2024-2025 Annual Report to Parliament – Administration of the Access to Information Act
1. Introduction
The Department of National Defence (DND/CAF) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are pleased to present to Parliament its annual report on the administration of the Access to Information Act Footnote 1(ATI Act). Section 94 of the ATI Act, and section 20 of the Service Fees Act requires the head of every federal government institution to submit an annual report to Parliament on the administration of the Act each fiscal year. This report describes National Defence activities that support compliance with the ATI Act for the fiscal year (FY) commencing 1 April 2024 and ending 31 March 2025.
1.1 Purpose of the Access to Information Act
The purpose of the ATI Act 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.
- Part 1 of the Act 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 on the disclosure of government information should be reviewed independently of government; and
- Part 2 of the Act sets out requirements for the proactive publication of information.
Service agreements
For FY 2024-25, the DND/CAF did not have any service agreements pursuant to section 96 of the ATI Act.
2. Access to Information and Privacy at DND/CAF
2.1 Mandate of DND/CAFFootnote 2
Who we are
The DND/CAF support a strategic vision for defence in which Canada is strong at home, secure in North America and engaged in the world. From regular forces to reserve forces and civilian employees, the Defence Team stretches from coast to coast to coast. Its membership represents the strength, skills, and diversity of Canada, and brings the experience necessary to protect and support Canadians no matter what is asked of them.
What we do
DND and the CAF have complementary roles to play in:
- Providing advice and support to the Minister of National Defence
- Implementing Government decisions regarding the defence of Canadian interests at home and abroad.
The CAF serves on the sea, on land, in the air, and in space and cyberspace with the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command.
In 2024, Canada released its renewed defence policy, Our North, Strong and Free Footnote 3, which outlines Canada's plan to ensure the CAF remains ready, resilient and relevant in the context of increasing global uncertainty. This means doing more to keep us strong at home, secure in North America and engaged in the world, under six themes including:
- Supporting our people by placing focus on recruitment, retention, and personal management, as well as investments into the quality of life for military members in form of support for health, housing, and childcare. For all that CAF members give up for Canadians they all deserve to feel safe and valued in their workplace, it is our priority progress culture change.
- Strengthening the foundations of our military to ensure CAF members have the tools they need to do their job effectively and keep them safe. This will include modernizing existing capabilities and acquiring new ones; building civilian capacity; reviewing and reforming defence procurement; accelerating digital transformation.
- Building an innovative industrial base by leveraging innovation and fostering relationships with industry partners to sustain existing equipment and accelerate production capacity in Canada. This will allow the CAF to make reliable and valuable contributions to our allies and partners, particularly in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions, in support of a more stable, peaceful world.
- Defending Canada in the Arctic and northern regions, where the changing physical and geopolitical landscapes have created new threats and vulnerabilities. By upgrading our continental defences to better detect incoming threats we can remain ready to assist when Canadians face natural disasters and other emergencies or are in need of search and rescue support.
- Defending North America as an active partner with the United States to restore continental defence and deterrence in all domains: sea, land, air, space and cyber, and through a modernized NORAD.
- Advancing Canada's global interests and values through continuing valuable Canadian Armed Forces contributions to global efforts to deter major power conflict, confront terrorism and insurgency, and address instability.
2.2 The Defence Team
The National Defence Act (NDA) establishes DND and the CAF as separate entities, operating within an integrated National Defence Headquarters as they pursue their primary responsibility of providing defence for Canada and Canadians.
Senior leadership
The Governor General of Canada is the Commander-in-Chief of Canada. DND is headed by the Minister of National Defence. The Associate Minister of National Defence supports the Minister of National Defence. The Deputy Minister of National Defence is the Department's senior civil servant. The CAF are headed by the Chief of the Defence Staff, Canada's senior serving officer. These senior leaders each have different responsibilities:
- The Governor General is responsible for appointing the Chief of the Defence Staff on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, awarding military honours, presenting colours to CAF regiments, approving new military badges and insignia, and signing commission scrolls;
- The Minister of National Defence presides over the Department and over all matters relating to national defence;
- The Associate Minister is also responsible for defence files, as mandated by the Prime Minister, with the specific priority of ensuring that CAF members have the equipment they need to do their jobs;
- The Deputy Minister is responsible for policy, resources, interdepartmental coordination, and international defence relations; and
- The Chief of the Defence Staff is responsible for command, control, and administration of the CAF, as well as military strategy, plans and requirements.
The Defence Team organization
The Defence Team organizational structure is represented in the diagram below. Additional information about the organization is available online. Footnote 4
For a description of the groups and positions responsible for meeting each applicable proactive publication requirement under Part 2 of the Access to Information Act, see section 8.2 "Proactive Publication".
Figure 1: National Defence Organization Chart
Caption
- Associate Minister of National Defence (Veterans Affairs)
- Communications Security Establishment (CSE)
- Ombudsman (OMB)
- Military Grievances External Review Committee
- Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC)
- Judge Advocate General (JAG)
Deputy Minister of National Defence (DM)
- Associate Deputy Minister of National Defence (Assoc DM)
- Senior Associate Deputy Minister of National Defence (Sr Assoc DM)
- Corporate Secretary (Corp Sec)
- ADM(Policy) (ADM(POL))
- ADM(Finance)/Chief Financial Officer (ADM(FIN)/CFO)
- ADM(Materiel) (ADM(Mat))
- ADM(Infrastructure Environment) (ADM(IE))
- ADM(Human Resources-Civilian) (ADM(HR-Civ))
- Chief Professional Conduct and Culture (CPCC)
- Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre (SMSRC)
Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS)
- Royal Canadian Navy (RCN)
- Canadian Army (CA)
- Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
- Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC)
- Canadian Forces Intelligence Command (CFINTCOM)
- Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM)
- North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD)
- Strategic Joint Staff (SJS)
- Military Personnel Command (MILPERSCOM)
2.3 The Directorate of Access to Information and Privacy
Delegation of authority
In accordance with section 95(1) of the Access to Information Act, a delegation of authority, signed by the Minister, designates the Deputy Minister, Corporate Secretary, Executive Director of Access to Information and Privacy, and Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Deputy Directors to exercise all powers and functions of the Minister, as the head of institution under the Act. It also designates other specific powers and functions to employees within the Directorate Access to Information and Privacy.
Under the authority of the Corporate Secretary, the ATIP Executive Director administers and coordinates the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, and acts as the departmental ATIP Coordinator. In the administration of the Act, the ATIP Directorate seeks advice on legal, public affairs, policy, and operational security matters from other organizations and specialists as required.
A copy of the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act Designation Order is provided at Annex A.
The ATIP Directorate
The ATIP Directorate is responsible for matters regarding access to information and privacy protection within the National Defence portfolio, except for the following organizations: the Military Police Complaints Commission, the Military Grievances External Review Committee, the Communications Security Establishment, the Office of the National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman, the Director of Defence Counsel Services, and the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services.
The ATIP Directorate is managed by an Executive Director and supported by a corporate services team that is responsible for the administrative and management functions of the directorate, including business planning, financial management, human resources, physical security, and information and records management (IM/RM). The workforce is divided functionally into three main areas, further supported by Defence Team organization liaison officers, as illustrated in the diagram at FIGURE 2.
The ATIP Operations Division oversees all activities related to access to information and privacy requests, including ATIP Intake. This ensures consistency in the execution of departmental processes and application of the Acts and allows for quality assurance activities, tracking, reporting, and monitoring of trends and rising issues.
The Defence Privacy Management (DPM) Division's primary mandate is to oversee departmental compliance with the Privacy Act; the division manages privacy impact assessments; resolution of privacy breaches and systemic issues; and provides guidance on privacy policy obligations as well as expertise and advice to senior management on contentious and sensitive issues while ensuring continuous improvements of privacy policy and service delivery for the department.
The ATIP Program Support Division delivers training and promotes ATIP awareness, performs data analytics and reports on program performance, and provides ATIP related advice and guidance to the ATIP Directorate and the wider DND/CAF community.
During the reporting period the ATIP Directorate had the full-time equivalent of 56.49 employees and 12.75 consultants dedicated to Access to Information activities.
Figure 2: National Defence ATIP Operational Workforce
Caption
Image Description Figure 2:
National Defence ATIP operational workforce
ATI Operations
Receive and process requests for records in accordance with the “rights of access” provided by the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. Seek and receive relevant records from Defence Team organizations. Conduct line-by-line review of records. Consult other parties for disclosure recommendations. Apply ATI Act and Privacy Act provisions. Respond to formal complaints from the Office of the Information Commissioner and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
Defence Privacy Management Oversee organizational compliance with the Privacy Act and policy obligations. Provide expertise and strategic advice to senior management. Conduct privacy risk assessments. Provide privacy advisory services and processes requests related to public interest disclosures and legal instruments for the disclosure of personal information. Support the review of allegations of mismanagement of personal information; including formal complaints received from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
ATIP Program Support Provide strategic advice and issues management support. Develop ATIP related internal policy instruments. Perform data analytics and report on program performance. Maintain internal applications and provide technical support. Deliver ATIP training and awareness program. Develop and implement the ATIP Recruitment and Development Program.
ATI & Privacy Liaison Officers Support the ATIP program by coordinating ATI and Privacy activities across offices of primary interest within their respective groups.
3. Highlights of the Statistical Report
The statistical report at Annex B consists of data submitted by DND/CAF as part of the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) annual collection of ATIP-related statistics. The following sections contain highlights, trends and an analysis of notable statistical data from a departmental perspective.
3.1 Requests received
In FY 2024-25, DND/CAF received 2,494 new ATI requests, a 6.3% increase from the previous reporting period. Combined with a carry-over of 2,038 files from FY 2023-24, this represents a total ATI workload of 4,532 requests during the reporting period. At the end of 2024-25, 2,314 ATI requests were carried over to the next reporting period (FY 2025-26).
Figure 3: ATI request workload (LAST FIVE YEARS)
Caption
Image description Figure 3:
Access to Information Request workload
In 2020-2021, 2028 requests were received, 1271 requests were carried over from the previous reporting period. A combined workload of 3299 requests.
In 2021-2022, 2523 requests were received, 1411 requests were carried over from the previous reporting period. A combined workload of 3943 requests.
In 2022-2023, 2241 requests were received, 1778 requests were carried over from the previous reporting period. A combined workload of 4019 requests.
In 2023-2024, 2347 requests were received, 1777 requests were carried over from the previous reporting period. A combined workload of 4124 requests.
In 2024-2025, 2494 requests were received, 2038 requests were carried over from the previous reporting period. A combined workload of 4532 requests.
Figure 4: Sources of Requests Received (FY 2024–25)
Caption
Image description – Figure 4:
Sources of Requests Received
408 requests were received from Media
46 requests were received from Academia
70 requests were received from Business (Private Sector)
19 requests were received from Organization
1731 requests were received from the Public
220 requests were received where the source decline to identify
Sources of requests
The general public remains the largest source of requests, accounting for over half of all requests received. The distribution of remaining sources of requestsremained consistent with previous reporting periods.
3.2 Requests completed
A total of 2,218 requests were completed during the reporting period. This represents a 6.3% increase compared to FY 2023-24; the total number of pages processed as a result of those requests increased by 40.33%, from 296, 479 to 416,052. The five-year trend is depicted in FIGURE 5.
Figure 5: Disposition of Requests Completed and Total Requests Completed (Last Five Years)
Caption
Image description – Figure 5
Disposition of Request Completed and Total Requests Closed
In 2020-2021, 181 were all disclosed, 504 were disclosed in part, 23 where nothing was disclosed, 519 were transferred or does not exist and 661 were abandoned. A total of 1888 requests were closed.
In 2021-2022, 220 were all disclosed, 613 were disclosed in part, 32 where nothing was disclosed, 540 were transferred or does not exist and 749 were abandoned. A total of 2156 requests were closed.
In 2022-2023, 145 were all disclosed, 642 were disclosed in part, 49 where nothing was disclosed, 597 were transferred or does not exist and 807 were abandoned. A total of 2242 requests were closed.
In 2023-2024, 175 were all disclosed, 585 were disclosed in part, 25 where nothing was disclosed, 955 were transferred or does not exist and 344 were abandoned. A total of 2086 requests were closed.
In 2024-2025, 280 were all disclosed, 799 were disclosed in part, 64 where nothing was disclosed, 749 were transferred or does not exist and 308 were abandoned. A total of 2218 requests were closed.
The number requests abandoned in the first 15 days decreased by 10% since onboarding to the ATIP Online Request Service in March 2023. DND/CAF has observed that applicants submitting requests for personal information are appropriately directed by the system to submit a request under the Privacy Act. Of the 733 requests closed as "Does not exist," over 57% were for personal information of former CAF members which is no longer held by DND/CAF following five years after release. In such cases applicants were redirected to Library and Archives Canada for their requests to be processed.
Disposition: percentage of requests all disclosed vs. disclosed in part
During the reporting period records were disclosed in 1,079 requests. Of the total 2,218 requests completed, 12.6% of requests were "all disclosed" and 36.0% were "disclosed in part." The remaining requests were completed as all exempted, all excluded, no records exist, request transferred, request abandoned, or neither confirmed nor deny.
Figure 6: All Disclosed vs. Disclosed in Part (FY 2024–25)
Caption
Image description – Figure 6
Requests All Disclosed and Disclosed in Part
280 All disclosed
799 Disclosed in part
1139 Other
Pages reviewed
A total of 416,052 pages were processed this FY. As represented in FIGURE 7, the number of pages reviewed represents the total processed pages in completed requests where records existed. This number does not include the number of pages processed for requests that were not completed this FY and carried over into the next reporting period.
Figure 7: Number of Pages Reviewed for Requests Completed Where Records Existed (Last Three Years)
Caption
Image description – Figure 7
Number of Pages Reviewed for Requests Closed, where Records Existed
In 2022-2023, 213 059 pages reviewed for 1645 requests closed
In 2023-2024, 296,479 pages reviewed for 1128 requests closed
In 2024-2025, 416,052 pages reviewed for 1469 requests closed
Exemptions and exclusions
Consistent with previous reporting periods, in FY 2024-25, the majority of exemptions applied by DND/CAF were under the following four sections of the ATI Act:
- Subsection 19(1), which protects personal information of individuals, was applied in 643 requests;
- Subsection 15(1), which protects limited and specific information concerning international affairs and defence, was applied in 372 requests;
- Subsection 21(1), which protects limited and specific information concerning advice and recommendations, was applied in 322 requests; and
- Subsection 20(1), which protects proprietary third-party information, was applied in 257 requests.
Extensions
The ATI Act provides for extending the statutory time limits to respond to a request beyond 30 days if:
Figure 8: Reasons for Extension (FY 2024–25)
Caption
Image description – Figure 8
Reasons for Extension
123 extensions were taken for external consultations
107 extensions were taken for interference with operations
30 extensions were taken for third-party notice
- It involves a large number of records or requires a search through a large number of records, and meeting the original time limit would unreasonably interfere with the operations of the institution.
- External consultations are necessary and cannot reasonably be completed within the original time limit.
- Notice to a third party is required to advise them their information is the subject of a request.
In FY 2024-25, 47.3% of all extensions taken for closed requests were required to conduct consultations with other bodies such as federal government institutions, provincial or municipal governments, or international organizations or governments. The majority of these extensions (71.5%) were for 60 days or less.
The number of extensions taken should not be interpreted as the number of files for which extensions are claimed. A single file could, and quite often does, qualify for multiple extensions. For example, a file could be extended because it has a large volume of records and also be extended because consultations (one or multiple) are required. This appears in the statistical report as multiple extensions but only for a single file.
Completion time
The percentage of files closed within 30 days decreased since the last reporting period; 41.0% of files were closed within 30 days compared to 54.5% during the previous reporting period. A breakdown of completion time is provided in FIGURE 9.
Figure 9: Request Completion Time (Last Five Years)
Caption
Image description – Figure 9
Request Completion Time
In 2020-2021, 956 requests were closed in 30 days or less, 128 requests were closed between 31-60 days, 183 requests were closed between 61-120 days and 621 requests were closed in 121 days or more
In 2021-22, 1272 requests were closed in 30 days or less, 176 requests were closed between 31-60 days, 200 requests were closed between 61-120 days and, 508 requests were closed in 121 days or more
In 2022-23, 1287 requests were closed in 30 days or less, 114 requests were closed between 31-60 days, 151 requests were closed between 61-120 days and, 690 requests were closed in 121 days or more
In 2023-24, 1138 requests were closed in 30 days or less, 92 requests were closed between 31-60 days, 147 requests were closed between 61-120 days and, 709 requests were closed in 121 days or more
In 2024-25, 907 requests were closed in 30 days or less, 148 requests were closed between 31-60 days, 222 requests were closed between 61-120 days and, 941 requests were closed in 121 days or more
Number of active requests – outstanding from previous reporting periods
At the end of the FY 2024-25 reporting period, DND/CAF had 2,314 active requests. A breakdown of outstanding requests by the reporting period in which the request was received, and whether the request is still within the legislated timelines (including extensions) is provided below in FIGURE 10.
Figure 10: Number of active requests (as of MArch 31, 2025)
Caption
Image description – Figure 10
Number of Active Requests – Outstanding from Previous Reporting Periods
Of the requests received in 2024-25 (and active on March 31, 2025), 240 were within legislated timelines; 874 were beyond legislated timelines
Of the requests received in 2023-24 (and active on March 31, 2025), 3 were within legislated timelines; 525 were beyond legislated timelines
Of the requests received in 2022-23 (and active on March 31, 2025), 1 was within legislated timeline; 284 were beyond legislated timelines
Of the requests received in 2021-22 (and active on March 31, 2025), 1 was within legislated timeline; 386 were beyond legislated timelines
Figure 11: Number of Active Complaints (As of March 31, 2025)
Caption
Image description – Figure 11
Number of Active Complaints – Outstanding from Previous Reporting Periods
Of the complaints active on March 31, 2025:
132 complaints were received in 2024-25
4 complaints were received in 2023-24
0 complaints were received in 2022-23
5 complaints were received in 2021-22 or earlier
Number of active complaints - outstanding from previous reporting periods
At the end of the reporting period, DND/CAF had a total 141 active complaints with the Information Commissioner of Canada (OIC). A breakdown of active complaints by reporting period is provided at FIGURE 11.
On-time compliance
DND/CAF responded to 43.91% of requests within legislated timelines in FY 2024-25 which represents a 13.3% decrease in on-time compliance compared to the last reporting period, where 57.24% of requests were closed within legislated timelines.
The most common reason for deemed refusal was "Other," which was cited for 67.1% of requests closed late during the reporting period. As defined by TBS, this reason relates to unavailability of key officials and difficulties in obtaining relevant information in deemed refusal requests. FIGURE 12 displays the reasons contributing to late file closures in FY 2024-25.
Figure 12: Reasons for deemed refusal (FY 2024-25)
Caption
Image description – Figure 12
Reasons for Deemed Refusal
974 requests were closed on time while 1244 requests were closed late
393 requests closed late is due to workload
8 requests closed late is due to internal consultations
8 requests closed late is due to external consultation
835 requests closed late is due to other factors
DND/CAF's on-time performance decreased during this reporting period, however a number of factors continue to impact performance and deemed refusal rates; including but not limited to:
- Increased media attention and public interest relating to Departmental priorities such as COVID vaccination, the war in Ukraine and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena affect Offices of Primary Interest (OPI) ability to retrieve records. Timely review by the ATIP office is further impacted by the complexities inherent to this sensitive and complex information.
- ATIP staffing challenges continue due to a competitive job market. Staff turnover at all levels reduces operational efficiency while new employees onboard and learn. Hiring and training new employees creates additional workload for ATIP management and support services. Efforts continue to recruit and retain talented individuals to staff vacant positions.
3.3 Consultations received and completed
During the reporting period, DND/CAF received a total of 251 requests for consultation – 207 were received from other Government of Canada institutions and 44 from other organizations. The total workload for consultation requests increased slightly by 1.6% over FY 2023-24 when 247 consultation requests were received.
While the number of new requests for consultations received this FY by DND/CAF remains level with last FY, DND/CAF had 3.4% fewer consultations pending at the end of this reporting period (112).
Figure 13: ATI Consultation Workload (Last Five Years)
Caption
Image description – Figure 13
Access to Information Consultation Workload
In 2020-2021, 170 consultations were received during the reporting period, 250 were carried over, for a total of 420
In 2021-2022, 238 consultations were received during the reporting period, 203 were carried over, for a total of 441
In 2022-2023, 251 consultations were received during the reporting period, 186 were carried over, for a total of 437
In 2023-2024, 247 consultations were received during the reporting period, 152 were carried over, for a total of 399
In 2024-2025, 251 consultations were received during the reporting period, 116 were carried over, for a total of 367
3.4 Informal requests
To support increased transparency and the principles of Open Government, DND/CAF encourages informal access to records wherever possible. As a result of the continued online posting of summaries of completed ATIA requests, DND/CAF saw a significant increase of informal requests for previously released information.
In FY 2024-25, DND/CAF responded to 3,542 informal requests, which represented a 250.3% increase over the previous reporting period; a drastic rise compared to the previous high of 1,833 reported in FY 2023-24.
Notably, the vast majority (3,490; 98%) were completed in 30 days or less.
Figure 14: Informal Requests (Last Five Years)
Caption
Image description – Figure 14
Informal Requests
In 2020-2021, 369 were closed in less than 30 days and 64 in more than 30 days for a total of 433 Informal Requests
In 2021-22, 499 were closed in less than 30 days and 155 in more than 30 days for a total of 654 Informal Requests
In 2022-23, 1778 were closed in less than 30 days and 55 in more than 30 days for a total of 1833 Informal Requests
In 2023-24, 982 were closed in less than 30 days and 29 in more than 30 days for a total of 1011 Informal Requests
In 2024-25, 3490 were closed in less than 30 days and 52 in more than 30 days for a total of 3542 Informal Requests
Informal requests reported in this section include:
- Formal requests that were discontinued in favour of providing information informally, in consultation with the requester as part of the Duty to Assist;
- Advising requesters when information is already publicly available online; and
- The re-release of information made available through previously closed formal requests. A listing of ATI requests completed by DND/CAF is available on the Open Government portal.
4. Complaints, Audits and Reviews
4.1 Complaints from the Office of the Information Commissioner
DND/CAF received a total of 372 Notices of intention to investigate from the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) in the 2024-25 reporting period; compared to 123 such notices received in the previous reporting period. The number of complaints with well-founded final determinations increased to 99 received this reporting period. This represents 2.1% of the total volume of files processed this FY.
Figure 15: OIC Findings and Nature of Well-Founded Complaints (FY 2024–25)
Caption
Image description – Figure 15
OIC Findings and Nature of Well-Founded Complaints
12 complaints were discontinued, settled, or resolved
99 complaints were well founded, 83 of which were administrative in nature (delays and time extensions), and 16 of which were refusal complaints (application of exemptions or possible missing records)
35 complaints were not well founded
181 complaints were ceased to investigat
Statistical reporting requirements for complaints and investigations with the OIC are noted below:
- Section 32: When the OIC gives formal figure 1quest under the Act. Defence received 372 such notices during FY 2024-25.
- Section 35: When the OIC requests further representations from institutions pursuant to an ongoing complaint investigation. Defence provided 133 such formal written representations to the OIC during the reporting period.
- Section 37: When the OIC issues a report of findings for a well-founded complaint upon conclusion of an investigation. During the reporting period, 99 complaints were found to have merit. The 99 well-founded complaints represent 73.9% of the total findings (134) issued in FY 2024-25.
- Note that these complaints are not necessarily resulting from the 372 complaints received during the current reporting period. Of the 99 well-founded determinations:
- 83 were administrative in nature (about delays and time extensions),
- Note that these complaints are not necessarily resulting from the 372 complaints received during the current reporting period. Of the 99 well-founded determinations:
- 16 were refusal complaints (regarding application of exemptions or possible missing records).
Complaints
The ATIP Directorate continued to utilize a dedicated manager to coordinate complaints from the OIC and to serve as the primary point of contact for the OIC. Regular monthly meetings were undertaken between the OIC and ATIP senior management to discuss file progression. These monthly meetings resulted in resolution of complaints and better collaboration with the OIC and the ATIP Directorate.
4.2 Court decisions
In FY 2024-25, there were 31 court proceedings actioned as a result of requests processed by DND/CAF. These proceedings were discontinued once responses were provided to the requesters.
4.3 Key actions taken on complaints
DND/CAF took actions during the reporting period to address the issues raised by the Office of the Information Commissioner and the Standing Committee on National Defence.
A multi-disciplinary ATIP working group consisting of representatives from the ATIP Directorate, the Directorate of Enterprise Architecture, and Review Services evaluated the ATIP process to identify areas for improvement. Subsequently an agile project management approach was implemented to develop initiatives aimed at improving the ATIP process across DND/CAF.
DND/CAF is committed to addressing process challenges through this ongoing effort and continues to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the initiatives undertaken.
5. Policies and Procedures
The ATIP Directorate conducted internal reviews of its standard operating procedures (SOPs) to identify any outdated or inefficient processes that could be improved or eliminated. In addition to updating the ATI Procedure Guide to document improvements to ATI request processing, and to ensure alignment with Treasury Board Secretariat policies and directives.
Management participated in monthly meetings with the Offices of Primary Interest (OPIs) who had the highest volume of requests to improve communication and to assist them in reducing backlogs. These meetings also aided in the resolution of numerous Section 37 orders from the Information Commissioner, which impacted the same OPIs.
Several tools were introduced and refined during the reporting period to assist Level 1 branches (L1s) and OPIs:
- An L1 Playbook was published to establish common procedures and best practices for each stage of the ATIP process, including searching, applying severance recommendations, and submitting records. Additional chapters and resources provide advice on topics such as archived and inaccessible information, assessing duplicate records, and managing ATI taskings.
- A procedure was defined to provide a standardized method for automating the production of records in PDF format, ensuring consistency and reducing manual workload.
- The Tasking Liaison Officer (TLO) Return Form was redesigned with clarified instructions to more effectively capture all information required from ATIP Tasking Responses.
- A Tasking Extension Request Form was created to document time extension requests and help calculate reasonable extensions.
The ATIP Directorate's continuous process improvement and tools collectively aimed to streamline processes, enhance accuracy, and support best practices across all levels of the organization.
6. Initiatives and Projects
To enhance the efficiency and compliance with ATIP requirements across DND/CAF several key initiatives have been implemented. These measures aim to streamline processes, improve access, and modernize the digital infrastructure.
A multi-disciplinary ATIP working group was established to assess challenges and risks, and prioritize the actions and tools needed to effect change. This review involved consultation with ATIP Analysts, L1 representatives, and business process owners to address their challenges and leverage best practices. The working group focused on lean analysis, automation tools, and workflow redesign.
Several products were delivered using this approach, including:
- Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for intake of the online requests
- Protected B libraries to centralize document remits
- Adaptable templates for improved tracking and reporting within L1 organizations
- Updated descriptions and reference material to aid in taskings
A Defence-wide ATIP Community of Practice was established to regularly engage with the L1 TLOs and ATIP Leads. Regular engagement in meetings alongside a dedicated communication channel allows the ATIP Directorate to distribute job aids and guidance, host training sessions, and providing a platform for immediate resolution of queries.
Within the ATIP Directorate, the development of a recruitment and development program continued. This initiative will provide the training and mentorship required to support ATIP Analysts at various levels in their career growth, while building the experience and capacity required for the success of the ATIP program at DND.
7. Training and Awareness
7.1 ATIP training program
Departmental ATIP training was provided on a virtual platform. Directorate training staff delivered the following training sessions to the Defence Team with specific emphasis on those staff with ATIP responsibilities:
- Access to Information and Privacy Fundamentals (COR502 – Offered online by the Canada School of the Public Service, this course is a prerequisite for all departmental ATIP training);
- Introductory DND/CAF ATIP courses [ATIP at DND (formally ATIP 101 - General ATIP), or Privacy Fundamentals];
- Orientation session for new employees of the ATIP Directorate;
- Advanced DND/CAF ATIP courses (ATIP 201 - Advanced ATIP or organization-specific content); and,
- ATIP awareness and engagement activities with the various branches and divisions.
7.2 Awareness and training activities
In the past year, DND/CAF launched a new online, self-directed training program—ATIP at DND—which replaced the previous ATIP 101 course. This modernized approach played a key role in achieving a 23.6% increase in training participation compared to the previous year.
In addition, Advanced ATIP training sessions were delivered virtually on a bi-weekly basis, reaching approximately 250 participants per session. These sessions provided Defence Team personnel and CAF members with comprehensive instruction on the administration of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, as well as guidance on the appropriate management of personal information under institutional control.
Furthermore, 4,174 DND/CAF personnel completed the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) ATIP Fundamentals course during the reporting period. This course served as a mandatory prerequisite for all DND-specific ATIP training, reinforcing foundational knowledge across the organization.
8. Monitoring Compliance
8.1 Access to information
To provide effective oversight and reporting of ATIP performance within DND/CAF, the ATIP Directorate produces a monthly dashboard that measures the timeliness of OPI record retrieval, overall ATIP compliance, and critical indicators such as privacy breach complaints. Using Microsoft Power BI to publish the ATIP dashboard has enhanced its usability and visibility to senior leadership on key metrics and ATIP performance. The monthly dashboard serves to track ATIP performance across the Department and identify organizations who may require assistance or training, and to identify areas for process improvements.
A report of ongoing record retrievals and consultation requests is produced and circulated to each L1 weekly. The report informs discussions between senior officials and provides detailed information for tracking the progress of ATIP requests within L1 organizations.
Additionally, the ATIP Directorate responds to on-demand requests for statistics and performance reports to support program-specific requirements and departmental ATIP obligations.
8.2 Proactive publication
DND/CAF is a department of the Government of Canada, and a government institution listed in Schedule I of the ATIA.
In accordance with Defence Administrative Orders and Directives (DAOD), the Deputy Minister of National Defence and the Chief of the Defence Staff have designated officials in the form of Functional Authorities for each proactive publishing requirement who exercise the responsibility to support the head of the institution's accountability for requirements under Part 2 of the Act.
The process lead and key stakeholders for each proactive publishing requirement collaborated to define the roles & responsibilities, develop detailed processes, and determine the timings to ensure DND/CAF is compliant with legislative requirements.
The Public Affairs and Information Management groups support DND/CAF in ensuring publications are posted to the DND/CAF Transparency site and the Open Government site in bilingual and web accessible formats within the mandated time requirements.
Individuals at all levels play a vital role in supporting proactive publishing requirements, specifically:
- Corporate Secretary (Corp Sec): The functional authority for the administration of the ATIA and the PA during the reporting period. The Corp Sec provides direction to DND/CAF on the implementation and oversight of proactive publishing requirements.
- Deputy Heads (L0): Ensure all DND/CAF organizations support and uphold legislated proactive publishing requirements.
- Assistant Deputy Ministers and Commanders of Commands (L1): Ensure organizations under their chain of command respect all proactive publishing requirements. Each L1 must ensure the accuracy and completeness of information published on their behalf. L1s are to implement internal release authority approvals and data quality control measures where necessary.
- Functional Authority: Responsible for the oversight and monitoring of their respective proactive publishing requirements as described in the table below and for addressing all matters of non-compliance. The Functional Authority plays a key role in ensuring that the data for each element is accurate and submitted to ensure the publications are completed within the mandated time allowed.
- Process Lead: The subject matter authority responsible for initiating and/or effecting the proactive publishing of DND/CAF information.
The products which were identified for publication by the Process Leads during the reporting period have been made available on open.canada.ca, and the National Defence website through the Transparency, and Reports and Publications pages. Compliance with the legislative timelines set out in Part 2 of the Act are identified in the tables below.
Compliance percentages were determined through assessment of publication websites and administrative data from the open data registry. For the purpose of reporting on proactive publication activities, compliance is assessed following each reporting period to ensure that information is published in accordance with legislative timelines. The Functional Authorities are responsible for oversight and correction of any issues identified with their respective proactive publishing requirements.
| Proactive Publishing Requirement | Process Lead | Section of the Act | Publication Timeline | Assessed Compliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briefing Note Lists | Directorate Access to Information and Privacy (DAIP) | 74(b), 88(b) | Within 30 days after the end of the month received | 100% |
| Ministers' Offices Expenses *Note: This consolidated report is currently published by TBS on behalf of all institutions. | Corp Sec Comptroller Office | 78 | Within 120 days after the fiscal year | Not Assessed |
| Proactive Publishing Requirement | Process Lead | Section of the Act | Publication Timeline | Assessed Compliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants & Contributions over $25,000 | Executive Director Investment Planning and Programme Approvals (EDIPPA) | 87 | Within 30 days after the quarter | 100% |
| Travel Expenses | Director General Financial Operations and Services (DGFOS) | 75, 82 | Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement | 100% |
| Hospitality Expenses | Director General Financial Operations and Services (DGFOS) | 76, 83 | Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement | 100% |
| Proactive Publishing Requirement | Process Lead | Section of the Act | Publication Timeline | Assessed Compliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contracts over $10,000 | Director Materiel Policy and Procedures (DMPP) | 77, 87 | Q1-3: Within 30 days after the quarter Q4: Within 60 days after the quarter | 100% |
| Proactive Publishing Requirement | Process Lead | Section of the Act | Publication Timeline | Assessed Compliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reclassification of positions | Directorate Civilian Classification and Organization (DCCO) | 85 | Within 30 days after the quarter | 75% |
| Proactive Publishing Requirement | Process Lead | Section of the Act | Publication Timeline | Assessed Compliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question Period Notes | Directorate of Parliamentary Affairs (D Parl A) | 74(c), | Within 30 days after last sitting day of the House of Common in June and December | 100% |
| Parliamentary Committee Binders | Directorate of Parliamentary Affairs (D Parl A) | 74(d), 88(c) | Within 120 days after appearance | 100% |
| Reports Tabled in Parliament | Directorate of Parliamentary Affairs (D Parl A) | 84 | Within 30 days after tabling | 100% |
| Transition Binders | Directorate of Strategic Coordination and Outreach | 74(a), 88(a) | Within 120 days after appointment | 100% |
Annex A: Delegation Order
Caption
Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces
Ministère de la Défense nationale et les Forces armées canadiennes
Delegation of Authority
Access to Information Act and Privacy Act
I, Minister of National Defence, pursuant to section 95 of the Access to Information Act and section 73 of the Privacy Act, hereby delegate the persons holding the positions set out in the Delegation of Authority Schedules attached hereto, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers, duties and function of the Minister as head of National Defence, under the provisions of the Acts and related regulations set out in the schedule opposite each position.
This delegation supersedes all previous delegation orders.
Délégation de pouvoirs
Loi sur l'accès à l'information et Loi sur la protection des renseignements personnels
En ma qualité de ministre de la Défense Nationale et conformément à l'article 95 de la Loi sur l'accès à l'information et l'article 73 de la Loi sur la protection des renseignements personnels, je délègue par la présente aux titulaires des postes énoncés aux l'annexes de délégation de pouvoirs ci-après, ou aux personnes occupant les dits postes à titre intérimaire, les attributions dont je suis investie, à titre de ministre de la Défense Nationale, aux termes des dispositions des lois et des règlements connexes mentionnés en regard de chaque poste.
Le présent arrêté remplace toute ordonnance de délégations de pouvoirs antérieure.
Original signed by
The Honourable William Sterling Blair, P.C., C.O.M., M.P.
Minister of National Defence
Date: 2024-02-23
Delegation of Authority Schedule - Access to Information Act
Delegation of the powers, duties and functions of the Minister of National Defence as the head of the institution for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces under the Access to Information Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. A-1 (prior to and following June 21, 2019) and regulations.
To note: the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces includes a number of organizations with varying degrees of independent authority. The powers, duties and functions in the present order shall not apply to the activities of the following organizations:
- The Military Police Complaints Commission;
- The National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman;
- The Military Grievances External Review Committee;
- The Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services;
- The Director of Defence Counsel Services; and,
- Any other organization of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces to whom the Minister of National Defence may delegate such powers.
| Position | Delegation |
|---|---|
| Deputy Minister | Full Authority |
| Corporate Secretary | Full Authority |
| Executive Director, Access to Information and Privacy | Full Authority |
| Chief of Operations | Full Authority |
| Provisions | Description | Deputy Director(s), Access to Information | Team Leader(s), Access to Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4(2.1) | Responsibility of government institutions | Applicable | N/A |
| 6.1(1) | Reasons for declining to act on request | N/A | N/A |
| 6.1 (1.3), (1.4), (2) | Notice– suspension, end of suspension | N/A | N/A |
| 7 | Notice when access requested | Applicable | Applicable |
| 8(1) | Transfer of request to another government institution | Applicable | N/A |
| 9(1) | Extension of time limits | Applicable | Applicable |
| 9(2) | Notice of extension to Information Commissioner | Applicable | Applicable |
| 10 | Where access is refused | Applicable | Applicable |
| 10 (2) | Existence of a record not required to be disclosed | N/A | N/A |
| 11(2) | Application fee waiver | Applicable | Applicable |
| 12(2)(b) | Language of access | Applicable | N/A |
| 12(3)(b) | Access in an alternative format | Applicable | N/A |
| Exemption provisions of the Access to Information Act | |||
| 13 | Information obtained in confidence | Applicable | Applicable |
| 14 | Federal-provincial affairs | Applicable | N/A |
| 15 | International affairs and defence | Applicable | N/A |
| 16 | Law enforcement and investigations | Applicable | N/A |
| 16 (3) | Policing services for provinces or municipalities | Applicable | Applicable |
| 16.5 | Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act | Applicable | Applicable |
| 17 | Safety of individuals | Applicable | N/A |
| 18 | Economic interests of Canada | Applicable | N/A |
| 18.1 | Economic interest of certain government institutions | Applicable | N/A |
| 19 | Personal information | Applicable | Applicable |
| 20 | Third-party information | Applicable | Applicable |
| 21 | Operations of Government | Applicable | N/A |
| 22 | Testing procedures, tests and audits | Applicable | N/A |
| 22.1 | Internal audits | Applicable | N/A |
| 23 | Protected information –solicitors, advocates and notaries | Applicable | Applicable |
| 23.1 | Protected information – patents and trademarks | Applicable | N/A |
| 24 | Statutory prohibitions against disclosure | Applicable | Applicable |
| Other provisions of the Access to Information Act | |||
| 25 | Severability | Applicable | Applicable |
| 26 | Refusal of access if information to be published | Applicable | N/A |
| 27(1), (4) | Notice to third-party | Applicable | Applicable |
| 28(1)(b), (2), (4) | Representations of third-party and decision | Applicable | Applicable |
| 33 | Notice to Information Commissioner of notices to third parties | Applicable | Applicable |
| 35(2)(b) | Right to make representations | Applicable | N/A |
| 37(1)(c) | Notice of actions to implement recommendations of the Commissioner | N/A | N/A |
| 37(4) | Access to be given to complainant | N/A | N/A |
| 41(2) | Review by Federal Court – government institution | N/A | N/A |
| 43(2) | Service or notice of application to Federal Court for review | N/A | N/A |
| 44(2) | Notice to person who requested record | N/A | N/A |
| 52(2)(b), 52(3) | Special rules for hearings | N/A | N/A |
| 94 | Annual report – government institutions | N/A | N/A |
| Access to Information Act Regulations | |||
| 6(1) | Transfer of request | Applicable | N/A |
| 7(2) | Search and preparation fees | Applicable | N/A |
| 7(3) | Production and programming fees | Applicable | N/A |
| 8 | Providing access to record(s) | Applicable | N/A |
| 8.1 | Limitations in respect of format | Applicable | N/A |
Delegation of Authority Schedule - Privacy Act
Delegation of the powers, duties and function of the Minister of National Defence as the head of the institution for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces under the Privacy Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. P-21 and regulation.
To note: the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces includes a number of organizations with varying degrees of independent authority. The powers, duties and functions in the present order shall not apply to the activities of the following organizations:
- The Military Police Complaints Commission;
- The National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman;
- The Military Grievances External Review Committee;
- The Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services;
- The Director of Defence Counsel Services; and,
- Any other organization of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces to whom the Minister of National Defence may delegate such powers.
| Position | Delegation |
|---|---|
| Deputy Minister | Full Authority |
| Corporate Secretary | Full Authority |
| Executive Director Access to Information and Privacy | Full Authority |
| Chief of Operations | Full Authority |
| Provisions | Description | Deputy Director (s), Policy and Governance | Deputy Director (s), Privacy | Team Leader (s), Privacy | Senior Analyst (s), Privacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8(2)(j) | Disclosure for research or statistical purposes | Applicable | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 8(2)(m) | Disclosure in the public interest or in the interest of the individual | Applicable | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
| 8(4) | Copies of requests under 8(2)(e) to be retained | Applicable | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 8(5) | Notice of disclosure under 8(2)(m) | Applicable | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
| 9(1) | Record of disclosures to be retained | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 9(4) | Consistent uses | Applicable | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 10 | Personal information to be included in personal information banks | Applicable | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 14(a) | Notice where access requested | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| 14(b) | Giving access to the record | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| 15 | Extension of time limits | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | Applicable |
| 16 (1) | Where access is refused | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| 16 (2) | Existence not required to be disclosed | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 17(2)(b) | Language of access | N/A | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
| 17(3)(b) | Access in an alternative format | N/A | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
| Exemption Provisions of the Privacy Act | |||||
| 18(2) | Exempt bank - Disclosure may be refused | N/A | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
| 19 | Information obtained in confidence | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| 20 | Federal-provincial affairs | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| 21 | International affairs and defence | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| 22 | Law enforcement and investigation | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| 22.3 | Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| 23 | Security clearances | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| 24 | Individuals sentenced for an offence | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| 25 | Safety of individuals | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| 26 | Information about another individual | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | Applicable |
| 27 | Protected information – solicitors, advocates and notaries | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| 27.1 | Protected information –patents and trademarks | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| 28 | Medical record | N/A | Applicable | Applicable | N/A |
| Other Provisions of the Privacy Act | |||||
| 33(2) | Right to make representation | Applicable | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
| 35(1)(b) | Notice of actions to implement recommendations of Commissioner | Applicable | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
| 35(4) | Access to be given to complainant | Applicable | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
| 36(3)(b) | Notice of actions to implement recommendations of Commissioner concerning exempt banks | Applicable | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
| 51(2)(b) | Actions relating to international affairs and defence - special rules for hearings | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 51(3) | Actions relating to international affairs and defence - Ex parte representations | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 72 | Annual report to Parliament | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Privacy Act Regulations | |||||
| 7(a) | Retention of request for personal information received under paragraph 8(2)(e) | Applicable | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 9 | Reasonable facilities and time provided to examine personal information | N/A | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
| 11(2) | Notification concerning correction to personal information has been made | Applicable | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
| 11(4) | Notification that correction to personal information has been refused | Applicable | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
| 13(1) | Disclosure of personal information relating to physical or mental health | N/A | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
| 14 | Examination in presence of medical practitioner or psychologist | N/A | Applicable | N/A | N/A |
Annex B: Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act for 2024–2025
Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act
Name of institution: Department of National Defence
Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-03-31
Section 1: Requests Under the Access to Information Act
| - | Number of Requests |
| Received during reporting period | 2494 |
| Outstanding from previous reporting periods | 2038 |
|
938 |
|
1100 |
| Total | 4532 |
| Closed during reporting period | 2218 |
| Carried over to next reporting period | 2314 |
|
245 |
|
2069 |
| Source | Number of Requests |
|---|---|
| Media | 408 |
| Academia | 46 |
| Business (private sector) | 70 |
| Organization | 19 |
| Public | 1731 |
| Decline to Identify | 220 |
| Total | 2494 |
| Source | Number of Requests |
|---|---|
| Online | 2306 |
| 90 | |
| 98 | |
| In person | 0 |
| Phone | 0 |
| Fax | 0 |
| Total | 2494 |
Section 2: Informal Requests
| - | Number of Requests |
|---|---|
| Received during reporting period | 3570 |
| Outstanding from previous reporting periods | 46 |
|
0 |
|
46 |
| Total | 3616 |
| Closed during reporting period | 3542 |
| Carried over to next reporting period | 74 |
| Source | Number of Requests |
|---|---|
| Online | 1708 |
| 1844 | |
| 18 | |
| In person | 0 |
| Phone | 0 |
| Fax | 0 |
| Total | 3570 |
| Completion Time | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 15 Days | 16 to 30 Days | 31 to 60 Days | 61 to 120 Days | 121 to 180 Days | 81 to 365 Days | More Than 365 Days | Total | ||
| 2841 | 649 | 50 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3542 | ||
| Less Than 100 Pages Released | 100-500 Pages Released | 501-1000 Pages Released | 1001-5000 Pages Released | More Than 5000 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 | |
| Less Than 100 Pages Re-released | 100-500 Pages Re-released | 501-1000 Pages Re-released | 1001-5000 Pages Re-released | More Than 5000 Pages Re-released | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Requests | Pages Re-released | Number of Requests | Pages Re-released | Number of Requests | Pages Re-released | Number of Requests | Pages Re-released | Number of Requests | Pages Re-released | |||
| 2355 | 55708 | 816 | 189707 | 205 | 139896 | 151 | 289572 | 15 | 157885 | |||
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
| Disposition of Requests | Completion Time | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 15 Days | 16 to 30 Days | 31 to 60 Days | 61 to 120 Days | 121 to 180 Days | 181 to 365 Days | More Than 365 Days | Total | ||||
| All disclosed | 8 | 58 | 29 | 55 | 37 | 32 | 61 | 280 | |||
| Disclosed in part | 3 | 34 | 41 | 110 | 80 | 150 | 381 | 799 | |||
| All exempted | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 32 | |||
| All excluded | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 7 | 32 | |||
| No records exist | 444 | 109 | 68 | 42 | 15 | 29 | 26 | 733 | |||
| Request transferred | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |||
| Request abandoned | 202 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 68 | 308 | |||
| Neither confirmed nor denied | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 18 | |||
| Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 679 | 228 | 148 | 222 | 146 | 230 | 565 | 2218 | |||
| Section | Number of Requests | Section | Number of Requests | Section | Number of Requests | Section | Number of Requests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13(1)(a) | 81 | 16(2) | 25 | 18(a) | 8 | 20.1 | 0 |
| 13(1)(b) | 42 | 16(2)(a) | 0 | 18(b) | 18 | 20.2 | 0 |
| 13(1)(c) | 4 | 16(2)(b) | 2 | 18(c) | 0 | 20.4 | 0 |
| 13(1)(d) | 6 | 16(2)(c) | 76 | 18(d) | 5 | 21(1)(a) | 146 |
| 13(1)(e) | 1 | 16(3) | 0 | 18.1(1)(a) | 0 | 21(1)(b) | 128 |
| 14 | 0 | 16.1(1)(a) | 0 | 18.1(1)(b) | 0 | 21(1)(c) | 34 |
| 14(a) | 2 | 16.1(1)(b) | 0 | 18.1(1)(c) | 0 | 21(1)(d) | 14 |
| 14(b) | 0 | 16.1(1)(c) | 0 | 18.1(1)(d) | 0 | 22 | 14 |
| 15(1) | 82 | 16.1(1)(d) | 0 | 19(1) | 643 | 22.1(1) | 0 |
| 15(1) - I.A.* | 90 | 16.2(1) | 0 | 20(1)(a) | 1 | 23 | 113 |
| 15(1) - Def.* | 199 | 16.3 | 0 | 20(1)(b) | 120 | 23.1 | 1 |
| 15(1) - S.A.* | 1 | 16.4(1)(a) | 0 | 20(1)(b.1) | 0 | 24(1) | 50 |
| 16(1)(a)(i) | 0 | 16.4(1)(b) | 0 | 20(1)(c) | 113 | 26 | 3 |
| 16(1)(a)(ii) | 0 | 16.5 | 3 | 20(1)(d) | 23 | - | - |
| 16(1)(a)(iii) | 0 | 16.6 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| 16(1)(b) | 10 | 17 | 11 | - | - | - | - |
| 16(1)(c) | 23 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 16(1)(d) | 0 | - | * I.A.: International Affairs Def.: Defence of Canada S.A.: Subversive Activities | ||||
| Section | Number of Requests | Section | Number of Requests | Section | Number of Requests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68(a) | 19 | 69(1) | 4 | 69(1)(g) re (a) | 52 |
| 68(b) | 0 | 69(1)(a) | 12 | 69(1)(g) re (b) | 1 |
| 68(c) | 0 | 69(1)(b) | 1 | 69(1)(g) re (c) | 19 |
| 68.1 | 0 | 69(1)(c) | 2 | 69(1)(g) re (d) | 5 |
| 68.2(a) | 0 | 69(1)(d) | 9 | 69(1)(g) re (e) | 25 |
| 68.2(b) | 0 | 69(1)(e) | 47 | 69(1)(g) re (f) | 5 |
| - | - | 69(1)(f) | 1 | 69.1(1) | 0 |
4.4 Format of information released
| Paper | Electronic | Other | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-record | Data set | Video | Audio | ||
| 13 | 1066 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
4.5 Complexity
| Number of Pages Processed | Number of Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests |
|---|---|---|
| 416052 | 286069 | 1469 |
| Disposition | Less Than 100 Pages Processed | 100-500 Pages Processed | 501-1000 Pages Processed | 1001-5000 Pages Processed | More Than 5000 Pages Processed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Requests | Pages Processed | Number of Requests | Pages Processed | Number of Requests | Pages Processed | Number of Requests | Pages Processed | Number of Requests | Pages Processed | |
| All disclosed | 211 | 4413 | 56 | 13293 | 8 | 6345 | 4 | 8054 | 1 | 33931 |
| Disclosed in part | 449 | 13345 | 202 | 48799 | 83 | 59233 | 56 | 99999 | 9 | 93340 |
| All exempted | 19 | 537 | 8 | 1479 | 3 | 2183 | 2 | 2061 | 0 | 0 |
| All excluded | 29 | 393 | 3 | 855 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Request abandoned | 297 | 0 | 5 | 1198 | 2 | 1050 | 3 | 3830 | 1 | 21714 |
| Neither confirmed nor denied | 18 | 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 | 1023 | 18688 | 274 | 65624 | 96 | 68811 | 65 | 113944 | 11 | 148985 |
| Number of Minutes Processed | Number of Minutes Disclosed | Number of Requests |
|---|---|---|
| 379 | 0 | 5 |
| Disposition | Less Than 60 Minutes Processed | 60 - 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 | 3 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 337 |
| 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 | 3 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 337 |
| Number of Minutes Processed | Number of Minutes Disclosed | Number of Requests |
|---|---|---|
| 9381 | 7557 | 10 |
| Disposition | Less Than 60 Minutes Processed | 60 - 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 | 6 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9287 |
| All exempted | 1 | 4 | 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 | 7 | 94 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9287 |
| Disposition | Consultation Required | Legal Advice Sought | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All disclosed | 18 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Disclosed in part | 216 | 3 | 8 | 227 |
| All exempted | 6 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| All excluded | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Request abandoned | 19 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 264 | 3 | 10 | 277 |
4.6 Closed requests
| Number of requests closed within legislated timelines | 974 |
| Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines (%) | 43.91343553 |
4.7 Deemed refusals
| Number of requests closed past the legislated timelines | Principal Reason | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interference with operations/ Workload | External Consultation | Internal Consultation | Other | |
| 1244 | 393 | 8 | 8 | 835 |
| 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 to 15 days | 71 | 2 | 73 |
| 16 to 30 days | 49 | 5 | 54 |
| 31 to 60 days | 107 | 5 | 112 |
| 61 to 120 days | 147 | 8 | 155 |
| 121 to 180 days | 106 | 3 | 109 |
| 181 to 365 days | 186 | 18 | 204 |
| More than 365 days | 419 | 118 | 537 |
| Total | 1085 | 159 | 1244 |
| Translation Requests | Accepted | Refused | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| English to French | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| French to English | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Section 5: Extensions
| Disposition of Requests Where an Extension Was Taken | 9(1)(a) Interference With Operations/ Workload | 9(1)(b) Consultation | 9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 69 | Other | |||
| All disclosed | 11 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Disclosed in part | 69 | 2 | 84 | 20 |
| All exempted | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| All excluded | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Request abandoned | 23 | 1 | 15 | 8 |
| No records exist | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 107 | 3 | 120 | 30 |
| Length of Extensions | 9(1)(a) Interference With Operations/ Workload | 9(1)(b) Consultation | 9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 69 | Other | |||
| 30 days or less | 35 | 3 | 30 | 2 |
| 31 to 60 days | 41 | 0 | 55 | 26 |
| 61 to 120 days | 18 | 0 | 28 | 2 |
| 121 to 180 days | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 181 to 365 days | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 365 days or more | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 107 | 3 | 120 | 30 |
Section 6: Fees
| Fee Type | Fee Collected | Fee Waived | Fee Refunded | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Requests | Amount | Number of Requests | Amount | Number of Requests | Amount | |
| Application | 298 | $1,490.00 | 6 | $30.00 | 0 | $0.00 |
| Other fees | 0 | $0.00 | 0 | $0.00 | 0 | $0.00 |
| Total | 298 | $1,490.00 | 6 | $30.00 | 0 | $0.00 |
Section 7: Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations
| Consultations | Other Government of Canada Institutions | Number of Pages to Review | Other Organizations | Number of Pages to Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Received during the reporting period | 207 | 24830 | 44 | 4389 |
| Outstanding from the previous reporting period | 115 | 73754 | 1 | 89 |
| Total | 322 | 98584 | 45 | 4478 |
| Closed during the reporting period | 219 | 30418 | 36 | 2307 |
| Carried over within negotiated timelines | 31 | 4011 | 5 | 1869 |
| Carried over beyond negotiated timelines | 72 | 64155 | 4 | 302 |
| Recommendation | Number of Days Required to Complete Consultation Requests | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 15 Days | 16 to 30 Days | 31 to 60 Days | 61 to 120 Days | 121 to 180 Days | 181 to 365 Days | More Than 365 Days | Total | ||
| Disclose entirely | 45 | 24 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 110 | |
| Disclose in part | 5 | 6 | 23 | 22 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 92 | |
| Exempt entirely | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Exclude entirely | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Consult other institution | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Other | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 15 | |
| Total | 53 | 30 | 42 | 36 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 219 | |
| Recommendation | Number of Days Required to Complete Consultation Requests | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 15 Days | 16 to 30 Days | 31 to 60 Days | 61 to 120 Days | 121 to 180 Days | 181 to 365 Days | More Than 365 Days | Total | ||
| Disclose entirely | 5 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 23 | |
| Disclose in part | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 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 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Total | 7 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 36 | |
Section 8: Completion Time of Consultations on Cabinet Confidences
| Number of Days | Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed | 100-500 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 | 21 | 497 | 2 | 393 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 to 30 | 11 | 141 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 to 60 | 6 | 127 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 61 to 120 | 2 | 22 | 1 | 394 | 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 | 1 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 41 | 833 | 3 | 787 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of Days | Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed | 100‒500 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 |
Section 9: Investigations and Reports of finding
| Section 32 Notice of intention to investigate | Subsection 30(5) Ceased to investigate | Section 35 Formal Representations |
|---|---|---|
| 372 | 181 | 133 |
| Section 37(1) Initial Reports | Section 37(2) Final Reports | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Received | Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner | Containing an intent to issue an order by the Information Commissioner | Received | Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner | Containing orders issued by the Information Commissioner |
| 86 | 5 | 83 | 134 | 6 | 62 |
Section 10: Court Action
| Section 41 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complainant (1) | Institution (2) | Third Party (3) | Privacy Commissioner (4) | Total |
| 2 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
| Section 44 - under paragraph 28(1)(b) |
|---|
| 0 |
Section 11: Resources Related to the Access to Information Act
| Expenditures | Amount |
|---|---|
| Salaries | $4,853,164 |
| Overtime | $5,157 |
| Goods and Services | $2,062,836 |
|
$1,743,542 |
|
$319,294 |
| Total | $6,921,157 |
| Resources | Person Years Dedicated to Access to Information Activities |
|---|---|
| Full-time employees | 53.046 |
| Part-time and casual employees | 2.656 |
| Regional staff | 0.000 |
| Consultants and agency personnel | 12.750 |
| Students | 0.786 |
| Total | 69.238 |
Note: Enter values to three decimal places.
Annex C: Supplemental Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act for 2024-2025
Supplemental Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act
Name of institution: Department of National Defence
Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-03-31
Section 1: Open Requests and Complaints Under the Access to Information Act
| Fiscal Year Open Requests Were Received | Open Requests that are Within Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2025 | Open Requests that are Beyond Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2025 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Received in 2024-25 | 240 | 874 | 1114 |
| Received in 2023-24 | 3 | 525 | 528 |
| Received in 2022-23 | 1 | 284 | 285 |
| Received in 2021-22 | 1 | 184 | 185 |
| Received in 2020-21 | 0 | 95 | 95 |
| Received in 2019-20 | 0 | 80 | 80 |
| Received in 2018-19 | 0 | 22 | 22 |
| Received in 2017-18 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Received in 2016-17 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Received in 2015-16 or earlier | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 245 | 2069 | 2314 |
| Fiscal Year Open Complaints Were Received by Institution | Number of Open Complaints |
|---|---|
| Received in 2024-25 | 132 |
| Received in 2023-24 | 4 |
| Received in 2022-23 | 0 |
| Received in 2021-22 | 0 |
| Received in 2020-21 | 2 |
| Received in 2019-20 | 1 |
| Received in 2018-19 | 0 |
| Received in 2017-18 | 0 |
| Received in 2016-17 | 0 |
| Received in 2015-16 or earlier | 2 |
| Total | 141 |
Section 2: Open Requests and Complaints Under the Privacy Act
| Fiscal Year Open Requests Were Received | Open Requests that are Within Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2025 | Open Requests that are Beyond Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2025 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Received in 2024-25 | 467 | 499 | 966 |
| Received in 2023-24 | 0 | 86 | 86 |
| Received in 2022-23 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| 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 or earlier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 467 | 599 | 1066 |
| Fiscal Year Open Complaints Were Received by Institution | Number of Open Complaints |
|---|---|
| Received in 2024-25 | 25 |
| Received in 2023-24 | 9 |
| Received in 2022-23 | 7 |
| Received in 2021-22 | 0 |
| Received in 2020-21 | 2 |
| Received in 2019-20 | 2 |
| Received in 2018-19 | 0 |
| Received in 2017-18 | 0 |
| Received in 2016-17 | 0 |
| Received in 2015-16 or earlier | 0 |
| Total | 45 |
Section 3: Social Insurance Number
| Has your institution begun a new collection or a new consistent use of the SIN in 2024-25? | Yes |
Section 4: Universal Access under the Privacy Act
| How many requests were received from foreign nationals outside of Canada in 2024-25? | 15 |