Annual Report to Parliament on the Administration of the Access to Information Act – 2024-25

Table of contents

Permission to Reproduce

Except as otherwise specifically noted, the information in this publication may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from Shared Services Canada, provided that due diligence is exercised to ensure the accuracy of the information reproduced is maintained; that the complete title of the publication is produced; that Shared Services Canada is identified as the source institution; and that the reproduction is not represented as an official version of the information reproduced, nor as having been made in affiliation with, or with the endorsement of the Government of Canada.

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© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister responsible for Shared Services Canada, 2025.

Annual Report to Parliament on the Administration of the Access to Information Act – 2024-2025 (Shared Services Canada)

Publié aussi en français sous le titre :
Rapport annuel au Parlement sur l’application de la Loi sur l’accès à l’information – 2024-2025 (Services partagés Canada)

Introduction

The Access to Information Act (ATIA) gives Canadian citizens, permanent residents and all individuals and corporations present in Canada the right of access to records under the control of a government institution subject to the ATIA. This legislation increases the accountability and transparency of federal institutions and supports an open and democratic society.

Shared Services Canada (SSC) is pleased to submit to Parliament its 2024-2025 Annual Report on the Administration of the ATIA. This report is prepared and tabled in Parliament in accordance with section 94 of the ATIA and section 20 of the Service Fees Act. It covers the period from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.

SSC did not have any non-operational ("paper") subsidiaries during this reporting period.

Institutional Mandate

SSC was created in 2011 as the common digital service provider for the Government of Canada (GC). Its mandate is to consolidate, modernize and secure the information technology (IT) infrastructure that supports departments and agencies―enabling service delivery to Canadians, and implementing GC priorities at home and abroad. Moving from an outdated and decentralized approach to GC IT to an SSC enterprise approach has created value through economies of scale and resulted in secure, reliable and cost-effective service delivery for Canadians.

SSC provides essential IT services to departments and agencies, including email, networks, data centres, and end-user support (like hardware and software digital services).

SSC is wherever the GC is―spanning nearly 4,000 locations across Canada and around the world. SSC has dedicated teams who work around the clock―24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. While SSC does support traditional office work, it also enables partner departments in frontline service delivery, national security, and defence operations. SSC services support GC call centre agents, scientists, park rangers, food inspectors, lighthouse keepers, border guards, and Canadians in uniform. SSC proudly supports over 200,000 federal employees and over 145 federal organizations.

Delegated Authority

During 2024–2025, responsibility for the ATIA and the Privacy Act (PA) was initially held by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement. This responsibility transitioned to the President of SSC on December 6, 2024.

This shift follows legal recommendations and stems from a government-wide review led by the Centre for Information and Privacy Law (CIPL). The updated Delegation Order reflects the President’s formal role as the institutional head under both Acts.

Organizational Structure

The ATIP Division is part of the Corporate Secretariat, which is overseen by the Director General, Corporate Secretariat and Chief Privacy Officer, situated in the Strategy and Engagement Branch.

SSC was not a party to any service agreements under section 96 of the ATIA during this reporting period.

The Division oversees the administration of the ATIA and the PA, led by a Director serving as the department’s ATIP Coordinator. The Division’s work is performed through three units, each headed by Deputy Directors: the Operations Unit, the Special Projects Unit, and the Policy and Governance Unit. An average of 15.3 person years was dedicated to the delivery of the ATIA program with 13.3 person years in the National Capital Region and 2 person years located in the regions. These person years include full-time equivalents, casual employees and students.

The Operations Unit is responsible for processing requests under both acts. Its duties include, but are not limited to, the following tasks:

• Performing line-by-line reviews of records requested and conducting external consultations as required to balance the public’s right of access and the government’s need to safeguard certain information in limited and specific cases
• Liaising with requesters, subject-matter experts within SSC, and other parties
• Making recommendations on records that are disclosed proactively by the Department
• Providing briefings to senior management as required on matters relating to requests and institutional performance
• Acting as the main point of contact with the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) with respect to the resolution of complaints related to requests under both acts
• Building and maintaining effective working relationships with requesters, the department, the ATIP community, and the OIC and OPC

The Special Projects Unit oversees the creation and implementation of advanced technological solutions aimed at improving the ATIP process. Its responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Engaging in strategic planning and execution of projects
• Exploring and harnessing new technologies and methodologies to create efficiencies in the ATIP process through better information management and automation
• Briefing senior management on the deployment, progress and impact of new technologies within the Division to ensure informed decision-making
• Supporting, monitoring performance, and maintaining a comprehensive knowledge base for all technologies used in the Division
• Sharing the innovations introduced at SSC that have streamlined ATIP processes with other departments and agencies
• Participating in interdepartmental working groups, including co-chairing the ATIPXpress Community of Practice

The Policy and Governance Unit role is to provide strategic counsel and guidance on access to information and the protection of personal information to senior management. The scope of their responsibilities includes, but is not limited to, the following areas:

• Providing privacy direction and advice on day-to-day program activities
• Supporting program officials with privacy evaluations, which includes Privacy Checklist, Privacy Impact Assessments, Privacy Protocol and assessments of privacy implication in technology solutions
• Participating in the procurement process by ensuring privacy is reflected in contract instruments involving the collection or use of personal information
• Acting as the main point of contact with the OIC and OPC with respect to various audits, reviews, systemic investigations and privacy breaches
• Managing different levels of privacy breaches by conducting regular privacy training sessions, and promptly addressing any breaches to ensure the protection of sensitive information
• Supporting client departments through enterprise privacy activities including advice, assessment and contracting. All enterprise privacy-related activities within SSC are carefully reviewed and approved by the ATIP Division prior to implementation, ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations
• Developing ATIP policy instruments, templates and tools
• Drafting personal information-sharing arrangements
• Publishing an updated version of SSC’s Info Source chapter
• Writing SSC’s annual reports on the administration of the ATIA and the PA
• Preparing and delivering training and awareness sessions throughout the Department

The Division's execution of the acts benefits from the collaboration with subject matter experts across SSC, as employees are vital in quickly gathering records that need to be reviewed.

Proactive Publication under Part 2 of the Access to Information Act

SSC is a Government of Canada (GC) institution listed in Schedule I.1 of the Financial Administration Act.

SSC proactively discloses information on a wide range of important subjects for Canadians as per Part 2 of the ATIA, including:

• contracts travel and hospitality expenses
• briefing materials
• expense reports
• mandate letters

The Division routinely monitors and reviews documentation to be proactively released. The Division had 100% compliance rate with reporting requirements on the Open Government website.

The Division specifically reviews the following documents on a monthly basis prior to their publication to the Open Government website:

• titles of memorandums to the President
• titles of memorandums to the Minister
• monthly summaries of ATIP requests

These documents are published within 30 days of their creation. Before publication, the Division and the Director General, Corporate Secretariat and Chief Privacy Officer must approve the documents.

Proactive Publications Requirements Table

Apply to all Government Institutions as defined in Section 3 of the Access to Information Act

Legislative Requirement	Section of ATIA	Publication Timeline	Does requirement apply to your institution? (Yes or No)	Internal group(s) or positions(s) responsible for fulfilling requirement	Percentage of proactive publication requirements published within legislated timelines	Link to web page where published
Travel Expenses	82	Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement	Yes	Finance	100%	Government Travel Expenses (canada.ca)
Hospitality Expenses	83	Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement	Yes	Finance	100%	Hospitality Expenses (canada.ca)
Reports tabled in Parliament	84	Within 30 days after tabling	Yes	Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs	100%	Publications – Access to Information and Privacy - Canada.ca

Apply to government entities or departments, agencies, and other bodies subject to the Act and listed in Schedules I, I.1, or II of the Financial Administration Act

Legislative Requirement	Section of ATIA	Publication Timeline	Does requirement apply to your institution? (Yes or No)	Internal group(s) or positions(s) responsible for fulfilling requirement	Percentage of proactive publication requirements published within legislated timelines	Link to web page where published
Contracts over $10,000	86	Q1 to 3: Within 30 days after the quarter Q4: Within 60 days after the quarter	Yes	Finance	100%	Search Government Contracts over $10,000 (canada.ca)
Grants and contributions over $25,000	87	Within 30 days after the quarter	No	N/A	N/A	N/A
Packages of briefing materials prepared for new or incoming deputy heads or equivalent	88(a)	Within 120 days after appointment	Yes	Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs	N/A	N/A
Titles and reference numbers of memoranda prepared for a deputy head or equivalent, that are received by their office	88(b)	Within 30 days after the end of the month received	Yes	Briefing and Correspondence Unit	100%	Briefing Note Titles and Numbers (canada.ca)
Packages of briefing materials prepared for a deputy head or equivalent’s appearance before a committee of Parliament	88(c)	Within 120 days after appearance	Yes	Briefing and Correspondence Unit	100%	Briefing Package for Parliamentary Committee (canada.ca)

Applies to government institutions that are departments named in Schedule I to the Financial Administration Act or portions of the core public administration named in Schedule IV to that Act (i.e. government institutions for which Treasury Board is the employer)

Legislative Requirement	Section of ATIA	Publication Timeline	Does requirement apply to your institution? (Yes or No)	Internal group(s) or positions(s) responsible for fulfilling requirement	Percentage of proactive publication requirements published within legislated timelines	Link to web page where published
Reclassifi-cation of positions	85	Within 30 days after the quarter	Yes	Human Resources	100%	Position Reclassification (canada.ca)

Apply to Ministers’ Offices (and therefore apply to any institution that performs proactive publication on behalf of a Minister’s Office)

Legislative Requirement	Section of ATIA	Publication Timeline	Does requirement apply to your institution? (Yes or No)	Internal group(s) or positions(s) responsible for fulfilling requirement	Percentage of proactive publication requirements published within legislated timelines	Link to web page where published
Packages of briefing materials prepared by a government institution for new or incoming ministers	74(a)	Within 120 days after appointment	Yes	Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs	N/A	N/A
Titles and reference numbers of memoranda prepared by a government institution for the minister, that are received by their office	74(b)	Within 30 days after the end of the month received	Yes	Briefing and Correspondence Unit	100%	Briefing Note Titles and Numbers (canada.ca)
Package of question period notes prepared by a government institution for the minister and in use on the last sitting day of the House of Commons in June and December	74(c)	Within 30 days after last sitting day of the House of Commons in June and December	Yes	Briefing and Correspondence Unit	N/A	N/A
Packages of briefing materials prepared by a government institution for a minister’s appearance before a committee of Parliament	74(d)	Within 120 days after appearance	Yes	Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs	N/A	N/A
Travel expenses	75	Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement	Yes	Finance	100%	Government Travel Expenses (canada.ca)
Hospitality expenses	76	Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement	Yes	Finance	100%	Hospitality Expenses (canada.ca)
Contracts over $10,000	77	Q1-3: Within 30 days after the quarter Q4: Within 60 days after the quarter	Yes	Finance	100%	Search Government Contracts over $10,000 (canada.ca)
Ministers’ Offices expenses	78	Within 120 days after the fiscal year	No	N/A Note: This consolidated report is currently published by TBS on behalf of all institutions.	N/A	Expenditures of Ministers' Offices (canada.ca)

Performance 2024-2025

The Statistical Report (Annex B) on the administration of the ATIA provides a summary of the access to information (ATI) requests and consultations processed during the 2024-2025 reporting period.

Requests Received

In 2024-2025, SSC received 193 ATI requests, which represents an 8% decrease from the previous year. Additionally, there was a significant decrease in the average volume of records per request. Throughout the reporting period, SSC successfully closed a total of 195 requests.

A total of 50 active ATI requests were carried over to 2025-2026:

• 47 requests in 2024-2025 were within the legislated timeline
• 3 active requests received in the previous reporting period of 2023-2024, of which 2 were within the legislated timeline and 1 was beyond the legislated timeline

Two specific areas within SSC have been the subject of a high percentage of all ATI requests during the reporting period.

• The majority of requests (59%) sought records from the Chief Financial Officer and Procurement Branch (CFOPB). This branch provides oversight and guidance for financial management, budgeting, inventory control, and procurement processes to optimize cost savings and improve operational efficiency
• 26% of requests sought records from Corporate Services Branch (CSB). CSB provides internal services and support to SSC for Human Resources and Workplace as well as Security and Real Property. During part of this reporting period CSB housed the procurement group which later moved to CFOPB

The Division processed 163,357 pages of records in 2024-2025. These achievements are reflected in SSC’s 98.5% compliance rate, which is greatly above the community average.

Alongside the 193 requests that were submitted, SSC carried forward 52 requests from the previous fiscal year for a total of 245 requests for this reporting period. The Division remains vigilant in regularly monitoring its response times in processing requests and keeping a close watch on the timeliness of their completion.

Access to Information requests received and processed

Informal requests

SSC publishes summaries of completed ATI requests pertaining to corporate records on the Open Government Portal. Within the reporting timeframe, the Division received 583 informal requests for previously released documents, marking a 44% increase compared to the previous reporting period.

Internal consultations

In addition to processing formal requests under the ATIA, branches within SSC forward documents to the Division for review in accordance with the principles of the ATIA and the PA. SSC completed 76 internal consultations and reviewed a total of 51,397 pages. This represents an increase of 95% for completed requests and a substantial increase of 860% in pages reviewed. Furthermore, handling a request for documentation from the OPC accounted for 70% of the page volume.

Source of requests

The public constitutes the largest source of all ATI requests, accounting for 56%. Sources that declined to identify themselves accounted for 33%, organizations represented 4%, and academia and the private sector each accounted for 3%. Lastly, requests received from the media sector represented 1% of all ATI requests.

Source of requests

Decline to Act

Bill C-58, which received Royal Assent June 17, 2019, introduced Section 6.1 of the ATIA which states that the head of a government institution may call upon the OIC to investigate a request deemed vexatious, made in bad faith, or an abuse of the right of access. The Information Commissioner of Canada’s approval is needed to refuse the request for access to records.

During 2024-2025, SSC submitted 1 application to the OIC pursuant to section 6.1 concerning a file that would have generated over 8 million pages of records. The OIC granted the application and SSC declined to act on the request.

Completion time

Section 9 of the ATIA allows the statutory time limits to be extended if consultations are required, or if the request is for a large volume of records and processing within the original timeframe would unreasonably interfere with the operations of the Department.

In 22 instances (15%), extensions were necessary when SSC consulted with its Legal Services Unit and other departments prior to responding to the requester. The Division also invoked 33 extensions (22%) for the purpose of consulting third parties. Additionally, to mitigate disruption to daily operations due to a large volume of records, extensions were utilized in 94 instances, which constituted 63% of the time. Some areas within SSC tasked with government contracting faced significant challenges due to the high volume of requests. Although balancing daily operations while responding to a growing number of complex requests resulted in delayed responses, the Division sent out interim releases whenever possible to provide information more quickly.

Throughout the reporting period, SSC fully disclosed records in 2% of cases. The Division applied exemptions to 138 requests, which accounts for 71% of all requests. This year, there were no instances where responsive records were entirely exempted or excluded. For 22 requests (equivalent to 11%), there were no existing records. Requesters abandoned 27 requests (representing 14%), and SSC transferred to other institutions 2 requests (representing 1%). SSC did not have any requests where the disposition was neither confirmed nor denied.

SSC responded to:

• 99 requests (51%) within 30 days
• 28 requests (14%) within 31 to 60 days
• 27 requests (14%) within 61 to 120 days
• 16 requests (8%) within 121 to 180 days
• 15 requests (8%) within 181 to 365 days
• 10 requests (5%) requiring more than 365 days

Completion time

Exemptions

Whenever SSC invoked exempting provisions, the principle of severability, as described in section 25 of the ATIA, was applied to release as much information as possible. No requests were exempted in their entirety.

While most of the operations at SSC, and subsequent records created within the Department, revolve around the operations of government, the Division tries to limit the use of section 21 of the ATIA to a minimum.

The Division has opted to highlight the following three provisions of the ATIA, as they are the most relied upon:

• Paragraph 16(2)(c), concerning security and the vulnerability of buildings, structures, or systems: 88 instances
• Paragraph 20(1)(c), protecting information that could lead to financial loss or gain to a third party: 106 instances
• Subsection 19(1), protecting personal information: 115 instances

Paragraph 16(2)(c) is a discretionary exemption, while subsection 19(1) and paragraph 20(1)(c) are mandatory exemptions.

Exclusions

The ATIA does not apply to information that is already publicly available, such as government publications and material in libraries and museums (section 68). It also excludes material such as Cabinet Confidences (section 69). During 2024-2025, SSC excluded records based on section 68 on 4 occasions, and section 69 on 15 occasions.

Consultations

To limit inter-institutional consultations, the Division consults other institutions only when SSC does not have the contextual information it needs to decide on the release of the information. The Division regularly conducts courtesy consultations to inform other institutions of the release of their information.

This reporting period, SSC received 58 consultations from other government institutions. The Department carried over to the next year 6 consultations that were within the negotiated timeline.

Challenges

The Division was able to effectively provide services to Canadians despite facing numerous challenges. Listed below are some of the obstacles faced by the Division, and how they were overcome:

• Secret records must flow through the secure network, which is only accessible at certain areas in the office. SSC is working on upgrading its infrastructure to handle records with a secret security classification easily
• The high volume of requests pertaining to the CFOPB branch makes it challenging to provide records within the allotted timeframe. In order to mitigate the issue, the Division conducted a survey to understand requesters' needs and identify opportunities to provide more information proactively
• The Division has encountered challenges with the rollout and use of the new ATIP processing software, ATIPXpress, marketed as an advanced software designed to enhance the ATIP process using AI technologies. It has presented significant challenges due to gaps in key functions that increase processing times and require substantial resources for troubleshooting and system alignment. The Division is working with the vendor to address these issues
• Due to new technologies with far-reaching privacy implications, increasingly complex privacy evaluations required the reassignment of resources to assess the privacy implications of these emerging technologies and initiatives
• The October 2024 update of the directive on privacy practices did not encompass the necessity to evaluate the privacy risks associated with technology procured and used by the GC. As a result, the Enterprise and ATIP team undertook the initiative to develop a tool designed to address this gap in privacy assessments

Complaints

In 2024–2025, SSC closed ten complaints under the ATIA. Of these, three were discontinued, one related to an exemption, and two involved refusals of access. Five complaints were deemed not well founded—two concerning exemptions, two involving records outside SSC’s control, and one related to a search issue. One complaint regarding missing records was found to be well founded. Although SSC had located and disclosed the records prior to the complaint, the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) issued a well-founded determination during the reporting period. Another complaint was filed in relation to the first ATIA request processed through the newly implemented ATIPXpress case management system, which experienced delays due to technical issues and volume. Following negotiations, SSC and the requester agreed on a revised deadline with interim releases. Despite this resolution, the OIC issued an order confirming the same terms, which SSC implemented accordingly.

No audits involving SSC were completed by the OIC.

Monitoring compliance

The Division supplies weekly reports on forthcoming files. When a group proactively releases information under Part 2, the Division is consulted before publishing.

The Division implemented various internal procedures to ensure that ATI requests are processed in a timely and efficient manner. The Division has a five-business-day service standard for records retrieval and tracks branch performance. During this reporting period, only 3 requests were closed late due to the following exceptional circumstances:

• The level of effort required due to consultations was underestimated; however, an interim release was provided to the requester by the due date (1 file)
• The level of effort required for the volume of pages was greater than anticipated by the Division because of additional complexities in the content (2 files)

Training and awareness

The Division is dedicated to fostering a culture of ATIP excellence across SSC. The Division develops and delivers training and awareness activities aimed at increasing openness and transparency throughout the Department. Furthermore, ATIP employees participate in many training sessions and conferences to broaden the knowledge of the entire Division. SSC is also registered with the Access to Information and Privacy Communities Development Office (APCDO), which offers ATIP-related training activities, and employees are regularly encouraged to attend their sessions.

Mandatory training

In order to ensure that all SSC employees, regardless of their position or level, are made aware of their responsibilities related to ATIP and that they gain an in-depth understanding of the related best practices and principles, in 2016 SSC launched, in collaboration with the Canada School of Public Service, the online Access to Information and Privacy Fundamentals course (COR502). While this course is optional for all federal public service employees through the Canada School of Public Service website, its completion is mandatory for all SSC employees.

ATIP internal training

During the reporting period, the Division delivered 2 ATIP 101 training sessions with a total of 56 participants, 1 tasking request training session with 40 participants, and 1 privacy breach training session with 21 participants.

The ATIP 101 training saw a decrease in participation, which could potentially be tied to some branches' reliance on pre-recorded sessions to onboard new employees. The Division promotes training in several ways internally and delivers it when participants sign up for specific sessions. The Division endeavours to find ways to increase participation as training is an important contributor to the continued success of ATIP management at SSC.

Mentoring

The Division fosters an environment of continuous learning and development. Experienced employees gain mentoring and leadership skills by guiding and supporting their colleagues new to the ATIP field. New employees benefit from the knowledge, experiencing a smoother transition into their roles and improving the office’s overall teamwork. As a result, SSC contributes to employees career growth, improves retention, and develops expertise that benefits the greater ATIP community.

Right to Know Week

Right to Know Week took place from September 23 to September 27, 2024, and has been celebrated for the past 20 years around the world. It is intended to raise awareness of an individual’s right to access government information, to promote freedom of information as an essential feature of democracy and good governance. The Division has engaged internal and external stakeholders by publishing articles in SSC's internal newsletter, promoting ATIP training through internal communication channels, and sharing corporate messages on SSC's social media accounts.

Data Privacy Day

On January 28, 2025, SSC celebrated Data Privacy Day to raise awareness and demonstrate the importance of privacy and the protection of personal information in day-to-day activities. The Division published content on SSC social media accounts and promoted privacy training through SSC’s internal communication network.

Policies, Guidelines, Procedures

To enhance policy alignment with TBS and eliminate duplication of information and ensure accuracy, ATIP implemented several measures to update its policy suite. This included rescinding, amending, and consolidating the information, ultimately merging 15 instruments into 3. With the approval of the updated policy suite through SSC governance, SSC employees can now access the new policies through MySSC+, the departmental intranet site.

Initiatives and projects to improve Access to Information

Next Generation ATIP Software

On April 1, 2024, the Division opened the new fiscal year in ATIPXpress, which is one of the two software options available via the Next Gen ATIP Software government-wide contract vehicle. The Division has now completed a full year in ATIPXpress; however, there are ongoing challenges with the software transition.

At implementation, the system presented gaps in key functions, such as: inaccurate pagination, inability to process complaints, lack of French compatibility, and the inability to export and track consultations. While some issues have been resolved over the course of the year, there remain many outstanding concerns. Notably, there is a significant reduction in speed of reviews linked to the rigidity of the document management component and a lack of coherent consultation management. Furthermore, it was impossible to generate an accurate and complete statistical report using the system, requiring SSC to calculate the statistics manually, and ultimately SSC was unable to complete the complexity section of the report due to lack of reliable data.

The Division is one of the chairs of the Community of Practice for ATIPXpress and continues to invest significant time and resources to working with the ATIP Community and the vendor to better align the software to SSC and GC requirements.

The Division also tested the other Next Gen ATIP Software AMANDA as part of a combined project with SSC’s GC Application Platform as a Service (GCaPaaS). GCaPaaS is a modern platform for hosting common GC business applications delivered in the cloud using utility-based ordering and cloud service provider commodity IT Services. This service enables operations, security, and risk management to be delivered in a centralized and enterprise approach through the standardization and consolidation of infrastructure and associated operational processes.

Other technologies

The Division tests different technologies towards reducing the administrative effort involved in running the ATIP Program. SSC is pleased to report that it is leveraging SSC’s CANChat to reduce both the cost and effort of publishing the completed ATI Summaries. CANChat is a generative AI tool created by SSC's Artificial intelligence at SSC to enhance employee productivity by using large language models (LLMs) for unclassified work. Through the use of a specific prompt, an employee can summarize and translate the completed requests in moments. Previously, this task required analysts to spend time summarizing the request text and costs were incurred for translation.

The Division is working to automate tasking processes and response sheets. The process automation will provide better visibility by documenting the path and status of the record retrieval, ensure required information is provided at the outset to reduce delays, and secure the correct approvals. This new process will improve the retrieval experience for both the Division and subject matter experts.

The Division explored a Generative AI proof of concept for detecting information commonly redacted under section 20 of the ATIA and highlighting it. This was developed as an assistive tool for analysis and early results were promising but it has not progressed beyond the proof of concept due to a lack of available resources.

Lastly, the Division is a SharePoint early adopter and is transitioning off GCdocs. Notably, the Policy and Governance unit has offboarded from ATIPXpress and will be working in a purpose-built Case Management solution based in SharePoint. The new system should facilitate easier workload visibility and statistical tracking as well as providing a “one place” solution for better information management.

Client Focused

In January 2025, the Division performed a client survey of requesters with ATI requests that had been closed in the 2024 calendar year. The survey targeted two main avenues of inquiry: client service and future proactive publication opportunities. The feedback received will inform projects in the upcoming year. A survey will be performed annually going forward.

Overall, requesters are happy with the Division’s service and successfully obtain the information sought, however, they critique timeliness of responses and the user-friendliness of the ATIP Online Portal. Requesters confirmed that they appreciate receiving acknowledgement letters and reacted positively to the creation of a request submission support service. The Division will be piloting a request submission support service for SSC requesters. The service intends to provide individuals with direct access to experienced analysts to help craft their requests prior to submission.

Regarding proactive disclosure, requesters would appreciate SSC making its organizational structure, responsibilities, and major project descriptions publicly available. The main types of documents of interest were briefing notes and contracts. Notably, the Division has been working with the procurement team on identifying additional contracting material for proactive disclosure.

Interdepartmental Collaboration

SSC is strategically positioned as a centre of expertise, advocating for privacy-by-design in technology solutions for the GC. To that end, SSC has partnered with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security to update the IT security control catalogue to include controls required by the PA and supporting policy suite. SSC also led the development of a template designed to assess the privacy implications of new technology solutions and implemented use of this template for the assessment of M365 E5 deployment across the Government. This template will be shared for use across the ATIP Community.

The Division also participates in several interdepartmental groups, including co-chairing the ATIPXpress Community of Practice.

Summary of key issues and actions taken on complaints

The Division continues to work diligently to resolve complaints. As soon as a request is received, the Division works with requesters to fully understand the request to reduce the processing time and ensure the relevancy of the records provided. In addition, the Department has taken diverse actions to limit the number of complaints. For example, the Division regularly reviews its procedures to improve performance and reduce the response time to improve services to Canadians.

ATIP analysts receive ongoing training on the complaints process and the handling of complaints received from the OIC. The Division has established a streamlined process for handling complaints where the Deputy Director, Operations Unit, is responsible for providing representations to the OIC. The Director and Deputy Director, Operations Unit, continue to work closely with the OIC in resolving complaints.

Reporting on Access to Information Fees for the purposes of 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 fees collected under the ATIA, the information below is reported in accordance with the requirements of section 20 of the Service Fees Act. The $5 application fee is the only fee charged for an ATI request.

During the reporting period, SSC collected $745 and waived $215 in application fees. In accordance with the Interim Directive on the Administration of the ATIA, issued on May 5, 2016, SSC waived all fees prescribed by the Act and Regulations, other than the $5 application fee set out in paragraph 7(1)(a) of the Regulations.

Annex A — Delegation Order

Shared Services Canada Access to Information Act and Privacy Act Delegation Order

The President of Shared Services Canada, pursuant to subsection 95(1) of the Access to Information Act and subsection 73(1) of the Privacy Act, hereby designates the persons holding the positions set out in the schedule hereto, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers, duties and functions of the President as the head of Shared Services Canada, under the provisions of the acts and related regulations set out in the schedule opposite each position.

This document replaces and cancels all previous delegation orders.

Schedule

Position	Access to Information Act and Regulations	Privacy Act and Regulations
Executive Vice President	Full authority	Full authority
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Engagement Branch	Full authority	Full authority
Corporate Secretary and Chief Privacy Officer	Full authority	Full authority
Director, Access to Information and Privacy Protection Division	Full authority	Full authority
Deputy Directors, Operations and Policy & Governance, Access to Information and Privacy Protection Division	Full authority	Full authority

Dated, at Ottawa this ____ day of ____, 2024.

Annex B — Statistical Report

Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act

Name of institution: Shared Services Canada
Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-03-31

Section 1: Requests Under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Number of Requests

	Number of Requests
Received during reporting period	193
Outstanding from previous reporting periods Outstanding from the previous reporting period (43) Outstanding from more than one reporting period (9)	52
Total	245

	Number of Requests
Closed during reporting period	195
Carried over to the next reporting period Carried over within legislated timeline (49) Carried over beyond legislated timeline (1)	50
Total	245

1.2 Sources of Requests

Source	Number of Requests
Media	2
Academia	6
Business (private sector)	5
Organization	8
Public	108
Decline to identify	64
Total	193

1.3 Channels of Requests

Source	Number of Requests
Online	161
Email	26
Mail	6
In person	0
Phone	0
Fax	0
Total	193

Section 2: Informal Requests

2.1 Number of Informal Requests

	Number of Requests
Received during reporting period	583
Outstanding from previous reporting periods Outstanding from the previous reporting period (0) Outstanding from more than one reporting period (0)	0
Total	583

	Number of Requests
Closed during reporting period	572
Carried over to the next reporting period	11
Total	583

2.2 Channels of Informal Requests

Source	Number of Requests
Online	0
Email	583
Mail	0
In person	0
Phone	0
Fax	0
Total	583

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
110	128	135	186	13	0	0	572

2.4 Pages Released Informally

	Number of requests	Pages released
Fewer than 100 Pages Released	0	0
100-500 Pages Released	0	0
501-1,000 Pages Released	0	0
1,001-5,000 Pages Released	0	0
More than 5,000 Pages Released	0	0

2.5 Pages Re-released Informally

	Number of requests	Pages released
Fewer than 100 Pages Released	372	8,116
100-500 Pages Released	117	26,256
501-1,000 Pages Released	31	22,670
1,001-5,000 Pages Released	42	74,282
More than 5,000 Pages Released	10	98,255

Section 3: Applications to the Information Commissioner on Declining to Act on Requests

	Number of Requests
Outstanding from the previous reporting period	0
Sent during reporting period	1
Total	1

	Number of Requests
Approved by the Information Commissioner during the reporting period	1
Declined by the Information Commissioner during the reporting period	0
Withdrawn during reporting period	0
Carried over to the next reporting period	0
Total	1

Section 4: Request Closed During the Reporting Period

4.1 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	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	4
Disclosed in part	2	46	27	26	14	15	9	139
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
No records exist	9	13	0	0	0	0	0	22
Request transferred	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Request abandoned	22	1	1	1	2	0	0	27
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Total	35	64	28	27	16	15	10	195

4.2 Exemptions

Section	Number of Requests
13(1)(a)	0
13(1)(b)	0
13(1)(c)	0
13(1)(d)	0
13(1)(e)	0
14	0
14(a)	0
14(b)	0
15(1)	2
15(1) —I.A	2
15(1)—Def.	3
15(1)—S.A.	9
16(1)(a)(i)	0
16(1)(a)(ii)	0
16(1)(a)(iii)	0
16(1)(b)	0
16(1)(c)	0
16(1)(d)	0
16(2)	0
16(2)(a)	0
16(2)(b)	0
16(2)(c)	88
16(3)	0
16.1(1)(a)	0
16.1(1)(b)	0
16.1(1)(c)	0
16.1(1)(d)	0
16.2(1)	0
16.3	0
16.4(1)(a)	0
16.4(1)(b)	0
16.5	0
16.6	0
17	0
18(a)	0
18(b)	7
18(c)	0
18(d)	0
18.1(1)(a)	0
18.1(1)(b)	0
18.1(1)(c)	0
18.1(1)(d)	0
19(1)	115
20(1)(a)	1
20(1)(b)	101
20(1)(b.1)	0
20(1)(c)	106
20(1)(d)	3
20.1	0
20.2	0
20.4	0
21(1)(a)	6
21(1)(b)	8
21(1)(c)	8
21(1)(d)	1
22	1
22.1(1)	0
23	7
23.1	0
24(1)	1
26	0

4.3 Exclusions

Section	Number of Requests
68(a)	4
68(b)	0
68(c)	0
68.1	0
68.2(a)	0
68.2(b)	0
69(1)	0
69(1)(a)	1
69(1)(b)	0
69(1)(c)	0
69(1)(d)	0
69(1)(e)	1
69(1)(f)	0
69(1)(g) re (a)	6
69(1)(g) re (b)	1
69(1)(g) re (c)	2
69(1)(g) re (d)	0
69(1)(g) re (e)	2
69(1)(g) re (f)	2
69.1(1)	0

4.4 Format of Information Released

Paper	Electronic				Other
	E-record	Data set	Video	Audio
0	143	0	1	0	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
163,357	87,633	171

4.5.2 Relevant Pages Processed Per Request Disposition for Paper and E-record Formats by Size of Request

Disposition	Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed		100-500 Pages Processed		501-1,000 Pages Processed		1,001-5,000 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	4	148	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	62	1,581	32	7,690	9	5,761	24	50,710	12	85,777
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	23	1416	2	476	0	0	1	2,990	1	6,805
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	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	90	3,148	34	8,166	9	5,761	25	53,700	13	92,582

4.5.3 Relevant Minutes Processed and Disclosed for Audio Formats

Number of Minutes Processed	Number of Minutes Disclosed	Number of Requests
0	0	0

4.5.4 Relevant Minutes Processed Per Request Disposition for Audio Formats by Size of Requests

Disposition	Fewer Than 60 Minutes Processed		60-120 Minutes Processed		More Than 120 Minutes Processed
	Number of requests	Minutes processed	Number of requests	Minutes processed	Number of requests	Minutes processed
All disclosed	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	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

4.5.5 Relevant Minutes Processed and Disclosed for Video Formats

Number of Minutes Processed	Number of Minutes Disclosed	Number of Requests
181	174	1

4.5.6 Relevant Minutes Processed Per Request Disposition for Video Formats by Size of Requests

Disposition	Fewer Than 60 Minutes Processed		60-120 Minutes Processed		More Than 120 Minutes Processed
	Number of requests	Minutes processed	Number of requests	Minutes processed	Number of requests	Minutes processed
All disclosed	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0	0	1	181
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	1	181

4.5.7 Other Complexities

Disposition	Consultations Required	Legal Advice Sought	Other	Total
All disclosed	unreliable data	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	unreliable data	4	1	5
All exempted	unreliable data	0	0	0
All excluded	unreliable data	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner	0	1	0	1
Total	0	5	1	6

4.6 Closed Requests

4.6.1 Requests Closed within Legislated Timelines

Number of Requests Closed within Legislated Timelines	192
Percentage of Requests Closed within Legislated Timelines (%)	98.5%

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
3	3	0	0	0

4.7.2 Requests Closed Beyond Legislated Timelines (including any extension taken)

Number of Days Past Legislated Timelines	Numbers 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	0	0	0
16 to 30 days	0	0	0
31 to 60 days	0	0	0
61 to 120 days	0	0	0
121 to 180 days	0	0	0
181 to 365 days	0	0	0
More than 365 days	0	3	3
Total	0	3	3

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

Section 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/Workload	9(1)(b) Consultation		9(1)(c) Third-party Notice
		Section 69	Other
All disclosed	1	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	88	2	19	29
All exempted	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	5	0	1	4
No records exist	0	0	0	0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner	0	0	0	0
Total	94	2	20	33

5.2 Length of Extensions

Disposition of Requests Where an Extension Was Taken	9(1)(a) Interference with Operations/Workload	9(1)(b) Consultation		9(1)(c) Third-party Notice
		Section 69	Other
30 days or fewer	25	0	4	1
31 to 60 days	14	0	0	21
61 to 120 days	17	2	2	3
121 to 180 days	12	0	4	1
181 to 365 days	19	0	9	5
365 days or more	7	0	1	2
Total	94	2	20	33

Section 6: Fees

Fee type	Fee Collected		Fee Waived		Fee Refunded
	Number of requests	Amount	Number of requests	Amount	Number of requests	Amount
Application	149	$745.00	43	$215.00	0	$0.00
Other fees	0	$0.00	0	$0.00	0	$0.00
Total	149	$745.00	43	$215.00	0	$0.00

Section 7: Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations

7.1 Consultations Received From Other Government of Canada Institutions and Other Organizations

Consultations	Other Government of Canada Institutions	Number of Pages to Review	Other Organizations	Number of Pages to Review
Received during the reporting period	58	1,995	0	0
Outstanding from the previous reporting period	3	49	0	0
Total	61	2,044	0	0

Consultations	Other Government of Canada Institutions	Number of Pages to Review	Other Organizations	Number of Pages to Review
Closed during the reporting period	55	1,675	0	0
Carried over within negotiated timelines	6	369	0	0
Carried over beyond negotiated timelines	0	0	0	0
Total	61	2,044	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
	0 to 15 days	16 to 30 days	31 to 60 days	61 to 120 days	121 to 180 days	181 to 365 days	More than 365 days	Total
Disclose entirely	26	12	4	1	0	0	0	43
Disclose in part	4	3	2	0	0	0	0	9
Exempt entirely	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Exclude entirely	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Consult other institutions	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Total	33	15	6	1	0	0	0	55

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
	0 to 15 days	16 to 30 days	31 to 60 days	61 to 120 days	121 to 180 days	181 to 365 days	More than 365 days	Total
Disclose entirely	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 institutions	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

8.1 Requests with Legal Services

Number of Days	Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed		100-500 Pages Processed		501-1,000 Pages Processed		1,001-5,000 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 days	2	159	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16 to 30 days	1	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31 to 60 days	1	63	1	119	0	0	0	0	0	0
61 to 120 days	0	0	1	411	0	0	0	0	0	0
121 to 180 days	0	0	1	130	0	0	0	0	0	0
181 to 365 days	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
More than 365 days	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1,127	0	0
Total	4	227	3	660	0	0	1	1,127	0	0

8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office

Number of Days	Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed		100-500 Pages Processed		501-1,000 Pages Processed		1,001-5,000 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 days	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16 to 30 days	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31 to 60 days	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
61 to 120 days	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
121 to 180 days	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
181 to 365 days	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
More than 365 days	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Section 9: Investigations and Reports of Finding

9.1 Investigations

Section 32 Notice of Intention to Investigate	Subsection 30(5) Ceased to Investigate	Section 35 Formal Representations
1	9	1

9.2 Investigations and Reports of Finding

	Received	Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner	Containing orders issued by the Information Commissioner
Section 37(1) Initial Reports	1	0	1
37(2) Final Reports	10	0	1

Section 10: Court Action

10.1 Court Actions on Complaints

Section 41

Complainant 41(1)	Institution 41(2)	Third Party 41(3)	Privacy Commissioner 41(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

Section 11: Resources Related to the Access to Information Act

11.1 Allocated Costs

Expenditures	Amount
Salaries	$1,445,773
Overtime	$0.00
Goods and services Professional services contracts ($0.00) Other ($28,817)	$28,817
Total	$1,474,590

11.2 Human Resources

Resources	Person Years Dedicated Access to information Activities
Full-time employees	12.830
Part-time and casual employees	0.460
Regional staff	2
Consultants and other agency personnel	0
Students	0
Total	15.290