Archived - Annual Report to Parliament on the Administration of the Privacy Act 2016–2017

Introduction
Purpose of the Privacy Act
Mandate of the Department of Finance Canada
Administration of the Privacy Act
Information Holdings
Interpretation of Statistical Report (Annex A)

Appeals to the Federal Court of Canada
Monitoring Compliance
Material Privacy Breaches
Disclosures Pursuant to Paragraph 8(2)(m)
Annex A – Statistical Report on Privacy Act Requests

The Annual Report to Parliament on the Administration of the Privacy Act (the Act) within the Department of Finance Canada (the ‘Department’) is prepared and tabled in Parliament in accordance with section 72 of the Act and covers the period from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017.

The Act came into force on July 1, 1983. Its purpose is to protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by federal government institutions. It also provides Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and individuals present in Canada a right of access to their personal information.

The Department recognizes that the right of access to personal information is an essential element of our system of democracy. It is committed to openness and transparency, respecting both the spirit and the requirements of the Act, its regulations and related policy instruments. The Department further acknowledges the importance of facilitating access to information by requiring that its employees make every reasonable effort to assist applicants.

The Department helps the Government of Canada develop and implement strong and sustainable economic, fiscal, tax, social, security, international and financial sector policies and programs. It plays an important central agency role, working with other departments to ensure that the government's agenda is carried out and that ministers are supported with high-quality analysis and advice.

The Department’s responsibilities include:

The Minister of Finance is accountable for ensuring that his responsibilities are fulfilled both within his portfolio and with respect to the authorities assigned through legislation. In particular, the Minister has direct responsibility for a number of acts as well as fiscal and tax policy relating to other acts that are under the responsibility of other ministers.

The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Division is part of the Communications Policy Division, Consultations and Communications Branch. The ATIP Divison is responsible for administering the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act for the Department. As a centralized operation, the ATIP Division coordinates the timely processing of requests under the legislation, handles complaints lodged with the Privacy Commissioner, and responds to informal inquiries. Division staff also provides guidance to departmental officials on matters involving the Act. The ATIP Division comprises a director, two team leaders, ten full-time ATIP analysts and two administrative assistants.

With the passing of the Federal Accountability Act , section 4(2.1) was added to the Access to Information Act :

While a similar provision was not included in the Privacy Act, the Department is nonetheless committed to both the spirit and intent of these principles and to the Directive on Privacy Requests and Correction of Personal Information with respect to their application when processing Privacy Act requests.

This year, the ATIP Division participated in two departmental Orientation Sessions. These are provided to employees who are new to the Department as a means to introduce them to the activities of each Branch. It provided information about the ATIP Division, the Act, and information management practices to 53 new employees.

Six other training sessions were given to 76 departmental employees within various branches of the Department including exempt staff in the Minister’s Office. Some of the training was delivered using the Canada School of Public Service on-line ATIP training module to ensure that it is consistent with the whole of government approach.

Ad hoc training on a variety of subjects was also provided as needed to individuals throughout the Department including to new ATIP branch contacts.

To ensure policy compliance and adherence to procedures for appropriate handling and preparation of responses to ATIP requests, the ATIP Division continued to update tools used by staff both in the ATIP Division and across the Department and held face-to-face meetings with new staff and contacts. Both tools and meetings were instrumental in ensuring that the Department’s employees are aware of their roles and responsibilities related to access to information and privacy requests.

The delegation of authority approved on December 1, 2015 provides the authority to approve or deny the release of information under the Act is shared by the Deputy Minister, the Associate Deputy Ministers, the Assistant Deputy Ministers of Consultations and Communications Branch and Corporate Services Branch, the Senior Director, Communications Policy Division, the ATIP Director, ATIP Team Leaders and Senior ATIP analysts to sign off on more administrative matters. The ATIP Director normally performs the function, with the exception of disclosures pursuant to paragraph 8(2)(e) of the Act, which are usually handled by the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Corporate Services Branch.

Privacy Act Designation Order

Schedule 1 - Designation Order— Privacy Act

Powers, duties, or functions Section Deputy Minister Associate Deputy Minister Associate Deputy Minister and G7 Deputy for Canada Assistant Deputy Minister Consultations and Communications Branch Assistant Deputy Minister
Corporate Services Branch
Senior Director, Communications Policy
Director, ATIP
ATIP Team Leaders,
Senior ATIP Analysts
Disclosure for research purposes 8(2)(j) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Disclosure in the public interest or in the interest of the individual 8(2)(m) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Copies of requests under 8(2)(e) to be retained 8(4) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Notice of disclosure under 8(2)(m) 8(5) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Record of disclosures to be retained 9(1) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Consistent uses 9(4) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Personal information to be included in personal information banks 10 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Notice where access requested 14 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Extension of time limits 15 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Language of access 17(2)(b) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Access to personal information in alternative format 17(3)(b) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Exemption (exempt bank) - Disclosure may be refused 18(2) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Exemption - Personal information obtained in confidence 19(1) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Where authorized to disclose 19(2) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Exemption - Federal-provincial affairs 20 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Exemption - International affairs and defence 21 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Exemption - Law enforcement and investigation 22 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Exemption - Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act 22.3 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Exemption - Security clearances 23 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Exemption - Individuals sentenced for an offence 24 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Exemption - Safety of individuals 25 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Exemption - Information about another individual 26 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Exemption - Solicitor-client privilege 27 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Exemption - Medical record 28 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Notice of intention to investigate 31 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Right to make representation 33(2) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Findings and recommendations of Privacy Commissioner (complaints) 35(1) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Access to be given 35(4) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Report of findings and recommendations (exempt banks) 36(3) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Report of findings and recommendations (compliance review) 37(3) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Special rules for hearings 51(2)(b) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Ex parte representations 51(3) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Report to Parliament 72(1) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Privacy Regulations
Reasonable facilities and time provided to examine personal information 9 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Notification that correction to personal information has been made 11(2) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Notification that correction to personal information has been refused 11(4) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Disclosure of personal information relating to physical or mental health may be made to a qualified medical practitioner or psychologist for an opinion on whether to release information to the requestor 13(1) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Disclosure of personal information relating to physical or mental health may be made to a requestor in the presence of a qualified medical practitioner or psychologist 14 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No

All government institutions subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act publish an inventory of their information holdings as well as relevant details about personal information under their control. The information can assist individuals in making an access to information or personal information request, or in exercising their privacy rights.

A description of the Department’s programs, activities, and information holdings, including its classes of records and personal information banks can be found in Info Source: Sources of Federal Government and Employee Information.

Some programs and activities, such as human resources and financial management, are common to most government institutions. These are known as internal services and they involve the following types of information:

The number of formal requests received in 2016-2017 was 18, a 50% decrease from 36 formal requests received the previous reporting year. One request was carried over from 2015-2016. By the end of 2016-2017, 37 requests were completed and one request was carried forward to 2017-2018.

Table 1 illustrates a five-year trend.

Table 1. Overview of Privacy Act Requests

Fiscal Year New Requests Received Requests Completed Number of Pages Processed Number of Pages Released On-Time Compliance Rate %
2016-2017 18 17 183 177 100%
2015-2016 36 37 2746 2595 100%
2014-2015 20 19 439 381 89.5%
2013-2014 5 5 6 6 100%
2012-2013 5 5 112 112 100%

Many individuals who submit Privacy Act requests incorrectly assume that the Department holds the same type and amount of personal information as is held by the Canada Revenue Agency, banks, and trust companies. That is not the case and explains why many requests do not result in the retrieval of personal information. The following table indicates the disposition of the 17 completed requests this fiscal year:

Disposition / Completion Time of Requests

Disposition Number of Requests Percentage of Requests
All disclosed 0 0%
Disclosed in part 2 12%
All exempted 0 0%
All excluded 0 0%
No records exist 12 71%
Request abandoned 3 17%
Neither confirmed or denied 0 0%
Total 17 100.0 %

Of the 17 requests completed, all were closed on time. Of the 17 requests closed during the reporting period, 15 (88%) were completed within 30 days, two (12%) requests were completed within two months.

In 2016-2017, the Department invoked a total of three exemptions pursuant to specific sections of the Act. These exemptions were as follows:

Exemptions / Exclusions

Section of the Act Number of Times Exemptions Applied
Section 26 - Personal information 2
Section 27 - Solicitor-client privilege 1

No exclusions were applied.

Records were provided to applicants in two cases and both were in paper format. No applicants asked to review the records as opposed to receiving a copy.

Two of the requests were considered complex as they contained personal information about individuals other than the requestors.

All requests were responded to within the statutory deadlines

There were no requests for translation this reporting period.

Paragraph 8(2)(e) of the Act allows for disclosures of personal information “to an investigative body…for the purpose of enforcing any law.” The Department did not make any disclosures pursuant to paragraph 8(2)(e) of the Act in this reporting period.

Paragraph 8(2)(m) of the Act allows for disclosures of personal information in the public interest. The Department did not make any disclosures pursuant to paragraph 8(2)(m) of the Act in this reporting period.

No requests for corrections or notations were received from applicants this reporting period.

Two extensions of the statutory time limits under the Act were taken for consultation purposes.

No consultations were received from other government institutions or organizations.

No consultations with respect to Cabinet confidences were required.

There were three complaints lodged against the Department during the reporting period with one complaint carried forward from 2015-2016:

Four findings were rendered by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner this year:

None of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s investigations raised any specific issues or concerns with respect to the Department’s handling of these requests and no further action was required of the Department.

An investigative review (audit) initiated by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) in 2015-2016 is ongoing. The OPC is reviewing the personal information handling practices related to the operationalization of the Security of Canada Information-Sharing Act. It has been carried forward to 2017-2018.

The Department did not initiate or complete any Privacy Impact Assessments this reporting period.

Administration of the Act cost the Department $10,826 in 2016-2017. Costs incurred in the reporting period include the salaries of ATIP Division staff and the administrative expenses associated with administration of the Act. Costs do not include salaries of other departmental personnel involved in processing requests.

No appeals were made to the Federal Court.

Due to the small number of requests processed by the Department under the Act, including corrections or notations, monitoring of requests is conducted within the ATIP Division as required in order to ensure that the Department meets its legislated obligations.

There were no material privacy breaches which occurred this reporting period.

Paragraph 8(2)(m) of the Act allows for the disclosure of personal information when the public interest clearly outweighs any invasion of privacy or when the disclosure would benefit the individual. There were no disclosures pursuant to paragraph 8(2)(m) for the 2016–2017 period.

Part 1 – Requests Under the Privacy Act

Requests under the Privacy Act Number of Requests
Received during reporting period 18
Outstanding from previous reporting period 0
Total 18
Closed during reporting period 17
Carried over to next reporting period 1

2.1 Disposition and Completion Time

Disposition of requests Completion Time
1 to 15 days 16 to 30 days 31 to 60 days 61 to 120 days 121 to 180 days 181 to 365 days More than 365 days Total
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
No records exist 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 12
Request abandonned 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 15 0 2 0 0 0 0 17

2.2 Exemptions

Section Number of Requests
18(2) 0
19(1)(a) 0
19(1)(b) 0
19(1)(c) 0
19(1)(d) 0
19(1)(e) 0
19(1)(f) 0
20 0
21 0
22(1)(a)(i) 0
22(1)(a)(ii) 0
22(1)(a)(iii) 0
22(1)(b) 0
22(1)(c) 0
22(2) 0
22.1 0
22.2 0
22.3 0
23(a) 0
23(b) 0
24(a) 0
24(b) 0
25 0
26 2
27 1
28 0

2.3 Exclusions

Section Number of Requests
69(1)(a) 0
69(1)(b) 0
69.1 0
70(1) 0
70(1)(a) 0
70(1)(b) 0
70(1)(c) 0
70(1)(d) 0
70(1)(e) 0
70(1)(f) 0
70.1 0

2.4 Format of Information Released

Disposition Paper Electronic Other formats
All disclosed 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 2 0 0
Total 2 0 0

2.5.1 Relevant Pages Processed and Disclosed

Disposition of requests Number of pages processed Number of pages disclosed Number of requests
All disclosed 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 183 177 2
All exempted 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0
Request abandonned 0 0 3
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0
Total 183 177 5

2.5.2 Relevant Pages Processed and Disclosed by Size of Requests

Disposition Less than 100 pages processed
101-500 pages
processed

501-1000 pages processed
1001-5000 pages processed
More than 5000 pages processed
Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 1 16 1 161 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandonned 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 4 16 1 161 0 0 0 0 0 0

2.5.3 Other Complexities

Disposition Consultation required Legal Advice Sought Interwoven Information Other Total
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 2 0 0 0 2
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandonned 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0
Total 2 0 0 0 2

2.6.1 Reasons for not meeting statutory deadline

Number of requests closed past
the statutory deadline
Principal Reason
Workload External consultation Internal consultation Other
0 0 0 0 0

2.6.2 Number of Days Past Deadline

Number of days past deadline Number of requests past deadline
where no extension was taken
Number of requests past deadline
where an extension was taken
Total
1 to 15 days 0 0 0
16 to 30 days 0 0 0
31 to 60 days 0 0 0
61 to 120 days 0 0 0
121 to 180 days 0 0 0
181 to 365 days 0 0 0
More than 365 days 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0

2.7 Requests for Translation

Translation Requests Accepted Refused Total
English to French 0 0 0
French to English 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0

Disclosures Under Subsection 8(2) and 8(5)

Paragraph 8(2)(e) Paragraph 8(2)(m) Subsection 8(5) Total
0 0 0 0

Requests for Correction of Personal Information and Notations

Disposition for Correction Requests Received Number
Notations attached 0
Requests for correction accepted 0
Total 0

5.1 Reasons for Extensions and Disposition of Requests

Disposition of requests where
an extension was taken
15(a)(i)
Interference with operations
15(a)(ii)
Consultation

15(b)
Translation or conversion
Section 70 Other
All disclosed 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 2 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0
No records exist 0 0 0 0
Request abandonned 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 2 0

5.2 Length of Extensions

Length of extensions 15(a)(i)
Interference with operations
15(a)(ii)
Consultation

15(b)
Translation purposes
Section 70 Other
1 to 15 days 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 days 0 0 2 0
Total 0 0 2 0

6.1 Consultations Received from Other Government of Canada Institutions and Organizations

Consultations Other governement of Canada institutions Number of pages to review Other organizations Number of pages to review
Received during reporting period 0 0 0 0
Outsanding from the previous reporting period 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0
Closed during the reporting period 0 0 0 0
Pending at the end of the reporting period 0 0 0 0

6.2 Recommendations and Completion Time for Consultations Received from Other Governement of Canada Institutions

Recommendation Number of days required to complete consultation requests
1 to 15 days 16 to 30 days 31 to 60 days 61 to 120 days 121 to 180 days 181 to 365 days More than 365 days Total
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclose in part 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

6.3 Recommendations and Completion Time for Consultations Received from Other Organizations

Recommendation Number of days required to complete consultation requests
1 to 15 days 16 to 30 days 31 to 60 days 61 to 120 days 121 to 180 days 181 to 365 days More than 365 days Total
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclose in part 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

7.1 Requests with Legal Services

Number of Days Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed 101-500 Pages Processed 501-1000
Pages Processed
1001-5000
Pages Processed
More than 5000
Pages Processed





Number of
Requests
Pages Disclosed Number of
Requests
Pages Disclosed Number of
Requests
Pages Disclosed Number of
Requests
Pages Disclosed Number of
Requests
Pages Disclosed
1 to 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
61 to 120 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
121 to 180 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
181 to 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More than 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

7.2 Requests with Privy Council Office

Number of Days Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed 101-500 Pages Processed 501-1000
Pages Processed
1001-5000
Pages Processed
More than 5000
Pages Processed





Number of
Requests
Pages Disclosed Number of
Requests
Pages Disclosed Number of
Requests
Pages Disclosed Number of
Requests
Pages Disclosed Number of
Requests
Pages Disclosed
1 to 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
61 to 120 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
121 to 180 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
181 to 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More than 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Complaints and Investigations Notices Received

Section 31 Section 33 Section 35 Court action Total
3 0 2 0 5
Number of PIA(s) completed:
0

10.1 Costs

Expenditures Amount
Salaries $10,416
Overtime $0
Goods and Services $410
Professional services contracts $0
Other $410
Total $10,826

10.2 Human Resources

Resources Person Years Dedicated to Privacy Activities
Full-time employees 0.50
Part-time and casual employees 0.00
Regional staff 0.00
Consultants and agency personnel 0.00
Students 0.00
Total 0.50

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