2021–2022 Annual Report to Parliament on the Administration of the Access to Information Act
Introduction
In keeping with section 94 of the Access to Information Act and section 20 of the Service Fees Act, each year the head of every federal government institution prepares and submits an annual report to Parliament on how their institution has administered the Access to Information Act.
The following report is tabled in Parliament under the direction of the Minister of National Revenue. The report describes how the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) administered and fulfilled its obligations under the Access to Information Act between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022. It also discusses emerging trends, program delivery, and areas of focus for the year ahead.
Access to Information Act
The Access to Information Act came into force on July 1, 1983, and was significantly amended on June 21, 2019, with the coming into force of Bill C-58, An Act to amend the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.
The Act extends the present laws of Canada that provide access to information under the control of the Government of Canada and provide for the proactive publication of certain information.
The purpose of the Act is to enhance the accountability and transparency of federal institutions in order to promote an open and democratic society, as well as enable public debate on the conduct of those institutions.
The Access to Information Act is based on three main principles:
- government information should be available to the public
- exceptions to the right of access should be limited and specific
- decisions about disclosures should be reviewed independently of government
The Access to Information Act’s formal processes do not replace other ways of getting federal government information. The CRA actively encourages individuals and their representatives to get information informally through its online self-service channels, such as My Account and Represent a Client. The CRA encourages individuals, businesses and other groups to consider getting information online at canada.ca/en or through the CRA’s automated and toll free phone lines. The CRA continually updates these portals to provide access to more information, which reduces the burden on Canadians to make Privacy Act requests. Also, the CRA actively promotes other informal channels, such as requesting information directly from the CRA through its automated and toll free phone lines, as alternatives.
Table of content
About the Canada Revenue Agency
Operational environment including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Policies, guidelines, and procedures
Interpretation and explanation of Appendix A – Statistical report
Interpretation and explanation of Appendix B – Supplemental statistical report on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act
Appendix A – Statistical report
Appendix B – Supplemental statistical report on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act
ISSN: 2563-3481
About the Canada Revenue Agency
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) promotes and ensures compliance with Canada’s tax legislation and regulations and plays an important role in the economic and social well-being of Canadians. The CRA does this by administering tax programs for the Government of Canada and for most provinces and territories. It also administers various social and economic benefit and incentive programs delivered through the tax system. In addition, the CRA has the authority to partner with the provinces, territories, and other government bodies to share information, and for a fee, can administer enhanced services at the request of provinces and territories.
The minister of national revenue is accountable to Parliament for all the CRA’s activities, including administering and enforcing the Income Tax Act and the Excise Tax Act.
The Board of Management, which was established by the Canada Revenue Agency Act, is made up of 15 directors appointed by the Governor in Council. Each province nominates one director, and the territories take turns nominating one director. The other four directors include the chair, the commissioner and chief executive officer of the CRA, and two directors nominated by the Government of Canada. The board oversees the administration and management of the CRA, including the development of the corporate business plan and management of policies related to resources, services, property, and personnel. In fulfilling this role, the board brings a forward-looking strategic perspective to the CRA’s administration, fosters sound management practices, and commits to delivering efficient and effective service.
As the CRA’s chief executive officer, the commissioner is responsible for the day-to-day administration and enforcement of the program legislation that falls under the minister of national revenue’s delegated authority. They ensure that operations are guided by the CRA’s vision to be trusted, fair, and helpful by putting people first. As well, they are accountable to the board for the management of the CRA, which includes supervising employees, implementing policies, and managing budgets. They also assist and advise the minister about legislated authorities, duties, functions, and Cabinet responsibilities.
The CRA is made up of 12 functional branches and four regional offices across the country:
Branches
- Appeals
- Assessment, Benefit, and Service
- Audit, Evaluation, and Risk
- Collections and Verification
- Compliance Programs
- Finance and Administration
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
- Legal Services
- Legislative Policy and Regulatory Affairs
- Public Affairs
- Service, Innovation, and Integration
Regions
- Atlantic
- Ontario
- Quebec
- Western
Access to Information and Privacy Directorate
The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Directorate helps the CRA meet its requirements under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. To fulfill this mandate, the ATIP Directorate:
- responds to requests and questions under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act
- responds to consultations, complaints, and informal disclosure requests
- offers advice and guidance to CRA employees on how to properly manage and protect personal information under the CRA’s control
- reviews and, if applicable, publishes information to be proactively disclosed, including briefing note titles and committee material
- gives ATIP training and awareness sessions
- coordinates the privacy assessment process within the CRA, including giving expert advice to CRA employees on privacy implications and how to avoid or reduce risks
- responds to and manages privacy breaches, enquiries, and complaints
- communicates with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the offices of the information and privacy commissioners of Canada about policy and legislative requirements, complaints, and investigations
- fulfills corporate planning and reporting obligations, such as the CRA’s annual reports to Parliament on administering the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act
The director general of the ATIP Directorate has the full delegated authority of the minister of national revenue under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. As well, the director general:
- manages and coordinates the ATIP program
- leads strategic planning and development initiatives, and
- supports the assistant commissioner of the Public Affairs Branch and chief privacy officer of the CRA in the role of ATIP governance
The ATIP Directorate supports two main functions: processing and program support, which includes privacy management. Directorate employees are located in Ottawa, Montréal, and Vancouver. In the 2021–2022 fiscal year, an equivalent of 194 full time employees administered the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.
The following chart shows the structure of the ATIP Directorate.
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First row Assistant Commissioner of the Public Affairs Branch and Chief Privacy Officer
Second row Director General of the Access to Information and Privacy Directorate
The three areas of responsibility of the Director General of the Access to Information and Privacy Directorate are listed in the three circles below. They are:
First the Privacy and Access Policy Division, Second the Access, Operations, and Analysis Division, and third, the Access to Information and Privacy Way Forward InitiativeThe four areas of responsibility of the Director of the Privacy and Access Policy Division are listed in the four boxes to the right. They are: the Access to Information Policy and Governance Section, the Privacy Risk and Incident Management Section, the Program Support Section and the Privacy Policy and Governance Section.
The six areas of responsibility of the Director of the Access, Operations, and Analysis Division are listed in the six boxes at the bottom. They are: the Corporate and Complex Case Section, the Vancouver Regional Operations Section, the Montréal Regional Operations Section, the Complaints and Intake Section, the Strategic Compliance Section, and the Legislative & Headquarters Operations Case Section.
The two areas of responsibility of the Director, ATIP Way Forward Modernization Initiative are listed in the two boxes to the far right column. They are: the Business Process Improvement Section, and the Analytics and Innovation Section.
Delegating responsibilities under the Access to Information Act
As head of the CRA, the minister of national revenue is responsible for how the CRA administers and complies with the Access to Information Act, the Access to Information Regulations and related Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat policies. Subsection 95(1) of the Act gives the minister the authority to designate one or more CRA officials to perform all or part of the minister’s powers, duties, and functions under the Act.
The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue, signed the CRA’s current delegation order for the Access to Information Act on May 15, 2020. The order identifies specific provisions of the Access to Information Act and its regulations that the Minister delegated to various positions within the CRA.
The ATIP Directorate’s director general, directors, assistant directors, and managers of the units approve responses to requests under the Access to Information Act. Delegations are also extended to the commissioner, the deputy commissioner and the assistant commissioner of the Public Affairs Branch and chief privacy officer.
For the delegation order and schedule, see Appendix C – Delegation order.
Operational environment including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
The ATIP Directorate processes among the largest volume of requests and pages of any federal institution. According to the latest statistics from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, in 2020–2021 the CRA processed the second largest volume of pages of any federal institution to respond to Access to Information Act requests and closed the fourth largest number of requests.
The number of requests the CRA received under the Access to Information Act in 2021–2022 (2,843) was 29% higher than in 2020–2021(2,202). The number of requests completed (2,974) was 28% higher than in 2020–2021 (2,319). Beyond large page and request volumes, the CRA continues to respond to very complex requests, including many COVID-19-related requests. Complaints and consultations also represent a significant workload for the ATIP Directorate.
The following chart shows the trend of requests received under the Access to information Act over the past five years.
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Access to Information Act requests trend
In 2017–2018, 2,750 requests were received, 2,772 were completed, 1,641,339 pages were processed
In 2018–2019, 2,931 requests were received, 2,845 were completed, 2,013,227 pages were processed
In 2019–2020, 2,864 requests were received, 2,731 were completed, 1,953,575 pages were processed
In 2020–2021, 2,202 requests were received, 2,319 were completed, 1,804,108 pages were processed
In 2021–2022, 2,843 requests were received, 2,974 were completed, 2,378,269 pages were processed
One of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the access to information program included demonstrations that blocked employees from working onsite to open and send mail for five weeks. The CRA’s innovative efforts at the beginning of the pandemic to put solutions in place to send requests electronically lessened this impact. Instead, it leveraged Canada Post’s Connect service. For more information about the impact of COVID-19 on operations, see Appendix B.
ATIP Way Forward Modernization Initiative
The ATIP Way Forward Initiative is a project designed to modernize processes and technology to improve productivity and efficiency in the ATIP Directorate. The goal of the initiative is to standardize and re-engineer business processes that support the directorate and make it more efficient. It did this by developing a project management office and governance structure, and by staffing a Lean Centre of Expertise and a Business Intelligence and Reporting Centre.
In 2021–2022, key changes made to enhance productivity and efficiency in the ATIP Directorate included implementing the following initiatives:
Backlog elimination plan
The ATIP Directorate has been working diligently to eliminate its backlog inventory while balancing the requirement to respond on time to a steadily increasing workload of requests received under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, as well as other related inventory such as consultation files and complaints. In the fall of 2021, the ATIP Directorate put a backlog elimination plan in place to address the backlog. The first phase involves closing by
September 30, 2022, all requests that the CRA received before March 31, 2019 (186 requests). At the end of the reporting period, 43 requests remained. Phase 2 will focus on closing requests received between April 2019 and March 2020. Responding to requesters in a timely manner and eliminating the backlog remains an ongoing focus of our work.
Level 1 request initiative
The ATIP Directorate routinely receives requests for tax information that does not require redactions (level 1 files). Although each of these requests are not labour intensive, together they represent a significant volume for the ATIP Directorate. Using Lean methodology and working with local tax service offices, the ATIP Directorate was able to significantly reduce the workload associated with these types of files.
During the reporting period, the ATIP Directorate reduced the average processing time for these requests from 26 days to 11 days. It did this by removing 10 of the 16 steps from the process. This represents a savings of over 1,800 working hours annually.
The ATIP Directorate also communicated with specific frequent requesters and directed them to other more efficient channels, such as My Account and Represent a Client, to get their information.
Audio redaction software
In the past, the CRA had to transcribe any audio recordings before redacting and releasing the transcript. The new audio redaction software implemented during the reporting period, allows the CRA to redact the information and release it in the original format.
PDF conversion tool
Rather than manually converting records into a PDF so it can process them, the ATIP Directorate created a program to help offices of primary interest prepare the documents for processing by automatically converting the records to PDF. The ATIP Directorate continues to look into enhancements to this software.
Upgraded server supporting the ATIP tracking system
The ATIP Directorate upgraded from one server in each of its three offices to one centralized server. This server is more stable, is easier to upgrade, and has more available space than the individual servers.
Lean Centre of Expertise
The ATIP Directorate implemented a centre of expertise that teaches and promotes Lean principles within the directorate. All employees have obtained their Lean white belt certifications, and the directorate sends out videos regularly to reinforce Lean concepts. It also conducts Lean workshops to identify and plan how to implement improvements to its business processes.
Of note, in the Information Commissioner of Canada’s 2021–2022 annual report to Parliament on the access to information program in Canada, she credited the CRA for the innovative work it has done to put long-term continuous improvement solutions in place to improve access to information in Canada, including reducing the backlog of requests.
Access to Information and Privacy Strategic Plan 2021–2024
The Access to Information and Privacy Strategic Plan 2021–2024 was implemented during the reporting period. The plan outlines the ATIP Directorate’s vision and purpose, strategic priorities, and initiatives. The plan supports service excellence and flows from the Public Affairs Branch’s and the CRA’s strategic plans. The plan focuses on two key priorities: transforming business and information technology and creating a culture of privacy and accountability. It outlines the initiatives planned over the next three years that will help develop plans, projects, and activities to move the ATIP Directorate forward, including working in a paperless environment.
Human resources
In 2021–2022, the ATIP Directorate launched eight selection processes ranging from SP-031 and SP-09 levels and created pools of qualified candidates.
The ATIP Directorate is committed to promoting the one-office model by recruiting the best qualified people regardless of where they are physically located across Canada. It also fully supports creating a respectful, inclusive, and diverse workplace.
Training
The ATIP Directorate is committed to promoting and providing ATIP training to CRA employees. This training varies depending on the needs of the employees. For instance, employees who have little or no knowledge of the subject are encouraged to take the Canada School of Public Service’s Fundamentals of Access to Information and Privacy course or the Access to Information in the Government of Canada course. Subject matter experts are advised to take more specific training, such as on how to provide complete recommendations in response to requests. Privacy management training is also delivered throughout the year.
The CRA’s Legal Services Branch also provides training related to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.
In 2021–2022, the CRA continued to offer its suite of 10 web-based modules, which consist of specialized technical training, to ATIP Directorate ATIP employees.
In October 2021, as part of the ATIP Way Forward Initiative, directorate employees took part in mandatory Lean White Belt training. Employees who could not attend the training and new hires will participate in the training in 2022–2023.
In 2020–2021, the CRA established an agency-wide privacy and access to information training and awareness strategy. During the reporting period, activities took place toward implementing that strategy. These activities included agency-wide surveys and interviews to identify needs and gaps in existing privacy and access to information learning, and to shape new approaches to address them.
During the reporting period, the ATIP Directorate delivered technical training as well as information and awareness sessions to:
- ATIP Directorate employees:
- Two-week training was delivered to seven new ATIP analysts
- Half-day training on an Introduction to the Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act was delivered to the Intake Team
- other CRA employees:
- 16 ATIP information sessions were delivered to 3,025 participants
- Information gathering and gap analysis on the state of ATIP training were conducted agency-wide
- offices of primary interest and outreach programs:
- Four teleconferences were delivered to 318 participants
In 2022–2023, the CRA will continue to implement the agency-wide privacy and access to information training and awareness strategy, including expanding training and awareness by offering monthly information sessions to all CRA employees.
Raising awareness
Every year, about 40 countries and 60 non-government organizations celebrate Right to Know Week in September to raise awareness of an individual’s right to access government information, while promoting freedom of information as essential to both democracy and good governance.
In 2021–2022, the CRA promoted Right to Know Week for the 11th consecutive year with a theme of open government. The CRA also held a virtual presentation to celebrate Right to Know Week with a guest speaker, Canada’s Information Commissioner, Caroline Maynard. The Commissioner noted in her 2021–2022 annual report to Parliament on the access to information program in Canada that this was the largest audience (more than 4,000) she had ever presented to. During her presentation she spoke about the importance of upholding the right of access to information and the importance of sound information management practices.
During the reporting period, the Commissioner also met with the Canada Revenue Agency’s Commissioner-chaired Corporate Management Committee. During the meeting, she encouraged the Committee members to set an example and communicate the importance of upholding the right of access to information, ensuring efficient management of information, as well as providing timely responses to all access requests. She also highlighted the need to take immediate and concrete action, rather than waiting for legislative change, and she stressed the importance of having the necessary resources, processes, and tools in place for institutions to meet their obligations under the Act.
As well, the ATIP Directorate obtained a short bilingual video about “Access to information and privacy” from the Canadian School of Public Service and featured it in the CRA’s intranet Agency News. The ATIP Directorate also added the awareness video to the ATIP landing page.
The CRA also raised awareness about access to information through multiple committee meetings and in regular communication with CRA employees and senior management.
Collaborating with oversight bodies and other organizations
The CRA continues to work closely with the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and other organizations to strengthen access to information at the CRA. Notably beyond many collaborations referenced earlier in this report, in 2021–2022, the CRA:
- communicated frequently with the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada on various subjects, including the management of specific complaint files
- worked closely with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat on various items, including corporate policy instruments, ATIP request-processing software solutions, and COVID-19 benefit programs
- collaborated with the ATIP community by co-chairing the ATIP Coordinators Working Group. Through this group, departments that receive a large volume of requests share best practices
- co-chaired the ATIP Interdepartmental Modernization Committee. This group identifies and pilots modernization initiatives that impact the entire ATIP community and that other departments can use to improve their processes and modernization solutions
- hosted an innovations meeting with the ATIP team from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The primary goal of this meeting was to share best practices since each department is working on their own modernization initiatives
- continued to work with other departments on an ad hoc basis to share strategies and solutions with the aim of maximizing each department’s ability to process ATIP requests and promote privacy and transparency
Policies, guidelines, and procedures
The Access to Information and Privacy Directorate dedicated significant time in 2020–2021 to the review of CRA corporate documents, including policy instruments.
The CRA continues to provide feedback to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat on draft corporate policy instruments and promotes compliance with the instruments.
Updating Information about Programs and Information Holdings (formerly Info Source)
Information about Programs and Information Holdings provides information about the functions, programs, activities, and related information holdings of government institutions subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. This resource also offers guidance to individuals on how they can access the information that government institutions so they can exercise their rights under these acts.
Each institution subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act must update its chapter annually by the due date set by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, normally in June.
The CRA's Info Source chapter can be found at canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/about-canada-revenue-agency-cra/access-information-privacy-canada-revenue-agency/information-programs-information-holdings-sources-federal-government-employee-information.
Monitoring compliance
The ATIP Directorate produces multiple reports that capture key statistics about the CRA’s inventory of ATIP requests. The reports show active and closed requests, the status of requests by branch and region, the carry-forward inventory, complaints, and deemed refusal volumes.
Management regularly uses the reports to monitor trends, measure the directorate’s performance, and identify any process changes needed to improve performance. Management presents the reports monthly to senior management at the commissioner-chaired Corporate Management Committee.
During the reporting period, the ATIP Directorate:
- improved its ability to query the ATIP database by using Power Business Intelligence software
- developed automated reports directly linked to source data, which significantly reduced
- manual intervention and potential errors, andcreated new dynamic and interactive dashboards
Interpretation and explanation of Appendix A – Statistical report
Appendix A provides a statistical report on the CRA’s activities under the Access to Information Act for the period of
April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. The following explains and interprets the statistical information and includes additional access to information statistics at the CRA.
Notes
Some totals may be more than 100% due to rounding.
Part 1 – Requests under the Access to Information Act
During the reporting period, the CRA received 2,843 new requests under the Access to Information Act. This is an increase of 641 requests (29%) from last year’s total of 2,202. Including the 1,203 requests carried forward from the
2020–2021 reporting period, the CRA had 4,046 active requests in its inventory.
The number of pages processed during the year was the highest on record. There was an increase of 574,161 (32%) pages processed compared to last year.
The following table shows the number of requests the CRA received and closed, as well as the number of pages processed over the past five fiscal years.
| Fiscal year | Requests received | Requests closed | Pages processed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–2018 | 2,750 | 2,772 | 1,641,339 |
| 2018–2019 | 2,931 | 2,845 | 2,013,227 |
| 2019–2020 | 2,864 | 2,731 | 1,953,575 |
| 2020–2021 | 2,202 | 2,319 | 1,804,108 |
| 2021–2022 | 2,843 | 2,974 | 2,378,269 |
The following table shows the breakdown of the sources of the 2,843 requests received during the 2021–2022 reporting period.
| Source | Number of requests | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Media | 45 | 2% |
| Academia | 78 | 3% |
| Business (private sector) | 1,387 | 49% |
| Organization | 49 | 2% |
| Public | 1,128 | 40% |
| Decline to identify | 156 | 6% |
The following table shows the channels of the 2,843 requests received during the 2021–2022 reporting period.
| Channel | Number of requests | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Online | 1,198 | 67% |
| 161 | 6% | |
| 660 | 23% | |
| In person | 0 | 0% |
| Phone | 0 | 0% |
| Fax | 104 | 4% |
Other requests and workload
Beyond the 2,843 requests received under the Access to Information Act, the CRA processed a high volume of other requests. The additional volume significantly affected operations, since resources had to be diverted to manage the workload.
The additional requests included external and internal consultations, general enquiries, and complaints. During the fiscal year, the Intake Team of the ATIP Directorate responded to 3,300 emails and 1,367 phone enquiries received through the general enquiries mailbox and toll-free phone line.
Part 2 – Informal requests
In 2021–2022, the ATIP Directorate received 376 informal requests for previously released information. Informal requests are those that are not processed under the Access to Information Act. During the same period 347 requests were closed. 84% of the requests were received online, while the remaining 16% were received by email or by mail.
For more details, see tables 2.1 to 2.5 of Appendix A.
Part 3 – Applications to the Information Commissioner on declining to act on requests
After the coming into force of Bill C-58, an act to amend the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, the Access to Information Act was amended to add section 6.1, which allows government institutions to decline to act on a request for information deemed to be vexatious, made in bad faith or otherwise an abuse of the right of access. To invoke section 6.1, institutions must first get the approval of the Information Commissioner of Canada through a prescribed application process.
In 2021–2022, the CRA submitted two decline-to-act applications to the Information Commissioner of Canada. One application was approved and the other declined.
Although frivolous, vexatious, or otherwise abusive requests are rare, dealing with them can place a strain on public resources, delay delivery of other services and have a negative impact on the rights of other requesters. Where warranted, the Access to Information and Privacy Directorate will exercise the ability to refuse to process a request where it clearly meets these grounds.
Part 4 – Requests closed during the reporting period
Disposition and completion time
The disposition of the 2,974 requests closed under the Access to Information Act is as follows:
- 661 were fully disclosed (22%)
- 1,190 were disclosed in part (40%)
- 11 were exempted in their entirety (0.4%)
- 3 were excluded in their entirety (0.1%)
- 159 resulted in no existing records (5%)
- 36 were transferred to another institution (1%)
- 913 were abandoned by requesters (31%)
- 1 was declined as per the approval of the decline to act request to the Information Commissioner of Canada (0.03%)
The following chart shows the completion time for the 2,974 requests closed in 2021–2022.
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Completion time
1,460 (49%) in 30 days or under
401 (13%) from 31 to 60 days
359 (12%) from 61 to 120 days
754 (25%) in 121 days or more
For more details, see table 3.1 of Appendix A.
Exemptions
The Access to Information Act allows an institution to refuse access to specific information when necessary. For example, the CRA can refuse to give a requester information about another individual if that individual has not given consent. For detailed information on each of the exemptions that may be applied, see section 13 of the Access to Information Act.
In 2021–2022, the CRA applied the following exemptions, in full or in part, to the 2,974 requests closed during the reporting period:
- section 13 – Information obtained in confidence (77 times)
- section 14 – Federal-provincial affairs (4 times)
- section 15 – International affairs and defence (19 times)
- section 16 – Law enforcement and investigation and security (1,009 times)
- section 17 – Safety of individuals (2 times)
- section 18 – Economic interests of Canada (7 times)
- section 19 – Personal information (804 times)
- section 20 – Third-party information (39 times)
- section 21 – Operations of government (280 times)
- section 22 – Testing procedures, tests and audits (9 times)
- section 23 – Solicitor-client privilege (175 times)
- section 24 – Statutory prohibitions (1,006 times)
Exclusions
The Access to Information Act does not apply to information that is publicly available, such as information in government publications, libraries, and museums. Also, the Act does not apply to Cabinet confidences. In 2021–2022, the CRA applied exclusions 46 times: 35 times for information that was publicly available and 11 times for Cabinet confidences.
Format of information released
Requesters can choose to receive their response package on paper or electronically. Persons with disabilities may ask for information in alternative formats, such as braille, although the CRA did not receive any of these requests this fiscal year. Providing documents electronically is more efficient because it significantly reduces manual processes, and it is environmentally friendly and secure. There was a 6% increase in the volume of requests sent electronically in 2021–2022 compared to 2020–2021.
In 2021–2022, of the 1,853 requests for which information was disclosed in full or in part, 1,664 requests (90%) were released in electronic format.
Complexity
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat uses two criteria to define complexity: the number of pages to process and the nature and sensitivity of the subject matter. Based on these criteria, the CRA handles a large number of complex requests.
For example, to respond to the 2,778 requests it closed in 2021–2022 (excluding the dispositions of no records exist, request transferred, and declined to act requests), the CRA processed 2,378,269 pages. A significant number of requests involved a large volume of pages: 938 (40%) requests required the processing of more than 100 pages. Of these requests, 70 involved the processing of more than 5,000 pages, and 9 involved processing more than 50,000 pages, 1 of which involved the processing of more than 150,000 pages.
In addition to paper records, the CRA processed three requests for records in audio format, for a total of 121 minutes processed. There were no requests for records in video format. In addition to requests with a large volume of pages, the CRA processed many sensitive requests, such as those involving tax litigation and consultation with third parties, including provincial, federal and international bodies. Other requests were considered complex because of the nature and sensitivity of the subject matter. For more details, see tables 4.5.2 to 4.5.7 of Appendix A.
In 2021–2022, the CRA processed 49 more complex requests compared to the previous reporting period. This represents an 8% increase.
The following chart shows the volume of complex files processed over the past
three years.
In 2021–2022, the ATIP Directorate processed an average of 1,015 pages per request.
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The following chart shows the volume of complex files processed over the past three years.
685 requests in fiscal year 2018–2019
605 requests in fiscal year 2019–2020
654 requests in fiscal year 2020–2021
Closed requests
The ATIP Directorate closed 2,095 (70%) requests within the timelines required by law. This means that it provided responses within 30 calendar days or within an extended deadline.
Deemed refusals
A deemed refusal is a request closed after the deadline of 30 calendar days, or after the extended deadline if a time extension was taken.
Of the 2,974 requests closed during the reporting period, 879 were closed after the deadline. This resulted in a deemed refusal rate of 30%.
Requests closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)
The Access to Information Act sets the timelines for responding to access to information requests and allows time extensions when there is a large volume of records to be processed or a need to complete consultations (for example, with a government institution or third party).
Of the 2,974 requests closed during the reporting period, 364 requests were closed past the legislated timeline when no extension was taken. A further 515 cases were closed after the legislated timeline when an extension was taken.
Requests for translation
Records are normally released in the language they exist in. However, the institution may translate records to an official language if requested, or if the institution considers a translation to be necessary so the individual can understand the information.
The CRA did not receive any requests to translate records in response to access to information requests in 2021–2022.
Part 5 – Extensions
The Access to Information Act sets required timelines for responding to access to information requests. The Act allows time extensions when there is a large volume of records to be processed or a need to complete consultations (for example, with a government institution or other third party).
Of the 2,974 requests closed in 2021–2022, the CRA applied extensions to 1,148 (39%) of them. It applied those extensions 94% of the time because of workload and because meeting the original 30-day time limit would have resulted in unreasonable interference with CRA operations. The CRA applied the remaining extensions because of the need for internal and external consultations.
Part 6 – Fees and the Service Fees Act
The Service Fees Act requires a responsible authority to report annually to Parliament on the fees collected by the institution.
With respect to the fees collected under the Access to Information Act, the information below is reported in accordance with the requirements of section 20 of the Service Fees Act:
- Enabling authority: Access to Information Act.
- Fee payable: $5.00 application fee is the only fee charged for an Access to Information Act request
- Total revenue: A total of $12,010 in fees was collected during the reporting period.
- Fees waived: In accordance with the Interim Directive on the Administration of the Access to Information Act, issued on May 5, 2016, and the changes to the Access to Information Act that came into force on June 21, 2019, the CRA waives all fees prescribed by the Act and Regulations other than the $5 application fee set out in paragraph 7(1)(a) of the Regulations. In the 2021–2022 fiscal period, the CRA waived a total of $2,205 for 441 requests.
- Cost of operating the program: $4,854,235.
Part 7 – Consultations received from other institutions and organizations
In 2021–2022, the ATIP Directorate received 80 consultation requests from other Government of Canada institutions and organizations and closed 93 requests (received in multiple years).
For more details, including disposition and completion times, see tables 7.1 to 7.3 of Appendix A.
The total number of external access consultation requests received in 2021–2022 decreased 8% since the last year.
Internal consultations
In 2021–2022, the ATIP Directorate received 10 internal consultation requests and completed 6. These requests are informal reviews and do not fall under the Access to Information Act.
Part 8 – Completion time of consultations on Cabinet confidences
Although Cabinet confidences are excluded from the application of the Access to Information Act (section 69), Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat policies require agencies and departments to consult with their legal services office to determine if they should exclude requested information. If any doubt exists or if the records contain discussion papers, legal counsel must consult the Office of the Counsel to the Clerk of the Privy Council Office.
In 2021–2022, the ATIP Directorate had to consult with the Legal Services Branch twice, regarding Cabinet confidence exclusions. The Privy Council Office did not need to be consulted.
Part 9 – Investigations and reports of findings
Investigations
In 2021–2022, the CRA received 157 complaints under the Access to Information Act, a 32% increase compared to the previous year. The complaints the CRA received related to the following issues:
- time delay (34)
- non-disclosure (36)
- refusal due to exemption (51)
- refusal due to general reasons (11)
- time extensions (25)
In 2021–2022, 490 complaints were closed and represent a 238% increase from 2020–2021.
At the end of the fiscal year there were 221 active complaints.
The following chart shows the number of complaints received and closed since 2021–2022.
Image description
Complaints
In 2019–2020, 206 complaints were received, 292 complaints were completed
In 2020–2021, 193 complaints were received, 196 complaints were completed
In 2021–2022, 157 complaints were received, 490 complaints were completed.
The following chart shows the disposition of the complaints closed during the fiscal year.
Image description
Complaint dispositions
Of all of the complaints,
124 (25%) were well-founded
32 (6%) were discontinued
274 (56%) were not well-founded
42 (9%) were resolved
18 (4%) ceased to investigate
For definitions of the complaint disposition categories, go to the Information Commissioner of Canada Investigation Guidance page.
Reports of findings
In 2021–2022, the CRA received one initial report under section 37(1) of the Access to Information Act containing orders issued by the Information Commissioner of Canada for the provision of records and one final report under section 37(2) containing the Information Commissioner’s recommendations.
Part 10 – Court action
In 2021–2022, there were no complaints pursued to the Federal Court.
Part 11 – Resources related to the Access to Information Act
Costs
During the 2021–2022 fiscal year, the ATIP Directorate’s direct cost to administer the Access to Information Act was $4,854,235. This does not include significant support and resources from CRA branches and regions. For more details, see table 11.1 of Appendix A.
Human resources
In 2021–2022, the CRA dedicated an equivalent of 36 full-time employees, in addition to 16 consultants and agency personnel and 1 student, to administering the Access to Information Act. Many of these employees simultaneously administer the Privacy Act.
Interpretation and explanation of Appendix B – Supplemental statistical report on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act
The following is a brief overview of the tables included in Appendix B:
- Table 1: The CRA was able to receive requests by mail for 47 of the 52 weeks in 2021–2022. The CRA however had full capacity throughout the reporting period to process electronic records.
- Table 2.1 and 2.2: The CRA was able to process unclassified, Protected B, Secret, and Top -Secret paper records for 47 of the 52 weeks in 2021. The CRA however had full capacity throughout the reporting period to process electronic records.
- Note: The CRA was unable to receive requests by mail or process paper records for a five-week period because of demonstrations that blocked employees from working onsite to open and send mail.
- Table 3.1: At the end of the fiscal year, the CRA had 1,072 Access to Information Act requests outstanding: 610 of these were within legislated timelines, while 462 were beyond legislated timelines. The CRA received 269 of these requests before 2021–2022, and it will address many of these through the CRA backlog elimination plan.
- Table 3.2: At the end of the fiscal year, the CRA had 222 open complaints with the Information Commissioner of Canada.
- Table 4.1: At the end of the fiscal year, the CRA had 1,169 Privacy Act requests outstanding: 904 of these were within legislated timelines, while 265 were beyond legislated timelines. The CRA received 85 of these requests before
2021–2022, and it will address many of these through the CRA backlog elimination plan. - Table 4.2: At the end of the fiscal year, the CRA had 35 open complaints with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
- Table 5: The CRA has reported that it received the authority for a new collection of the social insurance number in 2021–2022.
Conclusion
The CRA is committed to improving the access to information regime in Canada.
In 2021–2022, the CRA continued to make significant progress in addressing backlog challenges and providing greater access to information by:
- processing ATIP requests using Lean methodology
- addressing the backlog through the backlog elimination plan
- developing a Quality Assurance Review Plan
- implementing the Privacy and Access to Information Training and Awareness Strategy
- implementing the Access to Information and Privacy Strategic Plan 2021–2024
In 2022–2023, the ATIP Directorate will focus on the priorities in its strategic plan, including leading the directorate’s business transformation and technology modernization and continuing to create a culture of privacy, transparency, and accountability.
The directorate will also continue to implement the backlog elimination plan with a focus on completing Phase 1 by March 31, 2023, and starting Phase 2, which has a planned completion date of March 31, 2024. Another priority during the fiscal year will be to continue to develop and implement innovative solutions to address requests for taxpayer information that can be provided by more efficient channels, such as My Account, My Business Account, or Represent a Client than the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act.
Appendix A – Statistical report
Statistical report on the Access to Information Act
Name of institution: Canada Revenue Agency
Reporting period: April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022
Part 1 – Requests under the Access to Information Act
1.1 Number of requests
| Number of requests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Received during reporting period | 2,843 | |
| Outstanding from previous reporting period | 1,203 | |
| Outstanding from previous reporting period | 545 | |
| Outstanding from more than one reporting period | 658 | |
| Total | 4,046 | |
| Closed during reporting period | 2,974 | |
| Carried over to next reporting period | 1,072 | |
| Carried over within legislated timeline | 610 | |
| Carried beyond legislated timeline | 462 |
1.2 Sources of requests
| Source | Number of requests |
|---|---|
| Media | 45 |
| Academia | 78 |
| Business (Private sector) | 1,387 |
| Organization | 49 |
| Public | 1,128 |
| Decline to identify | 156 |
| Total | 2,843 |
1.3 Channels of requests
| Channel | Number of requests |
|---|---|
| Online | 1,918 |
| 161 | |
| 660 | |
| In Person | 0 |
| Phone | 0 |
| Fax | 104 |
| Total | 2,843 |
| Number of requests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Received during reporting period | 376 | |
| Outstanding from previous reporting period | 1,203 | |
| Outstanding from previous reporting period | 20 | |
| Outstanding from more than one reporting period | 0 | |
| Total | 396 | |
| Closed during reporting period | 347 | |
| Carried over to next reporting period | 49 |
2.2 Channels of informal requests
| Channel | Number of requests |
|---|---|
| Online | 316 |
| 57 | |
| 3 | |
| In Person | 0 |
| Phone | 0 |
| Fax | 0 |
| Total | 376 |
2.3 Completion time of informal requests
| Completion time (days) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 50 | 36 | 77 | 146 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 347 |
2.4 Pages released informally
| Less than 100 pages processed | 101 to 500 pages processed | 501 to 1000 pages processed | 1001 to 5000 pages processed | More than 5000 pages processed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed |
| 7 | 111 | 3 | 662 | 2 | 1,355 | 1 | 4,870 | 1 | 8,128 |
2.5 Pages re-released informally
| Less than 100 pages processed | 101 to 500 pages processed | 501 to 1000 pages processed | 1001 to 5000 pages processed | More than 5000 pages processed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed |
| 208 | 4,247 | 86 | 21,548 | 19 | 12,697 | 15 | 31,251 | 5 | 117,060 |
Part 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 | 2 |
| Total | 2 |
| Approved by the Information Commissioner during reporting period | 1 |
| Declined by the Information Commissioner during reporting period | 1 |
| Withdrawn during reporting period | 0 |
| Carried over to next reporting period | 0 |
Part 4 – Requests closed during the reporting period
4.1 Disposition and completion time
| Disposition of requests | Completion time (days) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 15 | 16 to 30 | 31 to 60 | 61 to 120 | 121 to 180 | 181 to 365 | More than 365 | Total | |
| All disclosed | 115 | 342 | 127 | 48 | 7 | 16 | 6 | 661 |
| Disclosed in part | 15 | 213 | 175 | 238 | 105 | 152 | 292 | 1,190 |
| All exempted | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| All excluded | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| No records exist | 12 | 48 | 34 | 42 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 159 |
| Request transferred | 24 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
| Request abandoned | 602 | 82 | 55 | 26 | 16 | 15 | 117 | 913 |
| Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Decline to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 768 | 692 | 401 | 369 | 137 | 194 | 423 | 2,974 |
4.2 Exemptions
| Section | Number of requests |
Section | Number of requests |
Section | Number of requests |
Section | Number of requests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13(1)(a) | 30 | 16(2) | 13 | 16.6 | 0 | 20(1)(d) | 0 |
| 13(1)(b) | 3 | 16(2)(a) | 0 | 17 | 2 | 20.1 | 0 |
| 13(1)(c) | 42 | 16(2)(b) | 0 | 18(a) | 0 | 20.2 | 0 |
| 13(1)(d) | 2 | 16(2)(c) | 159 | 18(b) | 2 | 20.4 | 0 |
| 13(1)(e) | 0 | 16(3) | 0 | 18(c) | 0 | 21(1)(a) | 83 |
| 14 | 1 | 16.1(1)(a) | 0 | 18(d) | 5 | 21(1)(b) | 189 |
| 14(a) | 3 | 16.1(1)(b) | 0 | 18.1(1)(a) | 0 | 21(1)(c) | 4 |
| 14(b) | 0 | 16.1(1)(c) | 1 | 18.1(1)(b) | 0 | 21(1)(d) | 4 |
| 15(1) | 2 | 16.1(1)(d) | 0 | 18.1(1)(c) | 0 | 22 | 9 |
| 15(1) - I.A.* | 16 | 16.2(1) | 0 | 18.1(1)(d) | 0 | 22.1(1) | 0 |
| 15(1) - Def.* | 0 | 16.3 | 0 | 19(1) | 804 | 23 | 175 |
| 15(1) - S.A.* | 16 | 16.31 | 0 | 20(1)(a) | 0 | 23(1) | 0 |
| 16(1)(a)(i) | 1 | 16.4(1)(a) | 0 | 20(1)(b) | 20 | 24(1) | 1,006 |
| 16(1)(a)(ii) | 5 | 16.4(1)(b) | 0 | 20(1)(b.1) | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| 16(1)(a)(iii) | 0 | 16.5 | 0 | 20(1)(c) | 19 | - | - |
| 16(1)(b) | 285 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 16(1)(c) | 545 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 16(1)(d) | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
* I.A.: International Affairs
Def.: Defense of Canada
S.A.: Subversive Activities
4.3 Exclusions
| Section | Number of requests | Section | Number of requests | Section | Number of requests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68(a) | 34 | 69(1)(a) | 0 | 69(1)(g) re (b) | 0 |
| 68(b) | 1 | 69(1)(b) | 0 | 69(1)(g) re (c) | 0 |
| 68(c) | 0 | 69(1)(c) | 0 | 69(1)(g) re (d) | 0 |
| 68.1 | 0 | 69(1)(d) | 0 | 69(1)(g) re (f) | 1 |
| 68.2(a) | 0 | 69(1)(e) | 1 | 69(1)(g) re (f) | 1 |
| 68.2(b) | 0 | 69(1)(f) | 0 | 69.1(1) | 0 |
| 69(1) | 4 | 69(1)(g) re (a) | 3 | - | - |
4.4 Format of information released
| Paper | Electronic | Other | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-record | Data Set | Video | Audio | ||
| 189 | 1,661 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
4.5 Complexity
4.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed for paper and e-record formats
| Number of pages processed | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests |
|---|---|---|
| 2,378,269 | 1,762,458 | 2,778 |
4.5.2 Relevant pages processed per request disposition for paper and e-record formats by size of requests
| Disposition of requests |
Less than 100 pages processed | 101 to 500 pages processed | 501 to 1000 pages processed | 1001 to 5000 pages processed | More than 5000 pages processed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests | Number of pages disclosed | |
| All disclosed | 595 | 19,089 | 54 | 10,851 | 6 | 3,907 | 5 | 9,811 | 0 | 0 |
| Disclosed in part | 339 | 14,271 | 343 | 85,835 | 151 | 108,154 | 291 | 670,737 | 66 | 1,319,964 |
| All exempted | 8 | 27 | 2 | 620 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6,648 |
| All excluded | 1 | 43 | 1 | 179 | 1 | 507 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Request abandoned | 896 | 155 | 5 | 1,579 | 2 | 1,652 | 7 | 12,364 | 3 | 111,876 |
| Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 1,840 | 33,585 | 405 | 99,064 | 160 | 114,220 | 303 | 692,912 | 70 | 1,438,488 |
4.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats
| Number of minutes processed | Number of minutes disclosed | Number of requests |
|---|---|---|
| 121 | 121 | 3 |
4.5.4 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests
| Disposition of requests |
Less than 60 minutes | 60-120 minutes | More than 120 minutes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of requests | Number of minutes processed | Number of requests | Number of minutes processed | Number of requests | Number of minutes processed | |
| All disclosed | 1 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Disclosed in part | 2 | 64 | 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 | 3 | 121 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
4.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats
| Number of minutes processed | Number of minutes disclosed | Number of requests |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
4.5.6 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests
| Disposition of requests |
Less than 60 minutes | 60-120 minutes | More than 120 minutes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of requests | Number of minutes processed | Number of requests | Number of minutes processed | Number of requests | Number of 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 |
4.5.7 Other complexities
| Disposition of requests | Consultation required |
Legal advice sought |
Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All disclosed | 6 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
| Disclosed in part | 73 | 0 | 38 | 111 |
| All exempted | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| All excluded | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Request abandoned | 4 | 0 | 62 | 66 |
| Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 83 | 2 | 107 | 192 |
4.6 Closed requests
4.6.1 Requests closed within legislated timelines
| Requests closed within legislated timelines | |
|---|---|
| Number of requests closed within legislated timelines | 2,095 |
| Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines (%) | 70.44% |
4.7 Deemed refusals
4.7.1 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 | |
| 879 | 667 | 6 | 2 | 204 |
4.7.2 Requests closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)
| Number of days past legislated timelines |
Number of requests past legislated timelines where no extension was taken |
Number of requests past legislated timelines where an extension was taken |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 15 | 55 | 59 | 114 |
| 16 to 30 | 31 | 27 | 58 |
| 31 to 60 | 49 | 32 | 81 |
| 61 to 120 | 45 | 52 | 97 |
| 121 to 180 | 20 | 40 | 60 |
| 181 to 365 | 61 | 44 | 105 |
| More than 365 | 103 | 261 | 364 |
| Total | 364 | 515 | 879 |
4.8 Requests for translation
| Translation requests | Accepted | Refused | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| English to French | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| French to English | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Part 5 - Extensions
5.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests
| Disposition of requests where an extension was taken |
9(1)(a) Interference with operations |
9(1)b) Consultation | 9(1)(c) Third party notice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 69 | Other | |||
| All disclosed | 143 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Disclosed in part | 761 | 0 | 45 | 4 |
| All exempted | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| All excluded | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Request abandoned | 120 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| No records exist | 47 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Decline to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 1,082 | 0 | 61 | 5 |
5.2 Length of extensions
| Length of extensions |
9(1)(a) Interference with operations |
9(1)(b) Consultation | 9(1)(c) Third party notice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 69 | Other | |||
| 30 days or less | 314 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| 31 to 60 days | 226 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| 61 to 120 days | 318 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| 121 to 180 days | 117 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| 181 to 365 days | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 365 days or more | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 1,082 | 0 | 61 | 5 |
Part 6 - Fees
| Fee type | Fee collected | Fee waived | Fee refunded | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of requests |
Amount | Number of requests |
Amount | Number of requests |
Amount | |
| Application | 2,402 | $12,010 | 441 | $2,205 | 0 | $0.00 |
| Other fees | 0 | $0.00 | 0 | $0.00 | 0 | $0.00 |
| Total | 2,402 | $12,010 | 441 | $2,205 | 0 | $0.00 |
Part 7 - Consultations received from institutions and organizations
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 | 77 | 2,590 | 3 | 14 |
| Outstanding from the previous reporting period | 18 | 4,045 | 1 | 315 |
| Total | 95 | 6,635 | 4 | 329 |
| Closed during the reporting period | 90 | 6,444 | 3 | 14 |
| Carried over within negotiated timelines | 2 | 73 | 1 | 315 |
| Carried over beyond negotiated timelines | 3 | 118 | 0 | 0 |
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 | 16 to 30 | 31 to 60 | 61 to 120 | 121 to 180 | 181 to 365 | More than 365 | Total | |
| Disclose entirely | 17 | 22 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 58 |
| Disclose in part | 0 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Exempt entirely | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Exclude entirely | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Consult other institution | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Other | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Total | 24 | 29 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 90 |
7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada organizations
| Recommendation | Number of days required to complete consultation requests | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 15 | 16 to 30 | 31 to 60 | 61 to 120 | 121 to 180 | 181 to 365 | More than 365 | Total | |
| Disclose entirely | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 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 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Part 8 – Completion time of consultations on Cabinet confidences
8.1 Requests with Legal Services
| Number of days | Less than 100 pages processed | 101 - 500 pages processed | 501 - 1000 pages processed | 1001 - 5000 pages processed | More than 5000 pages processed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | |
| 1 to 15 | 2 | 9 | 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 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office
| Number of days | Less than 100 pages processed | 101 - 500 pages processed | 501 - 1000 pages processed | 1001 - 5000 pages processed | More than 5000 pages processed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | |
| 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 |
Part 9 ‑ Investigations and reports of finding
| Section 32 | Section 30(5) – Ceased to investigate |
Section 35 – Formal representations |
|---|---|---|
| 157 | 32 | 1 |
9.2 Investigations and reports of finding
| Section 37(1) Initial Reports | Section 37(2) Final Reports | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Received | Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner |
Containing orders issued by the Information Commissioner |
Received | Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner |
Containing orders issued by the Information Commissioner |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Part 10 - Court action
10.1 Court actions on complaints
| Section 41 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complainant (1) | Institution (2) | Third Party (3) | Privacy Commissioner (4) | Total |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
10.2 Court actions on third party notifications under paragraph 28(1)(b)
| Section 44 – under paragraph 28(1)(b) |
|---|
| 0 |
| Expenditures | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Salaries | $ 3,056,815 | |
| Overtime | $ 133,951 | |
| Goods and Services | $ 1,663,469 | |
|
$ 1,499,325 | |
|
$ 164,144 | |
| Total | $ 4,854,235 | |
11.2 Human resources
| Resources | Person years dedicated to privacy activities |
|---|---|
| Full-time employees | 36 |
| Part-time and casual employees | 0 |
| Regional staff | 0 |
| Consultants and agency personnel | 16 |
| Students | 1 |
| Total | 53 |
Appendix B – Supplemental statistical report on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act
Table 1 – Capacity to receive requests
The following table reports the total number of weeks the CRA was able to receive ATIP requests through different channels.
| - | Number of weeks |
|---|---|
| Able to receive requests by mail | 47 |
| Able to receive requests by email | 52 |
| Able to receive requests through the digital request service | 52 |
Table 2.1
The following table reports the total number of weeks the CRA was able to process paper records in different classification levels.
| - | No capacity | Partial capacity | Full capacity | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unclassified paper records | 5 | 0 | 47 | 52 |
| Protected B paper records | 5 | 0 | 47 | 52 |
| Secret and top secret paper records | 5 | 0 | 47 | 52 |
Table 2.2
The following table reports the total number of weeks the CRA was able to process electronic records in different classification levels.
| - | No capacity | Partial capacity | Full capacity | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 3.1
The following table reports the total number of open Access to Information Act 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, 2022 |
Open requests that are beyond legislated timelines as of March 31, 2022 |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–2022 | 594 | 209 | 803 |
| 2020–2021 | 13 | 141 | 154 |
| 2019–2020 | 3 | 70 | 73 |
| 2018–2019 | 0 | 22 | 22 |
| 2017–2018 | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| 2016–2017 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| 2015–2016 or earlier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 610 | 462 | 1,072 |
Table 3.2
The following table reports the total number of open complaints with the Information Commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.
| Fiscal year open requests were received | Number of open complaints |
|---|---|
| 2021–2022 | 100 |
| 2020–2021 | 30 |
| 2019–2020 | 26 |
| 2018–2019 | 40 |
| 2017–2018 | 12 |
| 2016–2017 | 2 |
| 2015–2016 or earlier | 12 |
| Total | 222 |
Table 4.1
The following table reports the total number of open Privacy Act 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, 2022 |
Open requests that are beyond legislated timelines as of March 31, 2022 |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–2022 | 904 | 180 | 1,084 |
| 2020–2021 | 0 | 46 | 46 |
| 2019–2020 | 0 | 38 | 38 |
| 2018–2019 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2017–2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016–2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015–2016 or earlier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 904 | 265 | 1,169 |
Table 4.2
The following table reports the total number of open complaints with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.
| Fiscal year open requests were received | Number of open complaints |
|---|---|
| 2021–2022 | 17 |
| 2020–2021 | 4 |
| 2019–2020 | 4 |
| 2018–2019 | 5 |
| 2017–2018 | 1 |
| 2016–2017 | 0 |
| 2015–2016 or earlier | 4 |
| Total | 35 |
Table 5
The following table reports if there was authority received for a new collection of the social insurance number (SIN)
| Authority received for a new collection of the social insurance number (SIN) | |
| Did your institution receive authority for a new collection or new consistent use of the SIN in 2021–2022? |
Yes |
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Access to Information Act
Delegation Order
I, Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue, do hereby designate, pursuant to section 95(1) of the Access to Information Act, the officers or employees of the Canada Revenue Agency who hold the positions set out in the attached Schedule to exercise or perform the powers, duties or functions that have been given to me as head of a government institution under the provisions of the Access to Information Act as set out in the Schedule.
This designation replaces all previous delegation orders.
Diane Lebouthillier
Minister of National Revenue
Signed in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada this 15th day of May, 2020
The CRA positions that are authorized to perform the powers, duties, and functions given to the minister of national revenue under the provisions of the Access to Information Act and its regulations are:
Commissioner
- Full authority
Deputy Commissioner
- Full authority
Assistant Commissioner, Public Affairs Branch, and Chief Privacy Officer
- Full authority
Director General, Access to Information and Privacy Directorate, Public Affairs Branch
- Full authority
Directors in the Access to Information and Privacy Directorate of the Public Affairs Branch
- Full authority
Assistant directors, managers, technical reviewers / advisors in the Access to Information and Privacy Directorate of the Public Affairs Branch
- Full authority
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