IRCC Minister Transition Binder 2025-05

Managing Information in the Minister’s Office

Chief Information Officer
Information Management, Data & Cyber Security
May 2025

Overview

Module 1: Information management roles and responsibilities in the Minister’s Office
Module 2: The four categories of records in the Minister’s Office
Module 3: Supporting the Minister’s legal obligations

Module 1 - Managing information effectively

Ministers are ultimately responsible for the proper processing, handling, and storage of information in their office.

You have an important role in supporting your Minister’s information management responsibilities.

Ministers’ offices should identify one person to oversee information management (IM) practices.

Sound IM practices will help you find, use, share, and protect the information in your care, as well as meet the Minister’s legal obligations related to:

• responding to requests under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act,
• complying with litigation holds, and
• transferring information with historical value to Library and Archives of Canada (LAC).

Requirements For Managing Information Effectively

Maintain Records of Business Value by:

• Documenting decisions and activities^{Footnote *} with business value regardless of the format (e.g., text, email, paper) or device used
• Saving documents of business value in GCdocs
• Deleting documents with no business value

Protect Information According to Privacy and Security Requirements by:

• Applying security and privacy rules regardless of format (e.g., text, email, paper) or device used
• Never taking your devices out of the country without permission from information technology (IT) security
• Providing access to information only to those who are authorized and have the need to know

Managing Information of Business Value

Information has Business Value if it:

Enables, documents, or provides evidence of decision-making

Supports the government’s ability to meet reporting, performance, or other accountability requirements

Records Management:

• Information of business value should be saved in GCdocs, under the appropriate folder, including information created in MS Teams, instant messaging, or other applications.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) IM will provide concierge assistance in creating GCdocs folders so that the Minister's office is able to manage information efficiently.

How to Determine if Information has Business Value

• Excluding personal/political records, is the information reflective of cabinet, ministerial, or departmental business?
• Is this a government record for which the Department maintains the original?
  Is it a duplicate? Is another unit responsible for the original?
  • Delete!
    This is Transitory Information
    Examples include convenience copies, reference information, unapproved drafts, duplicate copies, and non-business-related emails.
• Does it demonstrate decisions or evidence of accountability?
  Is this a ministerial record or Cabinet document?
  Does it have legal or historical value?
  • Keep or Return!
    This is Information of Business Value.
    Keep or return to the Departmental Liaison.
    Examples include briefing notes, minutes, records of decisions, agendas, reports, annotated copies, and plans.

If yes:

Excluding personal/political records, is the information reflective of cabinet, ministerial, or departmental business?

• Is this a government record for which the Department maintains the original?
• Is it a duplicate? Is another unit responsible for the original?

If no:

• Does it demonstrate decisions or evidence of accountability?
• Is this a ministerial record or Cabinet document?
• Does it have legal or historical value?

Keep or Return!
This is Information of Business Value.
Keep or return to the Departmental Liaison.
Examples include briefing notes, minutes, records of decisions, agendas, reports, annotated copies, and plans.

If no:

Excluding personal/political records, is the information reflective of cabinet, ministerial, or departmental business?

Delete!
This is Transitory Information
Examples include convenience copies, reference information, unapproved drafts, duplicate copies, and non-business-related emails.

If no:

• Is this a government record for which the Department maintains the original?
• Is it a duplicate? Is another unit responsible for the original?
• Does it demonstrate decisions or evidence of accountability?
• Is this a ministerial record or Cabinet document?
• Does it have legal or historical value?

Delete!
This is Transitory Information
Examples include convenience copies, reference information, unapproved drafts, duplicate copies, and non-business-related emails.

Managing information securely

• If you are:
  • the information creator, it is your responsibility to apply a security marking that reflects the information’s designation or classification correctly
  • an information user, it is your responsibility to correctly store, transmit, use, protect, and dispose of the information according to its security marking
• Security markings are typically found at the top-right corner of a document or at the beginning of an email

Managing Information Securely

• IRCC Information Security Guide

Unclassified

• Information that poses no risk to IRCC’s reputation or business operations.
• Save electronic documents of business value under the appropriate folder in GCdocs.
• Keep paper documents in a separate cabinet.
• Information can be discussed using MS Teams.
• Information can be discussed on an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) mobile device.

Protected A, Protected B

• Could reasonably cause injury to serious injury outside the national interest if compromised.
• May only be accessed remotely using IRCC devices.
• Wireless and cellular phones are for up to Protected A discussions.
• Electronic documents up to Protected B level should be saved in GCdocs under the appropriate folder.
• Paper document should be locked in a briefcase, cabinet, or drawer.

Protected B Extra Precautions

• Encrypt emails when sending outside your department (Entrust) or use the encryption feature on your IRCC smartphone.
• When transporting, seal in an envelope with no marking and use a lockable secure briefcase.
• Information can be discussed on MS Teams if everybody is using an IRCC device.
• Destroy transitory documents at the office using an approved shredder

Protected C, Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret

• Information whose compromise could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave injury or loss of life, or injury to exceptionally grave injury to the national interest of Canada.
• Labeled with the proper classification and locked in an RCMP-approved container or cabinet.
• May not be accessed remotely. More information is available in the Departmental Security Deck (tab 4).

Policies governing IM in the Ministers’ Offices

The Policy on Service & Digital and its supporting instruments outline requirements and responsibilities for managing information and data in the Government of Canada.
The Policy on Government Security and its supporting instruments outline requirements for the protection of information and data.

The Policies for Ministers’ Offices consolidate requirements that are applicable to ministers’ offices and include IM requirements.

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) produces Guidelines on Managing Records in a Minister’s Office that describes the four categories of records found in a minister’s office and how they should be managed (See Module 2).

Module 2: Four Categories of Information in the Minister’s Office

Cabinet documents
Departmental records
Ministerial records
Personal and political records

These records must be:

• filed and managed separately; and
• managed according to their security designation or classification

Four categories of information in the Minister’s office

Please note the instructions indicated with this symbol

Cabinet Documents

• Managed by the Privy Council Office (PCO) or Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS)
• Minister’s Office will be supported by the Department for the management of these documents
• Can include: memoranda to Cabinet (MCs), Cabinet committee reports, records of decisions, presentations, agendas, and Treasury Board documents, such as submissions, briefing notes (précis), and letters of decisions.

Storage, Handling and Care

• With the support of the Department, keep in separate cabinets.
• Labeled with the proper classification and locked in an RCMP-approved container or cabinet.
• Excluded from the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.
• Return to PCO or TBS when item has been discussed.

What to do with the documents when a minister leaves office

• The Department ensures that all the documents go back to PCO or TBS as appropriate.

Ministerial Records

• Records pertaining to the Office of the Minister, other than Cabinet, institutional, or personal and political records.
• Can include: staff-annotated copies of briefing notes used as reference and administrative records pertaining solely to the Minister’s Office or duties and not the institution.

Storage, Handling and Care

• Save electronic documents in GCdocs.
  Keep paper documents in a separate cabinet.
• Label and manage according to the information designation or classification.
• May be subject to the Access to Information Act and subject to the Privacy Act.
• LAC will contact you to ensure processes are in place for eventual transfer.

What to do with the documents when a minister leaves office

Arrange for transfer to LAC for identification of records with historical value. Cannot be destroyed or disposed of without the consent of LAC.

Departmental Records

• Relate to the business of the Department and may be created or received by the Department or the Minister’s Office
• Can include: briefing notes, departmental plans and reports, transition binders, speeches, question period cards, material to support parliamentary committee appearances, etc.

Storage, Handling and Care

• Save electronic documents in GCdocs.
  Keep paper documents in a separate cabinet.
• Label and manage according to the information designation or classification.
• Subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.
• Must be returned to the Department when no longer required.

What to do with the documents when a minister leaves office

• All records of business value must go back to the Department : do not dispose of the records.

Personal and Political Records

• Minister’s private property
• Can include: documents related to business of a political party (including elections, leadership races, party organizations, caucus), information related to constituency business or work as a Member of Parliament, and records relating to the private life of the Minister.

Storage, Handling and Care

• Save electronic documents in GCdocs.
  Keep paper documents in a separate cabinet.
• Label and manage according to the information designation or classification.
• Not subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.
• Ministerial staff to consult with LAC regarding records that may me suitable for donation.

What to do with the documents when a minister leaves office

• The Minister can take these records with them or may be offered storage and preservation services for records with historical value, to be determined at the discretion of LAC.

GCdocs

GCdocs is IRCC’s records management and official corporate repository for information of business value up to Protected B.

Information of business value, including emails, should be saved under the Minister’s Office folder structure in GCdocs.

The Department will support the Minister’s Office with GCdocs folder structure, access control, search, and troubleshooting.

The Minister’s Office will be supported by the Department for any questions or training regarding GCdocs.

Module 3:Supporting the Minister’s Legal Obligations

Good information management practices are necessary to allow you to manage, share, and protect information, as well as meet the Minister’s legal obligations related to:

Responding to requests under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and supporting proactive publication requirements.

Complying with a litigation hold. Information, regardless of what category it falls within, may constitute evidence subject to disclosure through the discovery process of litigation.

Ensuring the proper handling and transfer of information of historical value, as determined by LAC.

Supporting the Minister’s Legal Obligations

Litigation

• There may be an obligation to disclose documents if they are relevant to a court case involving the Crown.
• The discovery process starts with a “litigation hold” issued by the Department of Justice that identifies what information is subject to the hold.
• Before disposing of information, be aware of ongoing litigation holds requests regardless of the type or form of information (electronic, paper, instant messaging, chat, etc.).

ATIP

• Before deleting or transferring records, you must ensure that any information that is relevant to an Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) request is retained and preserved, regardless of the type or form of information (electronic, paper, instant messaging, chat, etc.).

Transfer to Library and Archives Canada (Lac)

• Ministerial and personal/political records could be transferred to LAC if previously identified as having historical value.
• Following the direction of your Minister, your role is to ensure that records are appropriately created or captured so they can be assessed by LAC when the Minister is ready to consider a transfer

Annex A: Web Resources

Open and Accountable Government
Open and Accountable Government | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca)

Policies for Ministers’ Offices (TBS)
https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/policies-ministers-offices-january-2011.html

Policy on Service & Digital (TBS) - replaces the former Policy on Information Management
https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=32603

Policy on Government Security (TBS)
https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=16578

Guidelines on Managing Records in a Minister’s Office (LAC)
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/services/government-information-resources/guidelines/Pages/Guidelines-managing-records-minister.aspx

Information Management Protocol: Information Management in a Minister’s Office (TBS)
https://www.canada.ca/en/government/system/digital-government/digital-government-innovations/information-management/ministers-office.html

Annex B: Information Management References

Logistics and Reference

Electronic Documents

• Electronic documents up to Protected B level must be saved in GCdocs under the appropriate folder.

Classified and Designated Information

• Information must be handled, protected, and secured according to its designation or classification.
• Information Security Guide

MS Teams

• All decisions captured in a conversation must be transferred to GCdocs.
• Protected B if everybody is using an IRCC device. If not, conversation must remain unclassified.

Paper Documents

• Paper documents should be segregated in different cabinets according to the category of information and their designation or classification.

ATIP & Litigation

• Before disposing of information be aware of ongoing litigation holds and ATIP requests.

Personal Email Address

• Do not use your personal email address to conduct IRCC business activities.

Annex C: Instant Messaging Using a Mobile Device

• Instant messages should be treated like any other information resource created, acquired, or used in the GC and must be managed throughout their life cycle.
• Instant messages that do not have business value are deemed to be transitory and should be deleted as soon as possible.
• When information of business value is transmitted via a mobile device, the information should be documented in another format (e.g., an email message or a Word document) and must be stored and retained in an official corporate repository.
• The Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act apply to all information under the control of government institutions recorded in any format, including messages created, sent, and received via mobile devices.
• Once an access to information request has been received, it is a criminal offence to erase or alter the instant message, or to counsel anyone else to erase or alter it, for the purpose of denying an individual access to government-held information.