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Public Services and Procurement Canada
2022 to 2023 Annual Report on the Privacy Act

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© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, 2023.

Aussi disponible en français.

ISSN 2817-5689

On this page

Introduction

PSPC is pleased to present to parliament its annual report on the administration of the Privacy Act. This report describes the activities that support compliance with the act for the fiscal year commencing April 1, 2022, and ending March 31, 2023.

Section 72 of the Privacy Act requires that the head of every federal government institution submit an annual report to parliament on the administration of the Privacy Act during the fiscal year.

Purpose of the act

The purpose of the Privacy Act is to extend the present laws of Canada that protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by a government institution and that provide individuals with a right of access to that information. The Privacy Act protects an individual’s privacy by preventing others from having unlawful access to personal information. It also grants an individual specific rights regarding the collection, use and disclosure of this information.

About Public Services and Procurement Canada

PSPC, formerly Public Works and Government Services Canada, derives its mandate from the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act of 1996, which established the department as a common service provider. As such, the department plays an important role in the daily operations of the Government of Canada as a key provider of services for federal departments and agencies. The department supports them in the achievement of their mandated objectives in 5 service categories:

PSPC provides services across Canada through its headquarters in the National Capital Region, 5 regional offices, as well as offices in Europe (Geilenkirchen, Germany) and the United States (Washington, DC).

Organizational structure

The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Directorate is responsible for the administration of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act within PSPC. The ATIP senior director acts as the department’s ATIP coordinator. The directorate is overseen by the director general of the Corporate Secretariat and Accessibility Sector, who is also the department’s chief privacy officer.

In the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year, 14.160 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees administered the Privacy Act with the support of 1 consultant, for a total complement of 15.160 FTEs.

Access to Information and Privacy reporting structure at Public Services and Procurement Canada

Organizational chart of the Public Services and Procurement Canada Access to Information and Privacy Directorate—Text version below the chart

Text version

This organizational chart displays a hierarchy beginning with the ATIP coordinator of PSPC at the top. Directly below the ATIP coordinator are 5 divisions who report to the coordinator:

  • the administration team carries out administrative functions for the ATIP Directorate and ensures the maintenance of ATIP software
  • the operations team processes requests received under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, and liaises with the offices of the information and privacy commissioners to resolve complaints
  • the privacy management team advises and supports the department in the management of privacy risk, ensuring compliance with privacy legislation and related policy instruments
  • the policy, transparency and proactive publications team develops directives, leads PSPC’s approach on transparency and openness, provides advice and is responsible for proactive publications
  • the governance and outreach team develops ATIP procedures and statistical reports, delivers training, promotes awareness and is responsible for ATIP annual reports

Below these divisions there is another level for ATIP liaison officers, who coordinate the retrieval, review and submission of information held by their branch in response to ATIP requests.

The Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act allow for the provision of services by a government institution to another government institution that is presided over by the same minister. In fiscal year 2022 to 2023, PSPC had a service agreement for the provision of corporate services to the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman (OPO) which included access to information and privacy services under section 96 of the Access to Information Act and section 73.1 of the Privacy Act. The ATIP Directorate was responsible to address potential concerns regarding OPO’s independence and perception of conflict of interest, including file segregation and limited access to OPO files, and OPO was responsible to review and confirm the application of exemptions and exceptions on release packages and provide informal final approval prior to public release.

Delegation of authority

Pursuant to section 73(1) of the Privacy Act, the minister of PSPC has delegated the power, duties and functions of the administration of the act down to ATIP manager level. This excludes paragraph 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act which is only delegated down to senior director level. Certain administrative functions are also delegated to ATIP managers, team leaders and senior analysts to accelerate the processing of requests.

The most recent PSPC delegation instrument was signed on January 20, 2023, with a separate matrix for ATIP delegation. An excerpt of the delegation of authorities approved by the minister, pertaining to delegation under the Privacy Act, is attached as Annex A: Delegation of authorities chart for the Privacy Act and its regulations.

Performance for 2022 to 2023

In this section

Requests received and closed

Volume of privacy requests received and closed by fiscal year—Text version below the chart

Text version

Chart summary: Requests received and closed

  • 2018 to 2019: 559 requests received, 570 requests closed
  • 2019 to 2020: 495 requests received, 472 requests closed
  • 2020 to 2021: 353 requests received, 381 requests closed
  • 2021 to 2022: 369 requests received, 366 requests closed
  • 2022 to 2023: 515 requests received, 512 requests closed

The department received a total of 515 requests pursuant to the Privacy Act in the 2022 to 2023 reporting period, which represents an increase of 39.56% from the previous year. Privacy requests were mainly related to pension and pay files, COVID-19 vaccines as well as security records.

Pages reviewed

Number of pages reviewed under the Privacy Act by fiscal year—Text version below the chart

Text version
Table 101: Chart summary: Pages reviewed
Fiscal year Pages reviewed for requests under the Privacy Act
2018 to 2019 271,000
2019 to 2020 147,000
2020 to 2021 162,000
2021 to 2022 130,000
2022 to 2023 142,000

In 2022 to 2023, PSPC reviewed 141,615 pages for requests received under the Privacy Act.

Completion times

Percentage of privacy requests completed within certain timeframes—Text version below the chart

Text version
Table 102: Chart summary: Completion times
Completion time Privacy requests
Within 30 days 42.38%
31 to 60 days 19.92%
61 to 120 days 11.53%
121 days or more 26.17%

PSPC’s overall compliance rate for the 2022 to 2023 reporting period was 61.91% for requests under the Privacy Act. This compliance rate represents all files that were completed either within the initial 30 days or within an extension period for reasons of volume or consultations.

The percentage of requests closed within the initial 30 days was 42.38%.

Factors influencing performance

The compliance rate of 61.91% is the result of the following factors:

Impact of COVID-19

Outstanding requests accumulated from previous reporting periods due to the COVID-19 pandemic had a minor impact on the ability of the directorate to process incoming requests.

The statistical report on the capacity to receive and process requests during the fiscal year 2022 to 2023 is attached as Annex C: Supplemental statistical report on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Outstanding requests

Active requests

Number of privacy active requests within and beyond legislated timeline by fiscal year—Text version below the chart

Text version
Table 1: Chart summary: Active requests within and beyond legislated timeline
Fiscal year Privacy active requests within legislated timelines Privacy active requests beyond legislated timelines
2018 to 2019 0 1
2019 to 2020 0 2
2020 to 2021 0 2
2021 to 2022 0 2
2022 to 2023 42 13

At the end of the 2022 to 2023 reporting period, PSPC had a total of 62 active requests pursuant to the Privacy Act that were outstanding from previous reporting periods. The majority of these active requests (88.71%) were received during the reporting period.

Exemptions

The department invoked exemptions allowed under the Privacy Act on 105 requests (20.51%), and all information was disclosed in 156 requests (30.47%). The remaining 251 requests (49%) were either abandoned or no records existed.

The majority of exemptions invoked by PSPC fell under 2 sections of the Privacy Act:

Of note, more than one exemption can be applied to a specific request.

Exclusions

The Privacy Act excludes or does not apply to certain types of information, namely library or museum material (section 69), and confidence of the King’s Privy Council for Canada (section 70).

In the 2022 to 2023 reporting period, PSPC applied exclusions to records requested under the Privacy Act once pursuant to section 69, and once pursuant to section 70.

Consultations

PSPC did not receive consultations from other government institutions and organizations for records relating to the Privacy Act.

Extensions

Section 15 of the Privacy Act permits the statutory time limits to be extended if consultations are necessary, if translation is required, or if the request is for a large volume of records and processing it within the original time limits would unreasonably interfere with the operations of the department.

PSPC invoked 116 extensions during the 2022 to 2023 reporting period. Of these, 110 were deemed necessary to allow the department to process a large volume of requests which interfered with operations, and 4 were due to the difficulty obtaining the records. A further 2 files required extensions to allow for consultations prior to responding. The department did not invoke any extensions for a large volume of pages to review, for further review to determine exemptions, or for the purpose of translation.

Disposition

Volume and percentage of closed privacy requests by disposition decision—Text version below the chart

Text version

Chart summary: Request disposition

  • All disclosed: 156 requests (30.47%)
  • Disclosed in part: 105 requests (20.51%)
  • All exempted/all excluded, neither confirmed nor denied: 0 request (0%)
  • Abandoned: 139 requests (27.15%)
  • No records exists: 112 requests (21.87%)

Approximately 72.85% of all requests closed during the 2022 to 2023 reporting period were either disclosed in part (20.51%), fully disclosed (30.47%), or no records existed (21.87%). In addition, 27.15% of requests were abandoned.

Complaints

Active complaints

Number of privacy active complaints by fiscal year—Text version below the chart

Text version
Table 2: Chart summary: Active complaints
Fiscal year Privacy active complaints
2019 to 2020 1
2020 to 2021 7
2021 to 2022 12
2022 to 2023 13

At the end of the 2022 to 2023 reporting period, PSPC had a total of 33 active complaints with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) that were outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Complaints received and closed

During the 2022 to 2023 reporting period, PSPC was notified of 24 new complaints received by the OPC, and submitted formal representations for 25 active complaints received in the current or previous reporting period. Most of these complaints were related to delays and failure to make every reasonable effort to assist the requester.

The ATIP Directorate closed 11 complaint investigations. Of these, 9 were deemed well-founded and 2 were settled or resolved to the satisfaction of the requester.

Training and awareness

Through the delivery of training and various activities, PSPC continues to strengthen an institution-wide awareness with the Privacy Act and departmental obligations.

During the 2022 to 2023 reporting period, the ATIP Directorate continued to offer training sessions in a virtual format throughout PSPC’s transition to a hybrid workplace. This delivery format gave the ATIP Directorate the ability to reach more participants throughout the country and allowed the promotion of ATIP trainings and tools on a larger scale within the department.

PSPC delivered the following training sessions:

In addition to the training sessions delivered, the ATIP Directorate participated in the following activities:

Through these events, the ATIP Directorate informed participants of their obligations under the Privacy Act and the department’s efforts to make the government more accessible to everyone.

Privacy breach prevention and reporting

The ATIP Directorate developed a new training titled “Privacy breach prevention and reporting” which was launched and designated as mandatory training by PSPC. This training was designed to promote awareness of internal guidelines and procedural safeguards to avoid privacy breaches. Training sessions are designed to provide valuable information to participants relating to their role, responsibilities and obligations towards the requirements of privacy breach management. They also provide instructions on the necessary actions in case of a privacy breach, and preventive actions.

Policies, guidelines and procedures

During the 2022 to 2023 reporting period, PSPC continued to develop internal guidance documents, procedures and tools to ensure consistent practices in request processing. These documents covered multiple operational actions, such as request intake, data validation, and request processing system management. PSPC also provided onboarding material for new employees. Current practices were reviewed to ensure standardized monitoring and to facilitate compliance with requirements.

To improve the administration of the ATIP program, the ATIP Directorate:

Directive on privacy management

The ATIP Directorate introduced the departmental Directive on Privacy Management on August 16, 2022, along with a communication and outreach plan to ensure that it was implemented consistently across the department. The directive is intended to facilitate the management and protection of the privacy of individuals by establishing sound privacy practices, procedures and guidance with respect to personal information under the control of PSPC, in accordance with the Privacy Act as well as related policy instruments.

The implementation of the directive is the culmination of years of planning, research, and consultations by the ATIP Directorate. The expected results are:

Initiatives and projects to improve privacy

Personal information and privacy glossary

During fiscal year 2022 to 2023, the ATIP Directorate collaborated with the Translation Bureau and the OPC to develop the Personal Information and Privacy Glossary. Once published, the glossary will present bilingual terminology relating to nearly 300 concepts specific to the application of legislative instruments and policies governing the protection of personal information and privacy. The glossary will be published in fiscal year 2023 to 2024.

Development Program

Significant employee shortages affected PSPC’s ATIP operations throughout fiscal year 2022 to 2023. To alleviate shortages of experienced employees, the ATIP Directorate used its developmental program to foster the professional development of individuals with limited or no ATIP experience, allowing their progression from entry level ATIP trainee (PM-01) to senior ATIP officer (PM-04). PSPC adjusted the curriculum to supplement available governmental and private training, and provided additional professional development through mentorship. The training included hands-on experience processing request pursuant to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The Development Program is a long-term recruitment initiative also intended to increase employee retention. During fiscal year 2022 to 2023, PSPC welcomed 4 ATIP trainees (PM-01) to the program, and also promoted 4 participants from junior ATIP officer (PM-02) to ATIP officer (PM-03) as they had acquired the necessary skills. Of those 4 ATIP trainees, 3 were assigned files pursuant to the Privacy Act as part of the developmental program curriculum.

Technological improvements

During 2022 to 2023 fiscal year, PSPC began integrating artificial intelligence components to the request processing system to complete intake tasks. Three automated systems (bots) will be integrated to complete scanning, indexing and identification of duplicates tasks. This process of automation is intended to alleviate the tasks of ATIP trainees whose time and effort could then be redirected to other initiatives.

PSPC also completed consultations to replace the current outdated request processing system. This is an ongoing and government-wide project initiated by TBS involving all ATIP programs throughout the Government of Canada.

PSPC was also an early adopter of the ATIP Online Request Service, implementing migration in May 2022. PSPC completed migration and began processing requests received online in July 2022.

Summary of key issues and actions taken on complaints

The majority of complaints PSPC received during the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year were related to delays or failure to make every reasonable effort to assist the requester. Depending on the nature of the complaint, PSPC contacted the OPC investigator to clarify the reasons behind the complaint, contacted the relevant office of primary interest (OPI) within PSPC to request new searches and disclosed additional records when applicable, and reviewed applied exemptions and exclusions to confirm their applicability.

Material privacy breaches

A privacy breach is deemed material if it involves sensitive personal information, could reasonably be expected to cause serious injury or harm to the individual, or involves a larger number of affected individuals. To guide the department's responses regarding privacy breaches, PSPC makes use of a privacy breach protocol. First established in 2015 and updated in 2021, the protocol includes communications with affected individuals and implementation of mitigation measures.

During the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year, PSPC did not receive any reports of material privacy breaches nor reported any to the OPC and TBS.

Privacy impact assessments

In the course of fulfilling its mandate as a service provider, PSPC collects, retains, uses and discloses personal information. In accordance with TBS’ Directive on Privacy Impact Assessment, the ATIP Directorate provides guidance and recommendations for the elaboration of privacy impact assessments and for any substantial modifications to the use of personal information.

During the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year, PSPC did not complete or modify any privacy impact assessment.

Public interest disclosures

In accordance with subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act, under certain circumstances, a government institution may disclose personal information under its control without the consent of the individual to whom the information relates.

Paragraph 8(2)(e) permits disclosure of personal information to a federal investigative body for the purpose of enforcing law or carrying out a lawful investigation. PSPC made 7 disclosures to an investigative body during fiscal year 2022 to 2023, releasing the information of 7 individuals. The act does not require the institution to notify the OPC.

Paragraph 8(2)(m) permits the disclosure of personal information where the disclosure is in the public interest or would benefit the individual to whom the information relates. PSPC made 2 such disclosures during fiscal year 2022 to 2023, releasing the information of 2 individuals who threatened self-harm while seeking assistance from the department for specific concerns. In keeping with standard operating procedures, a mental health and wellness call was placed to emergency services and the name and contact information of the individuals were disclosed. In accordance with the Privacy Act, the OPC was notified after the disclosures.

Monitoring compliance

Through ongoing consultations on privacy management practices pursuant to the Privacy Act, PSPC’s ATIP Directorate monitors the use of personal information by departmental programs when dealing with third parties, stakeholders, and partners. Monitoring occurs primarily in the establishment of contracts, information sharing agreements or memorandums of understanding. The directorate’s Privacy Oversight Committee supports the departmental chief privacy officer in monitoring by ensuring that stakeholders are informed of their role, responsibilities and obligations regarding the collection, use, retention, disclosure and disposal of personal information. Privacy Oversight Committee meetings were held every quarter at the director general level during the 2022 to 2023 reporting period.

Additionally, the ATIP Directorate provided advice, guidance and recommendations to internal and external stakeholders concerning sound privacy management and compliance with the Privacy Act. The use of a tracking system to process all incoming consultations enabled PSPC to monitor any initiatives making use of personal information and facilitated the production of accurate reports for statistical purposes.

The ATIP Directorate also provides a weekly “snapshot” report to senior executives that contains statistics on the number of requests received and being processed under the act.

In addition to these practices, the ATIP Directorate has a number of measures in place to monitor the time taken to process requests, to limit inter-institutional consultations, and to review frequently requested types of information.

During the 2022 to 2023 reporting period, ATIP officers regularly communicated with OPIs to monitor the time taken to process requests, ensuring that the ATIP Directorate obtained extensions in a timely manner. Officers also produced statistical reports on the compliance of those OPIs. Additionally, managers reviewed and monitored the status of privacy requests using the request processing system and conducted weekly meetings with staff to review active tasks and establish priorities.

Annex A: Delegation of authorities chart for the Privacy Act and its regulations

Table 3: Privacy Act and its regulations
Position titles Privacy Act Privacy regulations
Department minister and senior executives
Minister Full Full
Deputy minister Full Full
Associate deputy minister Full Full
Department Policy, Planning and Communications Branch
Senior departmental manager Full Full
Director general Full Full
Senior director Full Full
Director Full Full
Manager Restrictedtable 3 note 1 Full
Supervisor Restrictedtable 3 note 2 Restrictedtable 3 note 3
Officer Restrictedtable 3 note 4 Not applicable

Table 3 Notes

Table 3 Note 1

Managers may fully exercise the authorities delegated under the Privacy Act, with the exception of paragraph 8(2)(m).

Return to table 3 note 1 referrer

Table 3 Note 2

Supervisors may fully exercise the authorities limited to the following sections of the Privacy Act: 14, 15, 25, 26 and 27.

Return to table 3 note 2 referrer

Table 3 Note 3

Supervisors may fully exercise only section 9 of the Privacy Regulations.

Return to table 3 note 3 referrer

Table 3 Note 4

Officers may fully exercise the authorities limited to the following sections of the Privacy Act: 14, 15 and 26.

Return to table 3 note 4 referrer

Delegation of Authority

Delegation of Authority-Text version below the image

Text version
Access to Information Act and Privacy Act

I, the minister of the Department of Public Works and Government Services, pursuant to section 95 of the Access to Information Act and section 73 of the Privacy Act, hereby designate the persons holding the positions set out in the Access to Information and Privacy Delegation of Authority matrix, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the power, duties and functions of the Minister responsible for Public Services and Procurement Canada, under the provisions of the acts and related regulations set out in the schedule opposite each position. This designation supersedes all previous delegations of authority.

The Honourable Helena Jaczek, P.C., M.P. (Markham—Stouffville)

Minister of the Department of Public Works and Government Services

Signed on January 20, 2023

Annex B: Statistical report on the Privacy Act

In this section

Name of institution: Public Services and Procurement Canada

Reporting period: April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023

Section 1: Requests under the Privacy Act

Table 4: 1.1 Number of requests received
Type Number of requests
Received during reporting period 515
Outstanding from previous reporting periods:
  • outstanding from previous reporting period (53)
  • outstanding from more than 1 reporting period (6)
 59
Total 574
Closed during reporting period 512
Carried over to next reporting period:
  • carried over within legislated timeline (42)
  • carried over beyond legislated timeline (20)
 62
Table 5: 1.2 Channels of requests
Channel Number of requests
Online 439
Electronic mail 46
Mail 24
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 6
Total 515

Section 2: Informal requests

Table 6: 2.1 Number of informal requests
Type Number of requests
Received during reporting period 0
Outstanding from previous reporting periods:
  • outstanding from previous reporting period (0)
  • outstanding from more than 1 reporting period (0)
 0
Total 0
Closed during reporting period 0
Carried over to next reporting period 0
Table 7: 2.2 Channels of informal requests
Channel Number of requests
Online 0
Electronic mail 0
Mail 0
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 0
Total 0
Table 8: 2.3 Completion time of informal requests
Completion time
1 to 15 days 16 to 30 days 31 to 60 days 61 to 120 days 121 to 180 days 181 to 365 days More than 365 days Total
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Table 9: 2.4 Pages released informally
Less than 100 pages released 100 to 500 pages released 501 to 1,000 pages released 1,001 to 5,000 pages released More than 5,000 pages released
Number of requests Pages released Number of requests Pages released Number of requests Pages released Number of requests Pages released Number of requests Pages released
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Section 3: Requests closed during the reporting period

Table 10: 3.1 Disposition and completion time
Disposition of requests Completion time
1 to 15 days 16 to 30 days 31 to 60 days 61 to 120 days 121 to 180 days 181 to 365 days More than 365 days Total
All disclosed 13 75 55 6 2 5 0 156
Disclosed in part 0 31 46 16 3 8 1 105
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
No records exist 16 10 0 19 61 5 1 112
Request abandoned 68 4 1 18 45 1 2 139
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 97 120 102 59 111 19 4 512
Table 11: 3.2 Exemptions applied
Section Number of requests
18(2) 0
19(1)(a) 0
19(1)(b) 0
19(1)(c) 0
19(1)(d) 0
19(1)(e) 0
19(1)(f) 0
20 0
21 0
22(1)(a)(i) 0
22(1)(a)(ii) 0
22(1)(a)(iii) 0
22(1)(b) 0
22(1)(c) 1
22(2) 0
22.1 0
22.2 0
22.3 0
22.4 0
23(a) 0
23(b) 0
24(a) 0
24(b) 0
25 0
26 104
27 5
27.1 0
28 0
Table 12: 3.3 Exclusions applied
Section Number of requests
69(1)(a) 1
69(1)(b) 0
69.1 0
70(1) 1
70(1)(a) 0
70(1)(b) 0
70(1)(c) 0
70(1)(d) 0
70(1)(e) 0
70(1)(f) 0
70.1 0
Table 13: 3.4 Format of information released
Paper Electronic record Data set Video Audio Other
36 225 0 0 0 0

3.5 Complexity

Table 14: 3.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed for paper and e-records formats
Number of pages processed Number of pages disclosed Number of requests
141,615 135,500 400
Table 15: 3.5.2 Relevant pages processed by request disposition for paper and e-records formats by size of requests
Disposition Less than 100 pages processed 101 to 500 pages processed 501 to 1,000 pages processed 1,001 to 5,000 pages processed More than 5,000 pages processed
Number of requests Pages processed Number of requests Pages processed Number of requests Pages processed Number of requests Pages processed Number of requests Pages processed
All disclosed 68 2,262 55 12,385 20 14,536 13 19,421 0 0
Disclosed in part 15 664 28 6,875 19 13,115 42 67,322 1 5,035
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 139 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 222 2,926 83 19,260 39 27,651 55 86,743 1 5,035
Table 16: 3.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats
Number of minutes processed Number of minutes disclosed Number of requests
0 0 0
Table 17: 3.5.4 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests
Disposition Less than 60 minutes processed 60 to 120 minutes processed More than 120 minutes processed
Number of requests Minutes processed Number of requests Minutes processed Number of requests Minutes processed
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0
Table 18: 3.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats
Number of minutes processed Number of minutes disclosed Number of requests
0 0 0
Table 19: 3.5.6 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests
Disposition Less than 60 minutes processed 60 to 120 minutes processed More than 120 minutes processed
Number of requests Minutes processed Number of requests Minutes processed Number of requests Minutes processed
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0
Table 20: 3.5.7 Other complexities
Disposition Consultation required Legal advice sought Interwoven information Other Total
All disclosed 1 0 0 0 1
Disclosed in part 2 0 104 0 106
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0
Total 3 0 104 0 107

3.6 Closed requests

Table 21: 3.6.1 Number of requests closed within legislated timelines
Type Requests closed within legislated timelines
Number of requests closed within legislated timelines 317
Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines (%) 61.9140625

3.7 Deemed refusals

Table 22: 3.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines
Number of requests closed past the legislated timelines Principal reason
Interference with operations / workload External consultation Internal consultation Other
195 166 0 0 29
Table 23: 3.7.2 Requests closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)
Number of days past legislated timelines Number of requests past legislated timeline where no extension was taken Number of requests past legislated timeline where an extension was taken Total
1 to 15 days 5 11 16
16 to 30 days 2 2 4
31 to 60 days 3 2 5
61 to 120 days 128 2 130
121 to 180 days 28 2 30
181 to 365 days 4 3 7
More than 365 days 2 1 3
Total 172 23 195
Table 24: 3.8 Requests for translation
Translation requests Accepted Refused Total
English to French 0 0 0
French to English 1 0 1
Total 1 0 1

Section 4: Disclosures under subsections 8(2) and 8(5)

Table 25: Number of disclosures
Paragraph 8(2)(e) Paragraph 8(2)(m) Subsection 8(5) Total
7 2 2 11

Section 5: Requests for correction of personal information and notations

Table 26: Disposition for correction requests received
Disposition for correction requests received Number
Notations attached 0
Requests for correction accepted 0
Total 0

Section 6: Extensions

Table 27: 6.1 Reasons for extensions
Number of requests where an extension was taken 15(a)(i) Interference with operations 15 (a)(ii) Consultation 15(b) Translation purposes or conversion
Further review required to determine exemptions Large volume of pages Large volume of requests Documents are difficult to obtain Cabinet confidence section (section 70) External Internal
116 0 0 110 4 0 0 2 0
Table 28: 6.2 Length of extensions
Length of extensions 15(a)(i) Interference with operations 15 (a)(ii) Consultation 15(b) Translation purposes or conversion
Further review required to determine exemptions Large volume of pages Large volume of requests Documents are difficult to obtain Cabinet confidence section (section 70) External Internal
1 to 15 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 days 0 0 110 4 0 0 2 0
Total 0 0 110 4 0 0 2 0

Section 7: Consultations received from other institutions and organizations

Table 29: 7.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and organizations
Consultations Other Government of Canada institutions Number of pages to review Other organizations Number of pages to review
Received during reporting period 0 0 0 0
Outstanding from the previous reporting period 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0
Closed during the reporting period 0 0 0 0
Carried over within negotiated timelines 0 0 0 0
Carried over beyond negotiated timelines 0 0 0 0
Table 30: 7.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions
Recommendation Number of days required to complete consultation requests
1 to 15 days 16 to 30 days 31 to 60 days 61 to 120 days 121 to 180 days 181 to 365 days More than 365 days Total
Disclose entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclose in part 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exempt entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exclude entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Table 31: 7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations outside the Government of Canada
Recommendation Number of days required to complete consultation requests
1 to 15 days 16 to 30 days 31 to 60 days 61 to 120 days 121 to 180 days 181 to 365 days More than 365 days Total
Disclose entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclose in part 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exempt entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exclude entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Section 8: Completion time of consultations on Cabinet confidences

Table 32: 8.1 Requests with Legal Services
Number of days Fewer than 100 pages processed 101 to 500 pages processed 501 to 1,000 pages processed 1,001 to 5,000 pages processed More than 5,000 pages processed
Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed
1 to 15 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
Table 33: 8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office
Number of days Fewer than 100 pages processed 101 to 500 pages processed 501 to 1,000 pages processed 1,001 to 5,000 pages processed More than 5,000 pages processed
Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed
1 to 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
61 to 120 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
121 to 180 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
181 to 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More than 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Section 9: Complaints and investigations notices received

Table 34: Number of complaints and investigation notices received
Section 31 Section 33 Section 35 Court action Total
24 25 13 0 62

Section 10: Privacy impact assessments and personal information banks

Table 35: 10.1 Privacy impact assessments
Type Number
Number of privacy impact assessments (PIA) completed 0
Number of PIA modified 0
Table 36: 10.2 Institution-specific and central personal information banks
Personal information banks Active Created Terminated Modified
Institution-specific 14 0 0 0
Central 10 0 0 0
Total 24 0 0 0

Section 11: Privacy breaches

Table 37: 11.1 Material privacy breaches reported
Type Number
Number of material privacy breaches reported to Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat 0
Number of material privacy breaches reported to Privacy Commissioner of Canada 0
Table 38: 11.2 Non-material privacy breaches
Type Number
Number of non-material privacy breaches 109

Section 12: Resources related to the Privacy Act

Table 39: 12.1 Allocated costs
Expenditures Amount
Salaries $1,222,673
Overtime $1,405
Goods and services:
  • professional services contracts ($105,071)
  • other ($58,643)
 $163,714
Total $1,387,792
Table 40: 12.2 Human resources
Resources Person years dedicated to privacy activities
Full-time employees 14.160
Part-time and casual employees 0.000
Regional staff 0.000
Consultants and agency personnel 1.000
Students 0.000
Total 15.160

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

In this section

Name of institution: Public Services and Procurement Canada

Reporting period: April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023

Section 1: Capacity to receive requests under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

Table 41: Number of weeks our institution was able to receive Access to Information and Privacy requests through the different channels
Channels Number of weeks
Able to receive requests by mail 52
Able to receive requests by email 52
Able to receive request through the digital request service 52

Section 2: Capacity to process records under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

Table 42: 2.1 Number of weeks our institution was able to process paper records in different classification levels
Record classification Number of weeks at no capacity Number of weeks at partial capacity Number of weeks at full capacity Total number of weeks
Unclassified paper records 0 0 52 52
Protected B paper records 0 0 52 52
Secret and top secret paper records 0 0 52 52
Table 43: 2.2 Number of weeks our institution was able to process electronic records in different classification levels
Record classification Number of weeks at no capacity Number of weeks at partial capacity Number of weeks at full capacity Total number of weeks
Unclassified electronic records 0 0 52 52
Protected B electronic records 0 0 52 52
Secret and top secret electronic records 0 0 52 52

Section 3: Open requests and complaints under the Access to Information Act

Table 44: 3.1 Number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods
Fiscal year open requests were received Open requests that are within legislated timelines as of March 31, 2023 Open requests that are beyond legislated timelines as of March 31, 2023 Total
Received in 2022 to 2023 25 163 188
Received in 2021 to 2022 7 105 112
Received in 2020 to 2021 0 126 126
Received in 2019 to 2020 0 43 43
Received in 2018 to 2019 0 25 25
Received in 2017 to 2018 0 11 11
Received in 2016 to 2017 0 19 19
Received in 2015 to 2016 0 1 1
Received in 2014 to 2015 0 0 0
Received in 2013 to 2014 or earlier 0 0 0
Total 32 493 525
Table 45: 3.2 Number of open complaints with the Information Commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods
Fiscal year open complaints were received by institution Number of open complaints
Received in 2022 to 2023 22
Received in 2021 to 2022 64
Received in 2020 to 2021 23
Received in 2019 to 2020 4
Received in 2018 to 2019 1
Received in 2017 to 2018 0
Received in 2016 to 2017 0
Received in 2015 to 2016 0
Received in 2014 to 2015 0
Received in 2013 to 2014 or earlier 0
Total 114

Section 4: Open requests and complaints under the Privacy Act

Table 46: 4.1 Number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods
Fiscal year open requests were received Open requests that are within legislated timelines as of March 31, 2023 Open requests that are beyond legislated timelines as of March 31, 2023 Total
Received in 2022 to 2023 42 13 55
Received in 2021 to 2022 0 2 2
Received in 2020 to 2021 0 2 2
Received in 2019 to 2020 0 2 2
Received in 2018 to 2019 0 1 1
Received in 2017 to 2018 0 0 0
Received in 2016 to 2017 0 0 0
Received in 2015 to 2016 0 0 0
Received in 2014 to 2015 0 0 0
Received in 2013 to 2014 or earlier 0 0 0
Total 42 20 62
Table 47: 4.2 Number of open complaints with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods
Fiscal year open complaints were received by institution Number of open complaints
Received in 2022 to 2023 13
Received in 2021 to 2022 12
Received in 2020 to 2021 7
Received in 2019 to 2020 1
Received in 2018 to 2019 0
Received in 2017 to 2018 0
Received in 2016 to 2017 0
Received in 2015 to 2016 0
Received in 2014 to 2015 0
Received in 2013 to 2014 or earlier 0
Total  33

Section 5: Social insurance number

Table 48: New collection or new consistent use of the social insurance number
Question Answer
Has your institution begun a new collection or new consistent use of the social insurance number (SIN) in 2022 to 2023? No

Section 6: Universal access under the Privacy Act

Table 49: Requests received from confirmed foreign nationals outside of Canada
Question Answer
How many requests were received from confirmed foreign nationals outside of Canada in 2022 to 2023? 2

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