How Do I Make a Request?

The first step in making an Access to Information (ATI) or Privacy request is to determine who hold the records. Please refer to InfoSource to find out what the Department of Finance does and what information it holds.

To determine if another department or agency holds the information you are requesting, please contact one of the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinators, listed by organization.

Using the ATIP Online Request service, is a faster, easier and more convenient way to submit access to information or privacy requests. Apply online today to save time and postage.

To make a request by mail, please complete either the Access to Information Request Form or the Personal Information Request Form, or include a letter indicating that your request is made in accordance with the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act and describe the information you are seeking. Please include relevant details to help the ATIP Division find the information you are requesting. Mail your request to:

Access to Information and Privacy Division
Department of Finance Canada
90 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G5

Please note that a $5 application fee applies to only Access to Information requests. A money-order or cheque is payable to the Receiver General for Canada. There is no fee for requests for personal information.

Canadian citizens, permanent residents, individuals present in Canada and corporations located in Canada can request information in federal government records that are not of a personal nature through an Access to Information request.

Canadian citizens, permanent residents or individuals present in Canada have the right to access personal information held about them by the Government of Canada through a Privacy request.

The $5 application fee applies to all Access to Information requests. This fee covers the five hours of search and preparation time for the requested records.

If additional fees are required to search for the records or in order for us to provide you with photocopies, we will advise you. Additional search time is charged at $10.00 per hour. Photocopies are charged at $0.20 per page after the first 125 pages or $25.00. To avoid photocopy fees, we can provide the information to you free of charge on a CD if you wish.

Please be as specific as possible when describing the information you want so that we may locate it as quickly as possible. You may also wish to set a time frame for the records you are seeking.

You may also wish to further narrow your Access to Information Act request by eliminating some or all of the following from the ambit of your request:

• Transitory documents (drafts)
• E-mails
• English documents if they exist in a French format or French documents if they exist in an English format
• Cabinet Confidences. For example, the Access to Information Act does not apply to draft legislation nor to records that contain information about draft legislation as they are considered to be Cabinet Confidences. Eliminating such documents and information, eliminates our need to consult with the General Legal Services and/or the Privy Council Office and, therefore, results in a speedier response to your request.
• Documents which originate from another government institution. Eliminating these documents means that we do not need to consult with the other institution which, in turn, means a speedier response to your request. You may wish to submit a separate request to the originating institution. While a separate application fee will apply to that request, you are assured of five free hours of search time and 125 free pages being provided to you. You will also have a separate right of complaint to the Office of the Information Commissioner if you are not satisfied with the response to your request.

If you have other questions, please contact us:

Phone: 613-369-3579
Fax: 613-369-3580
E-mail: atip-aiprp@fin.gc.ca