information Commissioner to the ATIP community.

The TBS ATIP office has also used SharePoint to make it easier to share records between sectors and the ATIP office. In 2023–24, TBS modified the delegation order to facilitate the review of records under Part 1 of the ATIA. The ATIP office also continues to work toward the implementation of a new request processing software that will better support the digital modernization of the institution.

While capacity to process ATIP requests has remained consistent, demand for this service has grown. As an institution, TBS initiatives have historically had limited public interest given its mandate. However, this has changed significantly over the past years, and TBS has observed a significant increase in the interest and complexity in TBS-led initiatives and an associated increase in complex and sensitive ATIP requests filed. A detailed breakdown of these trends is available in the following section, Access to Information Act requests received.

Most records created are digital and more records are being produced now. Given this, the ATIP office frequently observes numerous requests of high volume, complexity and sensitivity that exceed processing capacity. This ultimately decreases the institution’s on-time compliance rate and results in a consistent number of requests being carried forward annually.

The increased demand for ATIP services is anticipated to continue in upcoming fiscal years.

Part 1: requests received and carried forward

Access to Information Act requests received

In 2023–24, TBS received 365 requests under the ATIA, which is consistent with 2022–23. While the ATIP office received access to information requests on a variety of topics in 2023–24, TBS continued to receive many voluminous requests on topics that were of high public interest.

The voluminous and complex nature of these requests requires dedicated senior level expertise spanning multiple years. This creates significant capacity challenges within the ATIP office because it does not have sufficient personnel to process these requests.

It is anticipated that voluminous requests on topics with high public interest will continue in the coming years. Therefore, the retention and recruitment of staff with sufficient experience will be essential so that these requests can be processed in a timely manner.

The following topics generated a high volume of requests in 2023–24.

Transition of the Public Service Health Care Plan to Canada Life

On July 1, 2023, the Public Service Health Care Plan transitioned from Sunlife Canada to Canada Life. This transition was of significant interest to members of the public service and resulted in 13 requests on the topic consisting of 27,068 pages of records that required processing.

Collective bargaining and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) strike

On April 18, 2023, over 155,000 public servants represented by PSAC entered into a legal strike position which continued until April 28, 2023, before a tentative agreement was reached. As the Employer for the core public administration, TBS received 16 requests related to the labour disruption and the collective agreement, consisting of 21,584 pages that required processing.

Policy on the common hybrid work model for the public service

The ATIP office continued to receive a number of requests regarding the common hybrid work model for the public service policy that was announced in December 2022. This policy resulted in 11 new requests in 2023–24 consisting of 7,062 pages. This is in addition to the more that 35,000 responsive pages that were received in 2022–23. Following the announcement in May 2024 of the Direction on prescribed presence in the workplace, the ATIP office anticipates it will continue to receive additional requests on this topic in 2024–25.

Procurement of the ArriveCan application

In 2023–24, the ATIP office received 8 requests related to activities undertaken by the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates to study the procurement of the ArriveCan application and the underlying contracting practices. These 8 requests consist of 26,226 pages that required processing.

Policy on COVID-19 Vaccination for the Core Public Administration including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

TBS received 4 formal requests consisting of 2,959 pages related to the Policy on COVID-19 Vaccination for the Core Public Administration Including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. While this is a significant reduction from the 31 requests received in 2022–23, it illustrates the enduring public interest on this topic.

Access to Information Act requests carried forward

The number of requests that the TBS ATIP office carried forward from previous fiscal years remained consistent, increasing from 149 requests in 2022–23 to 151 in 2023–24. The consistency in the number of requests carried forward illustrates the existing capacity constraints faced by the ATIP office when attempting to reduce the backlog while also maintaining legislative compliance for new requests.

The number of pages associated with the requests is another consideration outlining this capacity constraint. The requests carried forward are increasing in both volume and complexity as demonstrated by the current carry forward inventory, which accounts for 418,000 pages of records that require processing.

The ATIP office assesses that without changes to the current operational environment, the inventory of pages carried forward will continue to increase in upcoming fiscal years at a rate of approximately 32,000 pages annually.

Figure 2 shows the number of requests TBS received each year and the number of requests carried forward for 2019–20 to 2023–24.

Figure 2: access to information requests received and requests carried forward, 2019–20 to 2023–24
Figure 2. Text version below
Figure 2 - Text version
Year 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Received 380 328 435 369 365
Carried forward 154 165 172 149 151

Sources of requests

Of the 365 requests received in 2023–24, the most significant portion of requesters self-identified as members of the public (151). The second largest category of self-identification was those who declined to identify, which accounted for 138 requesters. The remaining requests were submitted by requesters who self-identified as media (40), academia (19), businesses (12) and organizations (5).

While the most frequent source of requests were members of the public, the number of requests that originated from requesters who declined to identify increased from 75 in 2022–23 to 138 in 2023–24, which is an increase of 84%. Notably, the number of requests originating from academia decreased from 76 in 2022–23 to 19 in 2023–24, which is a decrease of 75%.

Figure 3 shows the percentage of access to information requests received by source.

Figure 3: percentage of access to information requests by source, 2023–24
Figure 3. Text version below
Figure 3 - Text version
Public 151
Academia 19
Decline to identify 138
Media 40
Business (private sector) 12
Organization 5
Total 365

Channels of requests

Pursuant to section 6 of the ATIA, requests must be submitted by requesters in writing.

Requests can be submitted electronically via the Access to Information and Personal Information Online Request Service (AORS) or by email. Requests can also be sent by mail, fax or submitted in person.

Most requests that TBS receives are submitted electronically. In 2023–24, 325 requests were submitted via AORS and 30 requests were submitted by email. This represented 97% of the 365 requests received by TBS.

Part 2: requests completed

Access to information requests completed

In 2023–24, TBS completed 363 requests, which is 6 fewer completed requests compared to the 369 requests completed in 2022–23. Though the number of requests completed remained consistent, the ATIP office processed 100,014 pages this reporting period, which is an increase of 30% compared to the 76,784 pages processed in the previous fiscal year.

Figure 4 shows the number of access to information requests TBS completed each year from 2019–20 to 2023–24.

Figure 4: access to information requests completed, 2019–20 to 2023–24
Figure 4. Text version below
Figure 4 - Text version
Year 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Completed 420 317 428 392 363

In 2023–24, the ATIP office closed numerous requests on topics of high public interest that involved identical records. Identical records are recorded as pages processed for each request they are released in and require a lower level of effort by the ATIP office to process.

Most ATIP requests contain unique records to be processed. However, when TBS processes multiple requests on the same topic, it is possible that a portion of the responsive records will be processed under multiple request numbers. The TBS ATIP office indexes records that respond to requests of high public interest to continue to improve efficiencies.

The following topics account for a significant portion of requests closed and pages processed in 2023–24.

Policy on COVID-19 Vaccination for the Core Public Administration including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

TBS closed 9 requests consisting of 20,185 pages related to the Policy on COVID-19 Vaccination for the Core Public Administration Including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Policy on the common hybrid work model for the public service

TBS closed 26 requests consisting of 31,895 pages related to the common hybrid work model for the public service that was announced in December 2022.

Collective bargaining and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) strike

TBS closed 13 requests consisting of 7,831 pages related to the labour disruption of April 2023 and the new collective agreement.

Disposition of requests completed

The following is a breakdown by disposition of the 363 requests completed in 2023–24:

  • 160 requests contained records that were partially disclosed
  • 69 requests were abandoned by the requester
  • 65 requests contained records that were disclosed entirely
  • 54 requests had no records
  • 11 requests were transferred
  • 2 requests contained records that were fully exempted
  • 2 requests contained records that were fully excluded

The 65 requests that were disclosed entirely in 2023–24 are consistent with the 61 requests disclosed entirely in 2022–23. The number of requests that were partially disclosed increased by 19% from 134 in 2022–23 to 160 in 2023–24. Of the requests that fell within TBS’s mandate, for a significant proportion of them, the records were only partially disclosed because of the nature of TBS’s business, which involves Cabinet confidences, employer negotiations, and sensitive advice and recommendations to the President of the Treasury Board.

Figure 5 shows the percentage of access to information requests by disposition for 2023–24.

Figure 5: percentage of requests by disposition, 2023–24
Figure 5. Text version below
Figure 5 - Text version
Disposition of requests Total %
Disclosed in part 160 44%
No records exist 54 15%
Request abandoned 69 19%
All disclosed 65 18%
All excluded 2 1%
Request transferred 11 3%
All exempted 2 1%
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0%
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0%
Total 363 100%

Note: No requests were neither confirmed nor denied.Footnote 1 Two requests were exempted in full and 2 requests were excluded in full. As a result, those dispositions are not found in Figure 5.

Table 2: number of requests and percentage of total requests by disposition, 2021–22 to 2023–24
Disposition of requests 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Number of requests Percentage of total Number of requests Percentage of total Number of requests Percentage of total
All disclosed 85 20% 61 16% 65 18%
Disclosed in part 159 37% 134 34% 160 44%
All exempted 1 0% 0 0% 2 1%
All excluded 3 1% 6 2% 2 1%
No records exist 117 27% 120 31% 54 15%
Request transferred 0 0% 3 1% 11 3%
Request abandoned 63 15% 68 17% 69 19%
Neither confirm nor deny 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Total 428 100% 392 100% 363 100%

Dispositions

Consistent with previous fiscal years, a majority of requests are disclosed in part to requesters. This means that while the records have been provided, some exemptions or exclusions have been applied. During the reporting period, the ATIP office provided responsive records to the requester 62% of the time. This is a 12% increase from the 50% of requests in 2022–23 in which applicants were provided responsive records.

Approximately 37% of the requests were abandoned or transferred, or the records did not exist at TBS. Only 2% of the requests were excluded or exempted in their entirety.

These numbers demonstrate the ATIP office’s efforts to adhere to the principles of open government. Consistent with the previous fiscal year, in the instances where TBS was the relevant department and had the responsive records, 98% of those requests provided records to applicants.

Exemptions

The ATIA exempts certain information from being disclosed. In 2023–24, 162 requests contained some information that was subject to exemptions, and this information was not disclosed.

A request may have multiple exemptions applied, resulting in a greater number of exemptions invoked than redacted requests. In 2023–24, a total of 162 requests contained information that was subject to the following exemptions:

  • information related to the internal decision-making processes of government (69 requests) (section 21 of the act)
  • personal information (95 requests) (section 19 of the act)
  • law enforcement and security information (61 requests) (section 16 of the act)
  • solicitor–client privileged information (35 requests) (section 23 of the act)

Every year, the ATIP office receives enquiries from the public about how to obtain information under the ATIA or the PA, and about where to send their requests. TBS redirects many of these enquiries to other federal government institutions, and occasionally, to provincial Freedom of Information and Privacy offices. They are not counted as requests for the purposes of this report.

Exclusions

Many TBS documents are categorized as cabinet confidences because TBS provides administrative support to the Treasury Board Cabinet committee and provides a central agency challenge function for cabinet submissions of other government institutions. These documents are excluded from disclosure under the ATIA. Records that are publicly available (for example, government publications and records in libraries or museums) are also excluded from disclosure under the ATIA.

A request may have multiple exclusions applied, resulting in a greater number of exclusions invoked than redacted requests. In 2023–24, a total of 71 requests contained information that was subject to exclusions:

  • confidences of the King’s Privy Council (70 requests) (section 69 of the act)
  • published material (8 requests) (subsection 68(a) of the act)

Pages processed and disclosed

TBS completed 363 requests in 2023–24, which involved processing 100,014 pages and 4 data sets. This represents a 23% (23,594 pages) increase in the number of pages processed compared to 2022–23. In 2023–24, 88 of the 363 completed requests involved processing more than 99 pages. In 2023–24, 30 completed requests involved processing more than 1,000 pages per request.

Figure 6 shows, for 2019–20 to 2023–24, the number of access to information requests TBS completed and the number of pages processed.

Figure 6: access to information requests completed and pages processed, 2019–20 to 2023–24
Figure 6. Text version below
Figure 6 - Text version
Year 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Number of pages 39,174 65,676 72,420 76,784 100,014
Request completed 420 317 428 392 363

Over the previous 5 years, TBS has observed a trend where the number of responsive ATIP records provided by departmental officials is increasing. In 2023–24, the ATIP office recorded an average of 276 pages processed per closed request. This represents a 29% increase from the previous high of 196 pages on average per closed request that was recorded in 2022–23. Voluminous requests often require additional processing time in addition to requiring more senior expertise.

Consequently, the impact of increasing average page volume for requests manifests in lower on-time compliance rate. The ATIP office anticipates average volume of pages per request closed to continue to increase in upcoming fiscal years.

Figure 7 shows the average number of pages processed for each completed request. The number of pages processed per request increased 23% from 2022–23 to 2023–24.

Figure 7: average number of pages processed per completed request, 2019–20 to 2023–24
Figure 7. Text version below
Figure 7 - Text version
Year 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Completed 93 207 169 196 276

While there is an established trend that requests closed are becoming more voluminous on average, additional analysis more clearly illustrates the nature of this trend.

The calculation for the average number of pages processed per closed request includes a substantial number of requests that did not contain records, were transferred, or were abandoned prior to processing records. When these requests are excluded from the calculation, the average pages processed per closed request rises significantly to 424 pages. When combined with the fact that requests have become more complex, the increase in page volume for requests further demonstrates the operational challenges faced in 2023–24.

Complexity

As a central agency involved in implementing government-wide policies, TBS records frequently require consultation with other federal institutions before disclosure because these records contain information originating from or of interest to those institutions. Of the 225 requests that were fully or partially disclosed, 61 (or 27%) required formal consultation with other institutions.

In addition to the formal consultation process, an additional 339 informal notifications to government departments were required. The informal notification process is one mechanism implemented by TBS ATIP to help limit inter-institutional consultations, as advocated by the Office of the Information Commissioner and the Directive on Access to Information requests. The informal notification process reduces the administrative burden of consultations on other federal institutions and ensures that TBS ATIP provides Canadians with expeditious access to government records.

Format of information released

The ATIP office continues to provide clients with access to government records in electronic formats. In 2023–24, TBS released information exclusively in electronic formats for all 225 requests for which records were disclosed. This is consistent with 2022–23 and 2021–22, when information was also released exclusively in electronic formats.

Requests for translation

Consistent with previous fiscal years, TBS did not receive nor did it process any requests in 2023–24 that required translation of responsive records.

Part 3: on-time compliance rate, completion times and extensions

On-time compliance rate

The on-time compliance rate is the percentage of requests responded to within their legislative timelines, including requests for which the institution invoked legislative extensions.

In 2023–24, TBS’s ATIP office achieved an on-time compliance rate of 71.3%. This represents a 5-year low, decreasing by 10.1% from last year’s compliance rate of 81.4%, and by 18.9% compared to the compliance rate of 90.2% in 2021–22.

TBS assesses that several factors contributed to the decline in the on-time compliance rate, such as:

  • the increased volume and complexity of records requiring processing and review prior to disclosure
  • time required to obtain voluminous records from departmental officials
  • the TBS ATIP office’s efforts to reduce the number of requests from its oldest reporting periods
  • the additional responsibilities of the ATIP office beyond its legislative requirements under Parts 1 and 2 of the ATIA
  • limited senior expertise required to process complex and sensitive requests

Figure 8 shows the impact of the increasing average number of pages processed for completed requests on the on-time compliance rate and on the percentage of completed requests that require an extension.

Figure 8: average number of pages processed per completed request, percentage of completed requests that required an extension, and on time compliance rate, 2019–20 to 2023–24
Figure 8. Text version below
Figure 8 - Text version
Year 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Average number of pages processed per completed request 93 207 169 196 276
Percentage of requests that required an extension 74% 83% 44% 37% 45%
Percentage of requests completed within legislated timelines (on-time compliance rate) 91% 81% 90% 81% 71%

The calculation for compliance rate includes the substantial number of requests that did not contain records, were transferred or were abandoned prior to processing records. These requests are closed within 30 days and artificially increase the compliance rate. The compliance rate for requests that contained records was 56%. In instances where there are records to review or provide to requester, the records were only provided on time just over half the time.

Deemed refusals

There are a variety of reasons why TBS was unable to close requests within legislative timelines, including:

  • a significant workload in the ATIP office
  • a labour disruption that impacted a portion of the requests processed
  • delays in obtaining records from departmental officials

Like other Government of Canada institutions, there continued to be staffing changes during the reporting period and onboarding new staff also factored into the ability to respond to ATIP requests within legislative timelines.

These factors created a challenging environment with respect to maintaining legislative compliance and invoking legal extensions under the ATIA, as the office was unable to assess records to determine the necessity of legal extensions.

In 2023–24, TBS closed 104 requests that exceeded the legislated deadline and therefore fell into deemed refusal. Of requests closed in 2023–24, 29% were closed past the legislative due date. The number of requests in deemed refusal increased by 43% compared to the 73 requests that were deemed refusals in 2022–23.

In 2023–24, 62 requests, or 60% of all late requests, were closed beyond legislative timelines due to the ATIP office’s workload.

A total of 15 requests were reported in deemed refusal category of “other.” This category includes requests that went late because of the difficulty of obtaining records from departmental officials, or for other reasons such as unavailability of ATIP resources resulting from the PSAC strike action.

Time it takes to complete requests

Of the 363 requests closed in 2023–24, 49% were closed within 30 days, which is a decrease of 9% from 58% recorded in 2022–23. This change is partially attributed to the fact that TBS received 55% fewer requests where no records existed, which are typically processed within 15 to 30 days of receipt.

The number of requests that took more than 120 days increased by 6% from 82 in 2022–23 to 86 in 2023–24. Many of the requests that required more than 120 days to complete are related to the topics listed earlier in this report, which were of high public interest and involved a large volume of records.

Figure 9 shows the amount of time that it took to complete access to information requests in 2023–24.

Figure 9: requests completed by time it takes to complete request, 2023–24
Figure 9. Text version below
Figure 9 - Text version
Completion time 1 day 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
Requests Completed 82 95 41 59 34 35 17
Table 3: requests completed by time it takes to complete request, 2021–22 to 2023–24
Time to complete request 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
  Number of requests % Number of requests % Number of requests %
1 day to 15 days 58 14% 50 13% 82 23%
16 to 30 days 174 41% 178 45% 95 26%
31 to 60 days 36 8% 44 11% 41 11%
61 to 120 days 86 20% 38 10% 59 16%
121 to 180 days 26 6% 28 7% 34 9%
181 to 365 days 24 6% 18 5% 35 10%
More than 365 days 24 6% 36 9% 17 5%
Total 428 100% 392 100% 363 100%

Reasons for extensions

The legislation sets timelines for responding to access to information requests and allows for extensions in any of the following cases:

  • when complying with the timeline would interfere with the unit’s operations due to the volume of pages identified that require review
  • when a consultation with other institutions is required
  • when a third-party consultation is required

In 2023–24, TBS invoked extensions for 164 completed requests, or 45% of all requests completed. Consistent with 2022–23, 65% of all extensions were invoked for the purposes of consulting with other government institutions, legal services or third parties.

However, TBS invoked 92 extensions for requests in which there was a large volume of records and complying with the original time limit would have unreasonably interfered with operations. This represents a 70% increase compared to the 54 extensions invoked in 2022–23 under the same provision, and highlights the impact of increasing volumes of records on processing times within the ATIP office.

Figure 10 shows the extensions invoked for access to information requests completed in 2023–24.

Figure 10: types of extensions invoked as a percentage of all extensions invoked, 2023–24
Figure 10. Text version below
Figure 10 - Text version
Type of extension 9(1)(b)
consultation
9(1)(a)
interference with operations/workload
9(1)(c)
third-party notice
Number of extensions invoked 139 54 35

Note: Each request can qualify for multiple extension types, which may result in a greater number of extensions invoked than the number of requests that were extended.

Length of extensions

In 2023–24, TBS completed 164 requests for which extensions had been invoked.

Figure 11 illustrates the different types of extensions invoked for access to information requests completed in 2023–24.

Figure 11: extensions invoked for ATI requests by type, 2023–24
Figure 11. Text version below
Figure 11 - Text version
Length of extensions Volume and interference Consultation Third-party notification
30 days or less 57 30 9
31 to 60 days 24 45 21
61 to 120 days 8 33 5
121 to 180 days 0 11 0
181 to 365 days 2 17 0
365 days or more 1 8 0

Part 4: informal requests

In order to submit a formal request under the ATIA, requesters must pay a $5 application fee. The institution receiving the request is required by law to provide a response within 30 calendar days of receipt, and requesters have a right to file a complaint with the Office of the Information Commissioner if they are unsatisfied with how their request was processed.

As part of providing Canadians with relevant information on an informal and timely basis, and in the spirit of transparency and open government, TBS processes informal requests for information. Informal requests at TBS are predominantly re-releases of completed formal requests. Unlike formal requests, informal requests:

  • are not covered under the ATIA
  • do not require an application fee
  • do not have legislative deadlines
  • do not provide requesters with a right to file a complaint with the Office of the Information Commissioner

Informal requests received

In 2023–24, TBS received a total of 3,579 informal requests.

This number represents an increase of 264% in informal requests received compared to the 984 informal requests received in 2022–23, and an increase of 4,161% compared to the 84 requests received in 2021–22.

Consistent with 2022–23, one individual made a request for 3,350 previously released packages. Excluding this outlier, the total number of informal requests received would be 229 requests, which is a 173% increase compared to 2021–22.

The ATIP office anticipates continued growth in the number of informal requests owing to Government of Canada’s ongoing commitment to transparency via the publication of ATI summaries and their extended maintenance online for up to 10 years.

Figure 12 shows the number of informal requests received from 2020–21 to 2023–24.

Figure 12: shows the number of informal requests received from 2020–21 to 2023–24.
Figure 12. Text version below
Figure 12 - Text version
Year 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Completed 50 84 984 3579

Informal requests completed

While informal requests are not subject to the same legislated time frames as formal requests made under the ATIA, TBS strives to complete informal requests within 30 calendar days. In 2023-24, TBS completed 205 of 228 informal requests within 30 days.

The 228 informal requests completed in 2023-24 represents a decrease of 77% relative to 2022-23.

Figure 13 shows the number of informal requests completed from 2020-21 to 2023-24.

Figure 13: informal requests completed, 2020-21 to 2023-24
Figure 13. Text version below
Figure 13 - Text version
Year 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Completed 63 91 971 228

Informal pages released

TBS released 54,148 pages in response to informal requests in 2023–24. This number represents a decrease of 55% compared to the 120,056 pages released in 2022–23. As the ATIP office received 3,350 informal requests at the end of the fiscal year, there will be a large increase of pages processed in the upcoming fiscal year.

Figure 14 shows the number of pages released for informal requests completed from 2020–21 to 2023–24.

Figure 14: pages released for completed informal requests, 2020–21 to 2023–24
Figure 14. Text version below
Figure 14 - Text version
Year 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Completed 3,575 13,491 120,056 54,148

Part 5: consultations from other government institutions and organizations

Consultation requests received and carried forward

TBS received 160 consultation requests in 2023–24, in addition to 12 consultation requests carried forward from the previous fiscal year. This represents a 14% decrease in the number of consultation requests received compared to the 186 consultations received in 2022–23.

TBS continues to receive significantly fewer consultation requests compared to the years before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. TBS is of the view that this trend can be attributed to the Information Commissioner advocating for limiting consultations coupled with guidance from the Directive on Access to Information Requests on limiting inter-institutional consultations.

Figure 15 shows, for 2019–20 to 2023–24, the number of consultation requests TBS received each year. The number of consultation requests has not returned to the levels observed before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figure 15: consultation requests received, 2019–20 to 2023–24
Figure 15. Text version below
Figure 15 - Text version
Year 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Completed 381 146 166 186 160

Consultation requests completed and pages processed

TBS completed 156 consultation requests in 2023–24 and processed 6,574 pages for these requests. This number of pages represents a 48% decrease compared to the 12,564 pages processed in 2022–23.

Figure 16 shows the consultation requests completed and the pages processed from 2019–20 to 2023–24.

Figure 16: consultation requests completed and pages processed, 2019–20 to 2023–24
Figure 16. Text version below
Figure 16 - Text version
Year 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Consultation requests completed 385 149 186 188 156
Pages processed 12,233 4,398 7,084 12,564 6,574

Completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and other organizations

Of the 156 consultation requests completed this year, 70% were completed within 30 days and 94% were completed within 60 days.

Figure 17 shows the number of consultation requests completed by the time it took to complete the request.

Figure 17: consultation requests completed by time to complete request, 2023–24
Figure 17. Text version below
Figure 17 - Text version
Completion time 1 day 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
Requests completed 40 68 38 9 1 0 0

Part 6: consultations on Cabinet confidences

Consultations with legal services

As the administrative arm of the Treasury Board, TBS provides support to Treasury Board ministers. As such, the requests TBS receives often contain information that is subject to cabinet confidence and that requires consultation with TBS’s legal services unit in accordance with the Policy on Access to Information.

In 2023–24, TBS consulted with its legal services unit on 61 requests to evaluate information that could be subject to cabinet confidence. This number of consultations is a 25% increase compared to the 49 cabinet confidence consultations conducted in 2022–23.

Figure 18 shows the number of consultations on cabinet confidences completed by completion time.

Figure 18: consultations on cabinet confidences completed, by time to complete the requests, 2023–24
Figure 18. Text version below
Figure 18 - Text version
Completion time 1 day 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
Requests completed 51 10 0 0 0 0 0

Consultations with the Privy Council Office

No requests processed by TBS in 2023–24 required consultation with the Privy Council Office to evaluate cabinet confidences.

Part 7: complaints and investigations

Complaints received

Requesters can file a complaint with the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) if they are not satisfied with how their request was processed.

In 2023–24, TBS was notified of 12 complaints received by the OIC, a 67% decrease compared to the 36 complaints received in 2022–23.

Table 4 shows the types of complaints about TBS received by the OIC in 2023–24.

Table 4: complaints received by type, 2023–24
Complaint type Number of complaints
Time limits 4
Delay: deemed refusal 3
Refusal: exemptions 1
Refusal: exclusion 2
Refusal: missing records 1
Miscellaneous 1
Total 12

Complaint representations

During an investigation, the OIC must provide institutions with an opportunity to provide representations.

In 2023–24, the OIC asked TBS to provide legal representations for 11 requests, which is a 45% decrease from the 20 representations provided to the OIC in 2022–23.

Complaints closed

The OIC issued findings for a total of 19 complaint investigations during 2023–24. Of the 19 complaint investigation findings issued, the OIC provided letters notifying TBS that it had ceased 10 of these investigations. Of the remaining 9 findings issued by the OIC, 6 were deemed not well founded and 3 were considered well founded.

On June 21, 2019, An Act to amend the ATIA and the PA gave the OIC the power to make binding orders in relation to access to information requests, including ordering the release of government records for complaints filed after royal assent. TBS received 2 orders in 2023–24, a decrease of 82% from the 11 received in 2022–23. This is the second year TBS has received orders since the change in the law, which is an additional workload challenge for the ATIP office in the 2023–24 reporting year.

Table 5 shows the complaint findings issued by the OIC in 2023–24.

Table 4: complaint findings issued by the OIC, 2023–24
Complaint type Complaint decision
Not well founded Well founded Discontinued
Time limits 1 1 2
Delay: deemed refusal 0 1 7
Refusal: exemptions 1 1 1
Refusal: exclusion 3 0 0
Refusal: missing records 1 0 0
Miscellaneous 0 0 0

Part 8: court actions

There were no court cases filed against TBS in relation to the ATIA in 2023–24.

Part 9: fees

In accordance with the changes to the ATIA that came into force on June 21, 2019, TBS may only charge an application fee of $5, as set out in paragraph 7(1)(a) of the Access to Information Regulations. Pursuant to the Directive on Access to Information Requests issued on July 13, 2022, institutions can waive this application fee as appropriate.

With respect to the $5 application fee to submit a request under the ATIA, the total revenue collected by TBS was $1,225 in 2023–24. Throughout the fiscal year, TBS waived $570 in application fees and refunded $30 in application fees.

While TBS was not requested to apply a fee waiver as outlined in the 2024 implementation notice Advancing Indigenous Reconciliation: Waiver of $5 Application Fee, TBS recognizes and supports this initiative to advance reconciliation and remove barriers Indigenous peoples face when requesting access to government information. TBS does not anticipate that the implementation of this directive will have any operational impacts.

Part 10: resources related to the Access to Information Act

Costs

In 2023–24, TBS’s cost for administering the ATIA was $2,333,387. The ATIP office incurred $1,736,382 in salary costs, an increase of $157,363 compared to the $1,463,468 reported in 2022–23. There were no costs associated to professional service contracts for 2023–24.

In 2023–24, $588,547 was reported in other administrative costs. Similar to previous years, approximately $95,000 was expended for the purpose of annual maintenance of ATIP software. As part of its modernization program, the ATIP office procured new licences for ATIP software in 2023–24 totalling $493,900. Additional details on this initiative can be found at Technology Initiatives and Projects to Improve Access to Information.

As stated previously, this amount does not take into consideration the efforts undertaken by departmental officials to retrieve and provide records to the ATIP office for processing, nor does it take into account the costs associated with internal consultations of records nor legal services (when required) to process ATIA requests. Similarly, the cost does not take into account the costs associated with consultations with other government institutions. Notably, the costs associated with the administration of the act pertain only to costs incurred for the administration of Part 1, and not the costs associated with proactive disclosure under Part 2.

Human resources

In 2023–24, there were 18.4 full-time equivalents (FTEs) in the ATIP office performing work associated with the application of the ATIA, 1.5 fewer FTEs than the 19.9 FTEs recorded in 2022–23. This reduction is attributed to the internal reallocation of ATIP resources to respond to increased demand for processing requests under the PA in 2023–24. Given the increased volume and complexity of requests that require processing, there has been an increased requirement for senior analysts to review these requests. The ATIP office has placed increased emphasis in its recruitment activities to increase the overall proportion of senior analysts in its workforce. The result of this change is an increase in salary for fewer FTEs.

Part 2 of the Access to Information Act

Under Part 2 of the of the ATIA, institutions are required to proactively publish specific information within certain timelines. Table 6 outlines the information that TBS is required to publish proactively.

Table 6: proactive publication requirements
Legislative requirement Section Publication timeline Institutional requirement
All government institutions as defined in section 3 of the Access to Information Act
Travel expenses 82 Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement Yes
Hospitality expenses 83 Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement Yes
Reports tabled in Parliament 84 Within 30 days after tabling Yes
Government entities or departments, agencies and other bodies subject to the Act and listed in Schedules I, I.1, or II of the Financial Administration Act
Contracts over $10,000 86 Q1–3: Within 30 days after the quarter
Q4: Within 60 days after the quarter
Yes
Grants and contributions over $25,000 87 Within 30 days after the quarter Yes
Packages of briefing materials prepared for new or incoming deputy heads or equivalent 88(a) Within 120 days after appointment Yes
Titles and reference numbers of memoranda prepared for a deputy head or equivalent, that is received by their office 88(b) Within 30 days after the end of the month received Yes
Packages of briefing materials prepared for a deputy head or equivalent’s appearance before a committee of Parliament 88(c) Within 120 days after appearance Yes
Government institutions that are departments named in Schedule I to the Financial Administration Act or portions of the core public administration named in Schedule IV to that act (government institutions for which Treasury Board is the employer)
Reclassification of positions 85 Within 30 days after the quarter Yes
Ministers
Packages of briefing materials prepared by a government institution for new or incoming ministers 74(a) Within 120 days after appointment Yes
Titles and reference numbers of memoranda prepared by a government institution for the minister, that is received by their office 74(b) Within 30 days after the end of the month received Yes
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 74(c) Within 30 days after last sitting day of the House of Common in June and December Yes
Packages of briefing materials prepared by a government institution for a minister’s appearance before a committee of Parliament 74(d) Within 120 days after appearance Yes
Travel expenses 75 Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement Yes
Hospitality expenses 76 Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement Yes
Contracts over $10,000 77 Q1–3: Within 30 days after the quarter
Q4: Within 60 days after the quarter
Yes
Ministers’ offices expenses
*Note: This consolidated report is currently published by TBS on behalf of all institutions.
78 Within 120 days after the fiscal year Yes

The Directive on Proactive Publication under the ATIA requires that all positions within an institution with responsibilities under Part 2 of the ATIA be clearly identified. At TBS, responsibilities under Part 2 of the ATIA are decentralized and are assigned to sector officials based on the nature of the proactive publication requirement. Proactive publication responsibilities are assigned to officials in the Corporate Services Sector (CSS), Human Resources Directorate (HRD), and Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs (SCMA).

The CSS is responsible for publishing:

  • travel expenses
  • hospitality expenses
  • contracts over $10,000
  • grants and contributions over $25,000
  • ministers’ offices expenses

The HRD is responsible for publishing:

  • reclassification of positions

SCMA is responsible for:

  • reports tabled in Parliament
  • packages of briefing materials prepared for new or incoming ministers and deputy heads or equivalent
  • titles and reference numbers of memoranda that are prepared for the minister and deputy heads and equivalent
  • packages of briefing materials prepared for the minister and the deputy head or equivalent’s appearance before a committee of Parliament
  • Question Period notes prepared for the minister

Within SCMA, the ATIP office is responsible for:

  • transition binders
  • parliamentary appearance binders
  • Question Period notes
  • titles and reference numbers for memoranda

All materials that have been published under Part 2 of the ATIA are available online at Proactive disclosure | Open Government, with the exception of ministers’ offices expenses, which are available at Expenditures of Ministers’ Offices | Open Government.

In 2023–24, TBS published 99% of all proactive publications within the legislative timelines. A compliance rate of 100% was unattainable as the labour dispute impeded the ATIP office’s ability to publish the briefing note titles on time.

The ATIP office leads the publication of certain requirements for proactive publication of information under Part 2 of the ATIA. This work includes:

  • creating procedural guides on proactive publication
  • providing training to TBS staff
  • coordinating with the web team
  • translating, editing and reviewing all documents before publication

The ATIP office proactively publishes information for:

  • the President of the Treasury Board
  • the deputy heads at TBS:
    • the Secretary
    • the Comptroller General of Canada
    • the Chief Human Resources Officer of Canada
    • the Chief Information Officer of Canada

Transition binders

In 2023–24, there were 2 transition binders published, one each for the:

  • President of the Treasury Board
  • Chief Human Resources Officer

Jacqueline Bogden was appointed as the Chief Human Resources Officer of Canada on February 27, 2023. The associated transition binder was published on June 27, 2023, and it contained 269 pages that were released in their entirety.

The President of the Treasury Board, Anita Anand, was appointed on July 26, 2023. The associated transition binder was published on November 14, 2023, and it contained 349 pages that were released in their entirety.

There were 2 additional transition binders that were not yet completed at the end of 2023–24. These transition binders, which will be published in 2024–25, are for:

  • the Secretary of the Treasury Board – appointed on February 6, 2024
  • the Chief Information Officer of Canada – appointed on February 12, 2024

These transition binders will be reflected in next year’s report.

Memoranda titles

A total of 215 memoranda titles were published in 2023–24. In accordance with the legislative requirements, these titles were published on a monthly basis. Some titles required redactions prior to publication. Severances were applied to protect instances of:

  • internal government decision-making
  • privileged solicitor–client information

Parliamentary committee appearance binders

In 2023–24, TBS published 13 parliamentary committee appearance binders, which required the processing of 1,782 pages. The publication of appearance binders requires detailed review, consultation and coordination within TBS. There was a total of 15 parliamentary committee appearances from TBS officials; however, departmental materials were not provided for 2 of the appearances.

Question period notes

In 2023–24, there were no Question Period notes for the President of the Treasury Board that required publication.

Travel and hospitality

In 2023–24, publications relating to travel and hospitality were published monthly. In total, 98 travel expenses were published and 15 hospitality expenses were published.

Non-legislative ATIP reviews

While the ATIP office completes its responsibilities under Parts 1 and 2 of the ATIA, the ATIP office is often required to support the department for initiatives that fall outside the scope of the ATIA.

Document reviews

The ATIP office often provides departmental support by conducting document reviews of records outside of the ATIA. These document reviews are typically conducted to support the department in the following areas:

  • litigation (including continued participation in bi-weekly meetings to prepare for document reviews)
  • orders for the production of papers from Parliament
  • documents that will be submitted to the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board
  • audit reports

Education, training and awareness

ATIP training and awareness activities

The ATIP office improved its outreach and training program in 2023–24 by creating digital training modules to support departmental officials in the conduct of their responsibilities under the ATIA. The objective of these training video modules is to increase the overall efficiency and consistency of departmental ATIP training, while simultaneously providing on-demand access to training resources.

The first module, TheATIA–An Introduction for employees, trains TBS on all of the required topics listed in Appendix B of the Directive on Access to Information Requests. The first module was made available in both official languages on February 8, 2024, and has been viewed 560 times since its publication. This represents a 67% increase in the number of departmental officials who received ATIP-related training in 2022–23. The ATIP office will continue to advocate that all new employees to TBS take advantage of this training module to understand their responsibilities under the legislation.

Additionally, the TBS ATIP office provided sector-specific training to SCMA and CSS.

To commemorate the 40th anniversaries of the ATIA and the PA, the President of the Treasury Board and representatives of the ATIP office met with departmental officials for International Right to Know Day. During the event, approximately 200 TBS staff received a number of resources about the legislation.

Table 7 outlines specific training initiatives conducted by the ATIP office in 2023–24.

Table 7: training initiatives conducted, 2023–24
Initiative Sector Description Responsible unit Participants
The ATIA– An Introduction for employees All TBS Video of an introduction to the ATIA and procedures at TBS Intake and Governance 560
International Right to Know Day All TBS Right to Know Day information kiosk Intake and Governance 200
Sector ATIP training Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs Training on processing ATIP request for sectors Intake and Governance 150
Sector ATIP training Corporate Services Sector Training on processing ATIP request for sectors Intake and Governance 38

ATIP tools to support departmental officials

In 2023–24, the ATIP office implemented a digital template response form to better support departmental officials in responding to ATIP requests. The new form helps the efficient processing of ATIP requests and ensures that departmental officials understand their responsibilities when responding to ATIP requests. This includes but is not limited to ensuring that:

  • searches for responsive records are comprehensive
  • disclosure recommendations are documented and consistent with the legislation
  • submissions are approved by designated officials

The ATIP response form also reflects the recommended requirements from the OIC, which can help efficiently resolve complaints.

Policies, guidelines and procedures

Extension of the ATIP delegation order to improve efficiency

In November 2023, the ATIP delegation order was expanded to provide additional authorities to managers and team leaders of the ATIP office. Extending the delegation order to reduce operational bottlenecks and to empower more individuals in the ATIP office is one component of the ATIP office’s modernization strategy aimed at increasing overall efficiency.

Guidance on timely provision of ATIP records

In an effort to support departmental adherence to legislative deadlines, the ATIP office provided additional guidance to departmental officials on the importance of providing responsive records promptly to the ATIP office. The guidance is one tool employed by the ATIP office to support increasing the proportion of requests completed within the initial 30 calendar days and to minimize the frequency and length of extensions invoked under the legislation. In support of this objective, the ATIP office coupled this guidance with performance monitoring and reporting activities to identify opportunities to improve sector ATIP responses. Additional details on this initiative can be found at Monitoring compliance.

Limiting inter-institutional consultations

While the ATIP office is continuously working to limit inter-institutional consultations when it is not necessary, as a central agency, TBS often collaborates and communicates with other departments. As such, many records requested under the act are interlaced with records or information that belong to other institutions and require consultation.

However, the ATIP office distinguishes between records that require a formal consultation and records where a notification of release is sufficient.

Notifications are typically provided a week prior to the release of the records, and the institution in receipt of the notification does not need to review or provide a response. This practice expedites the processing of requests at TBS by avoiding lengthy consultations, while simultaneously providing a more streamlined mechanism for other institutions to be aware of the upcoming release of their information.

Completed access to information request summaries

In accordance with the Directive on Access to Information Requests, the ATIP office publishes monthly summaries of completed access to information requests. A total of 258 summaries were published in 2023–24. Fewer summaries are published than are closed in the fiscal year, as abandoned requests and requests of a personal nature are excluded from publication.

Technology initiatives and projects to improve access to information

ATIP digital transition

The ATIP office continues to prioritize the digital transformation. With the implementation of Microsoft 365 and SharePoint, the ATIP office continues to explore how best to maximize these new tools to facilitate the ATIP process.

Digital client interaction for ATIP services

The Access to Information and Privacy Online Request Services (AORS) is the primary mechanism for Canadians to digitally submit ATIA requests. While the AORS was expanded to send secure digital response packages to clients in the summer of 2022, TBS continues to use multiple digital delivery methods to provide requesters with their records. This includes Canada Post’s Epost Connect Service and traditional email.

Departmental procurement of new ATIP request processing software

In collaboration with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) within TBS has been leading the procurement process for new ATIP software over the past several years. The new ATIP processing software is intended to replace legacy software that has been in use by many government institutions for the past 10 years. The objective of the software replacement project is to provide ATIP offices with a modern application that offers enhanced automation, configurability and data analytics capabilities to increase the efficiency of processing ATIP requests.

In June 2023, the TBS ATIP office entered into a contract to procure new ATIP processing software. In the ATIP office, new ATIP processing software provides the foundation for its overarching ATIP modernization strategy.

While the initial project plan had targeted completion by March 31, 2024, a number of challenges have postponed the implementation of the software at TBS. TBS will continue to work with PSPC, OCIO, other government institutions and the software developer in 2024–25 on the ATIP software replacement project at TBS.

Policy initiatives and projects to improve access to information

Working Group on limiting Inter-institutional consultations

In April 2022, the Information Commissioner of Canada issued a Special Report to Parliament entitled Access at Issue: The Challenge of Accessing our Collective Memory, which highlighted the challenges of inter-institutional consultation when responding to an access to information request. In August 2023, the ATIP office provided operational representations to OCIO in addition to ATIP documentation to help further policy development on limiting inter-institutional consultations across all departments.

Development of a FAIR principles assessment tool

Under the 2023–2026 Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service, action item 2.2b of the section “Data for decision-making mission” calls for the development of a FAIR principles (findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability) assessment tool, and guidance on assessing existing data for reuse. In February 2024, the ATIP office provided operational representations to assist OCIO in the development and implementation of this tool across all institutions.

Leveraging access to information to promote declassification and downgrading of government records

In December 2023, the implementation notice Leveraging Access to Information to Promote Declassification and Downgrading of Government Records came into effect. TBS has successfully implemented the notice’s recommendations, which include prompting the declassification and downgrading of records:

  • record retrieval for ATIP requests
  • prompting the declassification and downgrading of records when records are released in full under the ATIA
  • prompting the declassification and downgrading of records during ATIP training

Departmental officials are advised of this implementation notice via ATIP training and are encouraged to periodically review their records to determine whether records can be declassified or downgraded.

Monitoring compliance

The ATIP office produces a variety of regular and ad hoc reports to monitor TBS’s compliance with the ATIA. In 2023–24, the ATIP office continued its emphasis on data analytics to identify emerging trends and promote procedural efficiencies.

The ATIP office creates and distributes several reports outlining the performance of the ATIP office and the challenges it faces. These reports include:

  • quarterly reports on sector performance and quality of record retrieval
  • ATIP Performance Dashboard to senior management on the monthly performance of the ATIP office
  • service inventory

ATIP sector compliance reporting

In 2023–24, the ATIP office developed quarterly sector performance reports to inform sectors of their performance on their ATIP obligations. This engagement with sectors is intended to support the sharing of existing compliance data and to expedite ATIP responses in sectors.

ATIP monthly performance reporting

The ATIP Dashboard is a monthly update on ATIP performance metrics and is provided to senior leadership responsible for ATIP. The report provides an overview of the work completed by the ATIP office under Parts 1 and 2 of the ATIA both in the previous month and for the current fiscal year.

Service inventory

Under the Directive on Service and Digital, all departments are required to develop and annually update an inventory of services offered in their department. The purpose of this inventory is to ensure that:

  • services are client-centric
  • service standards, related targets and performance information for all services and all service delivery channels are managed and regularly reviewed
  • services are regularly reviewed to identify opportunities for improvement in client services, digital delivery and efficiency

The ATIP office measures performance primarily via on-time compliance with legislative deadlines and had an internal departmental service target of 80% on-time compliance for 2023–24. In 2023–24, the ATIP office recorded an on-time compliance rate of 71%, which is consistent with the 72.3% average of requests closed across the Government of Canada in 2022–23.

In addition to the monitoring of performance, the service inventory also monitors that services are digitally enabled. The ATIP office provided digital service delivery for 98% of all access to information requests received and 100% of all closed requests in 2023–24.

Conclusion

The 2023–24 fiscal year was a productive yet challenging year for the TBS ATIP office. Within the operational context, the ATIP office successfully increased its productivity while simultaneously refining its processes. The ATIP office also procured new ATIP processing software and invested significantly in its training and reporting programs to improve the efficiency of the ATIP program.

The ATIP office is expected to face ongoing pressures in the upcoming fiscal year, as the high public interest shown towards TBS initiatives in 2023–24 is anticipated to continue. This will require ongoing efforts to improve performance and responsiveness through capacity, innovation and agility, both within the ATIP office and throughout TBS.

In order to build on its achievements from the previous fiscal year, the ATIP office has pursued increased reporting to monitor progress and areas of improvement, developed new tools and training materials to support sectors and the ATIP office, and pushed for increased digital modernization through the implementation of a new request processing system. However, TBS must continue to work to overcome the challenge of addressing increased operational and policy demands while contesting the status quo through innovation and agility.

Appendix A: Delegation Order – Access to Information Act

I, undersigned, President of the Treasury Board, pursuant to section 95 of the Access to Information Act, hereby designate the ATIP officers, the Access to Information and Privacy Team Leader, the Access to Information and Privacy Manager, the Access to Information and Privacy Director, the Senior Director of Ministerial Services, the Assistant Secretary, Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs, and the Secretary, or person occupying those positions on an acting basis, to exercise signing authorities or perform any of the President’s powers, duties or functions as head of institution that are specified in the attached Schedule A. This designation replaces all previous delegation orders.

Original signed by

The Honourable Anita Anand
President of the Treasury Board
Date: 2023-11-29

Schedule A: sections of the ATIA to be delegated

Position Powers, duties, or functions
Secretary Full authority
Assistant Secretary, Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs Full authority
Senior Director, Ministerial Services Full authority, except:
Subsection: 37(1)
Director, Access to Information and Privacy Full authority, except:
Subsection: 37(1)
Manager, Access to Information and Privacy Full authority, except:
Paragraph: 35(2)(b)
Subsection: 37(1)
Team Leader, Access to Information and Privacy Full authority, except:
Paragraph: 35(2)(b)
Subsection: 37(1)
Access to Information and Privacy Officers Paragraph: 7(a)

Appendix B. Statistical report on the Access to Information Act

Name of institution: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Reporting period: 2023-04-01 to 2024-03-31

In this section

Section 1: requests under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Number of requests received

Number of requests
Received during reporting period 365
Outstanding from previous reporting periods 149
Outstanding from previous reporting period 91
Outstanding from more than one reporting period 58
Total 514
Closed during reporting period 363
Carried over to next reporting period 151
Carried over within legislated timeline 51
Carried over beyond legislated timeline 100

1.2 Sources of requests

Source Number of requests
Media 40
Academia 19
Business (private sector) 12
Organization 5
Public 151
Decline to identify 138
Total 365

1.3 Channels of requests

Channel Number of requests
Online 325
Email 30
Mail 10
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 0
Total 365

Section 2: informal requests

2.1 Number of informal requests

Number of requests
Received during reporting period 3,579
Outstanding from previous reporting periods 14
Outstanding from previous reporting period 14
Outstanding from more than one reporting period 0
Total 3,593
Closed during reporting period 228
Carried over to next reporting period 3,365

2.2 Channels of informal requests

Channel Number of requests
Online 229
Email 3,350
Mail 0
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 0
Total 3,579

2.3 Completion time of informal requests

Completion time
1 day 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
200 5 11 2 4 6 0 228

2.4 Pages released informally

Less than 100 pages released 101 to 500 pages released 501 to 1,000 pages released 1,000 to 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 101 to 500 pages released 501 to 1,000 pages released 1,000 to 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
140 4,071 43 8,825 33 24,411 12 16,841 0 0

Section 3: 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 0

Section 4: requests closed during the reporting period

4.1 Disposition and completion time

Disposition of request Completion time
1 day 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 33 19 8 2 3 0 65
Disclosed in part 7 10 19 48 31 32 13 160
All exempted 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2
All excluded 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
No records exist 6 47 1 0 0 0 0 54
Request transferred 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 11
Request abandoned 58 5 0 1 1 0 4 69
Neither confirmed nor 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 82 95 41 59 34 35 17 363

4.2 Exceptions

Section Number of requests
13(1)(a) 4
13(1)(b) 3
13(1)(c) 4
13(1)(d) 1
13(1)(e) 0
14 0
14(a) 3
14(b) 1
15(1) 0
15(1) – I.A.Footnote * 4
15(1) – Def.Footnote * 24
15(1) – S.A.Footnote * 13
16(1)(a)(i) 0
16(1)(a)(ii) 0
16(1)(a)(iii) 0
16(1)(b) 1
16(1)(c) 4
16(1)(d) 1
16(2) 15
16(2)(a) 0
16(2)(b) 1
16(2)(c) 59
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 0
16.6 0
17 3
18(a) 1
18(b) 5
18(c) 0
18(d) 0
18.1(1)(a) 1
18.1(1)(b) 0
18.1(1)(c) 0
18.1(1)(d) 0
19(1) 95
20(1)(a) 2
20(1)(b) 14
20(1)(b.1) 0
20(1)(c) 9
20(1)(d) 5
20.1 0
20.2 0
20.4 0
21(1)(a) 63
21(1)(b) 45
21(1)(c) 18
21(1)(d) 15
22 0
22.1(1) 0
23 35
23.1 0
24(1) 0
26 0

4.3 Exclusions

Section Number of requests
68(a) 8
68(b) 0
68(c) 0
68.1 0
68.2(a) 0
68.2(b) 0
69(1) 2
69(1)(a) 14
69(1)(b) 0
69(1)(c) 0
69(1)(d) 3
69(1)(e) 5
69(1)(f) 0
69(1)(g) re (a) 50
69(1)(g) re (b) 0
69(1)(g) re (c) 19
69(1)(g) re (d) 11
69(1)(g) re (e) 19
69(1)(g) re (f) 4
69.1(1) 0

4.4 Format of information released

Paper Electronic record Electronic data set Video Audio Other
0 221 4 0 0 0

4.5 Complexity

4.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed for paper and electronic record formats
Number of pages processed Number of pages disclosed Number of requests
100,014 50,502 298
4.5.2 Relevant pages processed per request disposition for paper and electronic record formats by size of request
Disposition Less than 100 pages processed 101 to 500 pages processed 501 to 1,000
pages processed
1,001 to 5,000 pages processed More than 5,000 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 57 1,133 5 1,122 0 0 3 4,262 0 0
Disclosed in part 86 2,340 34 8,153 16 11,716 23 54,616 1 8,430
All exempted 1 17 1 360 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 2 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 64 30 0 0 2 1,517 3 6,288 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 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 0 0
Total 210 3,550 40 9,635 18 13,233 29 65,166 1 8,430
4.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats
Number of minutes processed Number of minutes disclosed Number of requests
0 0 0
4.5.4 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests
Disposition Less than 60 minutes processed 60 to 120 minutes processed More than 120 minutes processed
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
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0
4.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats
Number of minutes processed Number of minutes disclosed Number of requests
0 0 0
4.5.6 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests
Disposition Less than 60 minutes processed 60 to 120 minutes processed More than 120 minutes processed
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
Declined to act with the approval of the 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 7 0 24 31
Disclosed in part 54 4 65 123
All exempted 0 1 0 1
All excluded 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 4 0 20 24
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0
Total 65 5 109 179

4.6 Closed requests

4.6.1 Number of requests closed within legislated timelines
Requests closed within legislated timelines
Number of requests closed within legislated timelines 259
Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines 71.35

4.7 Deemed refusals

4.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines
Number of requests closed past the legislated timelines Principal reason
Interference with operations or workload External consultation Internal consultation Other
104 62 18 9 15
4.7.2 Request closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extensions taken)
Number of days past legislated timelines Number of requests past legislated timeline where no extension was taken Number of requests past legislated timeline where an extension was taken Total
1 day to 15 days 7 13 20
16 to 30 days 3 7 10
31 to 60 days 4 15 19
61 to 120 days 4 17 21
121 to 180 days 2 15 17
181 to 365 days 3 5 8
More than 365 days 1 8 9
Total 24 80 104

4.8 Requests 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 Reason for extensions and disposition of requests

Disposition of requests where an extension was taken 9(1)(a) Interference with operations/workload Principal reason 9(1)(c) third-party notice
Section 69 Other
All disclosed 16 2 16 0
Disclosed in part 68 35 76 33
All exempted 1 0 1 0
All excluded 2 2 0 0
Request abandoned 5 0 0 2
No records exist 0 0 5 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0
Total 92 39 98 35

5.2 Length of extensions

Disposition of requests where an extension was taken 9(1)(a) Interference with operations/workload Principal reason 9(1)(c) third-party notice
Section 69 Other
30 days or less 57 7 23 9
31 to 60 days 24 26 19 21
61 to 120 days 8 3 30 5
121 to 180 days 0 0 11 0
181 to 365 days 2 3 14 0
365 days or more 1 0 1 0
Total 54 39 98 35

Section 6: fees

Fee type Fee collected Fee waived Fee refunded
Number of requests Amount Number of Requests Amount Number of Requests Amount
Application 245 $1,255.00 114 $570.00 6 $30.00
Other fees 0 $0.00 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Total 245 $1,255.00 114 $570.00 6 $30.00

Section 7: consultations received from other institutions and organizations

7.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and other organizations

Consultations Other Government of Canada institutions Number of pages to review Other organizations Number of pages to review
Received during the reporting period 158 6,010 2 87
Outstanding from the previous reporting period 12 1,020 0 0
Total 170 7,030 2 87
Closed during the reporting period 154 6,487 2 87
Carried over within negotiated timelines 16 543 0 0
Carried over beyond negotiated timelines 0 0 0 0

7.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions

Recommendations Number of days required to complete consultation requests
1 day 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
Disclosed entirely 31 47 26 4 1 0 0 109
Disclosed in part 5 16 11 5 1 0 0 37
Exempt entirely 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Exclude entirely 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
Consult other institution 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 3
Other 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3
Total 39 67 38 9 1 0 0 154

7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations outside the Government of Canada

Recommendations Number of days required to complete consultation requests
1 day 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
Disclosed entirely 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Disclosed in part 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
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 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2

Section 8: completion time of consultations on Cabinet confidences

8.1 Requests with legal services

Number of days Fewer than 100 pages processed 101 to 500 pages processed 501 to 1,000 pages processed 1,001 to 5,000 pages processed More than 5,000 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 38 275 4 366 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 11 193 6 373 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 1 32 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 1 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More than 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 51 532 10 739 0 0 0 0 0 0

8.2 Requests with the Privy Council Office

Number of days Fewer than 100 pages processed 101 to 500 pages processed 501 to 1,000 pages processed 1,001 to 5,000 pages processed More than 5,000 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

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
12 10 11

9.2 Investigations and reports of finding

Section 37(1) initial reports Section 37(2) final reports
Received Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner Containing orders issued by the Information Commissioner Received Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner Containing orders issued 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 costs

Expenditures Amount
Salaries $1,736,382
Overtime $8,458
Goods and services $588,547
Professional services contracts $0
Other $588,547
Total $2,333,387

11.2 Human resources

Resources Person years dedicated to privacy activities
Full-time employees 17.25
Part-time and casual employees 0.8
Regional staff 0.000
Consultants and agency personnel 0.000
Students 0.35
Total 18.4

Appendix C: Supplemental statistical report on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

Name of institution: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Reporting period: 2023-04-01 to 2024-03-31

In this section

Section 1: open requests and complaints under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Enter the number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Fiscal year open request was received Open request within legislated timeline as of March 31, 2024 Open request beyond legislated timeline as of March 31, 2024 Total
Received in 2023–24 46 46 92
Received in 2022–23 2 12 14
Received in 2021–22 1 19 20
Received in 2020–21 1 8 9
Received in 2019–20 0 8 8
Received in 2018–19 1 0 1
Received in 2017–18 0 7 7
Received in 2016–17 0 0 0
Received in 2015–16 0 0 0
Received in 2014–15 or earlier 0 0 0
Total 51 100 151

1.2 Enter the 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 13
Received in 2022–23 5
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 1
Received in 2015–16 0
Received in 2014–15 or earlier 0
Total 19

Section 2: open requests and complaints under the Privacy Act

2.1 Enter the number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Fiscal year open request was received Open request within legislated timeline as of March 31, 2024 Open request beyond legislated timeline as of March 31, 2024 Total
Received in 2023–24 17 6 23
Received in 2022–23 0 2 2
Received in 2021–22 0 0 0
Received in 2020–21 0 0 0
Received in 2019–20 0 0 0
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 17 8 25

2.2 Enter the 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 6
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 6

Section 3: social insurance number

Did your institution receive authority for a new collection or new consistent use of the social insurance number in 2023–24? No

Section 4: universal access under the Privacy Act

How many requests were received from confirmed foreign nationals outside of Canada in 2023–24? 19

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