2017–18 Annual Report on the Privacy Act
From April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018
Table of Contents
Description of the Institution’s Structure
Interpretation of the Statistical Report
Education and Training Activities
Overview of New or Revised Institutional Policies and Procedures
Key Issues Related to Privacy Complaints and/or Investigations
Time Monitoring for Processing Privacy Requests
Personal Information Disclosed Pursuant to 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act
Appendix B – Statistical Report
Introduction
The Privacy Act (PA) gives Canadians the broad legal right to access and correct their personal information contained in federal government records. The PA also places limits on the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.
The PA provides government institutions with 30 days to respond to personal information requests. Additional time may be granted if there are many records to examine, other government agencies to be consulted, or documents to be translated. Access rights are subject to specific and limited exemptions.
This annual report to Parliament is submitted by the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner (the Commissioner) pursuant to section 72 of the PA. On April 15, 2007, the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act entered into force. It created the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada (the Office). The new legislation replaced the Treasury Board Policy on the Internal Disclosure of Information Concerning Wrongdoing in the Workplace.
The Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner is mandated to establish a safe, independent, and confidential process for public servants and members of the public to disclose potential wrongdoing in the federal public sector. The Office also helps to protect from reprisal public servants who have filed disclosures or participated in related investigations.
The Public Sector Integrity Commissioner is an independent agent, reporting directly to Parliament.
Description of the Institution’s Structure
The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator is the only employee dedicated, on a part‑time basis, to fulfil the Privacy Act responsibilities. The Coordinator is assisted by a contractor for the processing of the requests.
Delegation
The Commissioner, as the head of the government institution, has designated, pursuant to section 73 of the PA, the persons holding the positions set out in the delegation order, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers, duties or functions of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner as specified therein. A copy of the delegation order is included in Appendix A.
Interpretation of the Statistical Report
Appendix B provides a statistical report on the PA applications processed by the Office between April 1, 2017, and March 31, 2018.
The number of requests received this reporting period is minimal considering the peak of the 2015–16 reporting year (see table 1). The increase in 2015–16 was the result of one individual’s multiple requests. The Office received one new request in this reporting period and no request was carried over from the previous period. This request was completed during this reporting period and within the 30‑day timeframe. No exemptions were applied.
No consultation was received from other government institutions.
No translations were required to respond to the request. The Office spent $6,757 in resources administering the PA.
Table 1 – Five-Year Trend of Privacy Requests
| 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New requests received | 6 | 1 | 32 | 5 | 1 |
| Total requests processed | 6 | 1 | 32 | 6 | 1 |
*Total requests processed include any requests carried over from previous reporting periods.
Education and Training Activities
Considering that only one request was received during this reporting period, no training on privacy was provided to PSIC employees. However, a refresher on one’s ATIP responsibilities will be delivered to all personnel in the next reporting period including a module focusing on privacy breaches.
Overview of New or Revised Institutional Policies and Procedures
There were no new or revised institutional policies or procedures implemented in the reporting period that had an impact on privacy.
Key Issues Relating to Privacy Complaints and/or Investigations
No complaint was received by the Privacy Office during this reporting period.
Time Monitoring for Processing Privacy Requests
Though no formal time monitoring was conducted during the reporting period, the Office uses a case management system to track processing times regarding privacy requests. This tool assists the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator and the contractor dedicated to this function in monitoring timelines to ensure compliancy with legislated deadlines.
Material Privacy Breaches
There were no material privacy breaches during this reporting period.
Privacy Impact Assessments
The Office did not complete any Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) during this reporting period.
Personal information disclosed pursuant to 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act
There were no disclosures made under paragraph 8(2)(m) during this reporting period.
Appendix A
Privacy Act Delegation Order
The Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada, as the head of the government institution, hereby designates pursuant to section 73 of the Privacy Act, the person holding the position set out below, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers, duties or functions of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner as specified below.
| Position | Sections of Privacy Act |
|---|---|
Deputy Commissioner ATIP Coordinator | Full Authority Full Authority except for section 8(2)(m) |
I hereby name France Duquette as Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator.
Date: May 10, 2017
Original signed by: Joe Friday, Public Sector Integrity Commissioner
Appendix B
Statistical Report on the Privacy Act
Name of institution: Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada
Reporting period: 2017-04-01 to 2018-03-31
Part 1 – Requests under the Privacy Act
| Number of Requests | |
|---|---|
| Received during reporting period | 1 |
| Outstanding from previous reporting period | 0 |
| Total | 1 |
| Closed during reporting period | 1 |
| Carried over to next reporting period | 0 |
Part 2 – Requests Closed During the Reporting Period
2.1 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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Disclosed in part | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All excluded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No records exist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Request abandoned | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2.2 Exemptions
| Section | Number of requests |
|---|---|
| 18(2) | 0 |
| 19(1)(a) | 0 |
| 19(1)(b) | 0 |
| 19(1)(c) | 0 |
| 19(1)(d) | 0 |
| 19(1)(e) | 0 |
| 19(1)(f) | 0 |
| 20 | 0 |
| 21 | 0 |
| 22(1)(a)(i) | 0 |
| 22(1)(a)(ii) | 0 |
| 22(1)(a)(iii) | 0 |
| 22(1)(b) | 0 |
| 22(1)(c) | 0 |
| 22(2) | 0 |
| 22.1 | 0 |
| 22.2 | 0 |
| 22.3 | 0 |
| 23(a) | 0 |
| 23(b) | 0 |
| 24(a) | 0 |
| 24(b) | 0 |
| 25 | 0 |
| 26 | 0 |
| 27 | 0 |
| 28 | 0 |
2.3 Exclusions
| Section | Number of requests |
|---|---|
| 69(1)(a) | 0 |
| 69(1)(b) | 0 |
| 69.1 | 0 |
| 70(1)(a) | 0 |
| 70(1)(b) | 0 |
| 70(1)(c) | 0 |
| 70(1)(d) | 0 |
| 70(1)(e) | 0 |
| 70(1)(f) | 0 |
| 70.1 | 0 |
2.4 Format of Information Released
| Disposition | Paper | Electronic | Other formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| All disclosed | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Disclosed in part | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2.5 Complexity
2.5.1 Relevant Pages Processed and Disclosed
| Disposition of requests | Number of pages processed | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests |
|---|---|---|---|
| All disclosed | 13 | 13 | 1 |
| Disclosed in part | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All excluded | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Request abandoned | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 13 | 13 | 1 |
2.5.2 Relevant Pages Processed and Disclosed by Size of Requests
| Disposition | Less than 100 pages processed | 101–500 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 | |
| All disclosed | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Disclosed in part | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2.5.3 Other Complexities
| Disposition | Consultation required | Legal advice sought | Interwoven information | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All disclosed | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Disclosed in part | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All excluded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Request abandoned | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2.6 Deemed Refusals
2.6.1 Reasons for Not Meeting Statutory Deadline
| Number of requests closed past the statutory deadline | Principal Reason | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workload | External consultation | Internal consultation | Other | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2.6.2 Number of Days Past Deadline
| Number of days past deadline | Number of requests past deadline where no extension was taken | Number of requests past deadline 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 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2.7 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 3 – Disclosures under Subsections 8(2) and 8(5)
| Paragraph 8(2)(e) | Paragraph 8(2)(m) | Subsection 8(5) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Part 4 – Requests for Correction of Personal Information and Notations
| Disposition for Correction Requests Received | Number |
|---|---|
| Notations attached | 0 |
| Requests for correction accepted | 0 |
| Total | 0 |
Part 5 – Extensions
5.1 Reasons for Extensions and Disposition of Requests
| Disposition of requests where an extension was taken | 15(a)(i) Interference with operations | 15(a)(ii) Consultation | 15(b) Translation or conversion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 70 | Other | |||
| All disclosed | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Disclosed in part | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All excluded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No records exist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Request abandoned | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
5.2 Length of Extensions
| Length of extensions | 15(a)(i) Interference with operations | 15(a)(ii) Consultation | 15(b) Translation purposes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 70 | Other | |||
| 1 to 15 days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 to 30 days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Part 6 – Consultations Received from Other Institutions and Organizations
6.1 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 reporting period | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Outstanding from the previous reporting period | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Closed during the reporting period | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pending at the end of the reporting period | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
6.2 Recommendations and Completion Time for Consultations Received from Other Government of Canada Institutions
| Recommendation | Number of days required to complete consultation requests | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 15 days | 16 to 30 days | 31 to 60 days | 61 to 120 days | 121 to 180 days | 181 to 365 days | More than 365 days | Total | |
| All disclosed | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Disclose in part | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All excluded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Consult other institution | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
6.3 Recommendations and Completion Time for Consultations Received from Other Organizations
| Recommendation | Number of days required to complete consultation requests | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 15 days | 16 to 30 days | 31 to 60 days | 61 to 120 days | 121 to 180 days | 181 to 365 days | More than 365 days | Total | |
| All disclosed | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Disclose in part | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All excluded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Consult other institution | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Part 7 – Completion Time of Consultations on Cabinet Confidences
7.1 Requests with Legal Services
| Number of Days | Fewer than 100 pages processed | 101–500 pages processed | 501–1,000 pages processed | 1,001–5,000 pages processed | More than 5,000 pages processed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Requests | Pages disclosed | Requests | Pages disclosed | Requests | Pages disclosed | Requests | Pages disclosed | 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 |
7.2 Requests with Privy Council Office
| Number of Days | Less than 100 pages processed | 101–500 pages processed | 501–1,000 pages processed | 1,001–5,000 pages processed | More than 5,000 pages processed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Requests | Pages disclosed | Requests | Pages disclosed | Requests | Pages disclosed | Requests | Pages disclosed | 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 8 – Complaints and Investigations Notices Received
| Section 31 | Section 33 | Section 35 | Court action | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Part 9 – Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs)
| Number of PIA(s) completed | 0 |
Part 10 – Resources Related to the Privacy Act
10.1 Costs
| Expenditures | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Salaries | $2,620 | |
| Overtime | $0 | |
| Goods and Services | $4,137 | |
| Professional services contracts | $3,937 | |
| Other | $200 | |
| Total | $6,757 | |
10.2 Human Resources
| Resources | Person Years Dedicated to Privacy Activities |
|---|---|
| Full-time employees | 0.01 |
| Part-time and casual employees | 0.00 |
| Regional staff | 0.00 |
| Consultants and agency personnel | 0.02 |
| Students | 0.00 |
| Total | 0.03 |