Sources of Federal Employee Information 2004-2005

Introduction

A. Forward

Info Source: Sources of Federal Employee Information will help you, as a current or former federal employee, to locate your personal information held by the government. It will also help you to exercise your rights under the Privacy Act.

This publication is one of a series of four reference tools to assist you and other members of the pubic in exercising your rights under two Canadian laws - the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The Info Source publications support the government's policy to explain and promote open and accessible information regarding its activities.

Info Source is comprised of the following publications:

Info Source: Sources of Federal Employee Information:

• contains information to help current and former federal government employees to locate personal information held by the government.
• is intended to help former and current government employees to exercise their rights under the Privacy Act.

Info Source: Sources of Federal Government Information:

• provides information about the Government of Canada, its organization and its information holdings.
• helps individuals determine which institution to contact about requesting information formally or informally.
• provides individuals who are not, and who have never been employees of the federal government, with relevant information to facilitate access to personal information about them held by a federal government institution subject to the Privacy Act.

Info Source: The Access to Information Act and Privacy Act Bulletin:

• provides statistical information about the number of Access to Information and Privacy requests on an annual basis and cumulative statistics since 1983.
• contains a summary of federal court cases related to Access to Information.

Info Source: Directory of Federal Government Enquiry Points:

• contains addresses and telephone numbers for federal departments and agencies subject to the Access to Information Act and/or the Privacy Act.
• Other institutions associated with the federal government are included to facilitate access.

Info Source is distributed to libraries, municipal offices and federal government offices across Canada.

However, it is helpful for you to understand the basic differences between the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The information accessible under each Act is different and there are different procedures to obtain it. The following pages describe the essential details.

B. Inside Info Source

This Info Source publication has three main components:

Introduction
The Introduction includes:

• a summary of the roles and responsibilities of the federal government institutions (Section C – Roles and Responsibilities) that are either responsible for the production of Info Source or are responsible for the provision of input to the Info Source publications;
• some essential points about the Privacy Act (Section D) and detailed information about the various categories of Personal Information Banks (PIBs) (Section E);
• directions on how to locate information by using Info Source (Section F);
• contact information if you wish to obtain a copy of any of the Info Source publications (Section G);
• information about the terms used throughout the book (Section H – Glossary of Terms); and
• a listing of Privacy Coordinators, which is organized in the same order as the Table of Contents, gives you the address and telephone number of all Privacy offices.

Standard Personal Information Banks (PIB)
Standardized descriptions of personal information have been developed by Treasury Board to describe personal information that may be found in records commonly maintained by federal institutions and are included in this publication. Institutions may choose to register and declare one or more of these standard Personal Information Banks rather than develop institution-specific PIBs.

Chapters
There is one chapter for each federal government department or agency subject to the Privacy Act. Chapters are arranged in alphabetical order by the commonly used name of the institution. Each chapter contains a description of personal information relating to current and former employees of the institution, the purpose and intended use (consistent use) of the information, and a statement of how long the records containing the information are retained by the institution (retention), what happens to the records when no longer required by the institution (disposal which is either destruction or transfer to the Library and Archives Canada for permanent retention and the authority reference that permits the initiation of the disposition action (Retention Disposition Authority).

Using Info Source quickly and effectively

Determine the correct chapter
Turn to the chapter of the department or agency you think has the information, and check the Personal Information Banks.

If you don't know if you have the correct department or agency, a telephone call, email or letter to any Privacy Coordinator's office should provide the answer.

For persons with disabilities
Individuals who are unable to exercise their rights using regular procedures may obtain further assistance from any Privacy Coordinator's office.

C. Roles and Responsibilities

Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada (TBS)
In accordance with the Privacy Act, Treasury Board is responsible for the annual publication ofan index of personal information that will both serve to keep the public information of how the government handles personal information, as well as facilitating the public's ability to exercise its rights under the Privacy Act. Treasury Board Secretariat fulfils these requirements through the annual publication of Info Source .

Info Sourceis distributed to libraries, municipal offices and federal government offices across Canada.

Library and Archives Canada (LAC)
Under the Library and Archives Canada Act (2004), the Library and Archives Canada is charged with various responsibilities regarding the disposition of information created by federal institutions in support of public policy, administration of government and program delivery. These responsibilities include the authorization of records destruction by government institutions and the preservation of records for their historical or archival importance.

Through the Government Records Disposition Program, the Librarian and Archivist of Canada issues Records Disposition Authorities (RDA) to enable government institutions to dispose of records which no longer have operational value, either by permitting their destruction (at the discretion of institutions), by requiring their transfer to the Library and Archives Canada, or by agreeing to their alienation from the control of the Government of Canada.

Questions concerning the application or interpretation of the Multi-Institutional Disposition Authorities may be addressed to the Information Management Centre of the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) at (613) 944-IMGI (4644) or by e-mailing imgi@lac-bac.gc.ca.

The Library and Archives Canada (www.collectionscanada.ca/) provides guidelines on retention periods for common administrative records on their Internet site at http://www.collectionscanada.ca/information-management/06_e.html.

Individual Institutions
Government institutions are required to provide details about personal information banks as well as descriptions of their organization and information holdings to Treasury Board Secretariat on an annual basis. These descriptions are utilized in the production of the publications required by the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act. Each department and agency is responsible for the information it submits.

Government institutions are also responsible for ensuring that all information/records are managed within an established life cycle. It is incumbent upon each government institution to understand and apply any legislation regarding the retention of information and more specifically, its own legislation. Each government institution is required to determine the appropriate retention periods for its records, including those common administrative records covered by a MIDA. Accountability regarding the decision to destroy records, once a Records Disposition Authority (RDA) has been established, and the timing of records destruction rests with individual government institutions.

Each federal institution has a Privacy Coordinator. The Coordinators' offices are staffed by people to answer questions and help identify the records or information you wish to see.

Coordinators may be contacted in person, by telephone, e-mail, letter or through the submission of a completed Privacy Request Form.

Privacy Commissioner
The Privacy Commissioner is an ombudsman with the power to look into complaints of improper collection, use, storage, disclosure or disposition of personal information. The Privacy Commissioner may also help if you are dissatisfied with the response to your formal application or the time it has taken to obtain your response. If the Privacy Commissioner recommends that you be given access to records and the institution still refuses, an appeal may be made to the Federal Court.

When the Privacy Commissioner's investigation is completed, an individual who is of the opinion that they have not been given access to all of their personal information to which they are entitled, has the right to apply to the Federal Court -Trial Division for a review of the matter.

You may write or call the Privacy Commissioner's office at:

Office of the Privacy Commissioner
Place de Ville, 3^rd Floor, Tower B
112 Kent Street, Ottawa ON K1A 1H3

D. Privacy Act

In its day-to-day operations, federal government departments and agencies collect personal information from almost all Canadians. The Privacy Act gives Canadian citizens and people present in Canada the right to have access to information that is held about them by the federal government. It also protects against unauthorized disclosure of that personal information. In addition, it strictly controls how the government will collect, use, store, disclose and dispose of any personal information.

Most information is available when you ask
Most of your personal information is available to you at your request. This Info Source publication has been designed to help you pinpoint the department or agency where the information is held and assist you in obtaining it.

Types of personal information held
You probably already know about many of the programs and operations of the government that use personal information such as income tax at Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, citizenship at Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Employment Insurance program at Social Development Canada.

Exclusions: The Access to Information Act does not apply to public information that is already available, such as publications and material in libraries and museums. It also excludes material such as Cabinet documents.

Note: The Privacy Act does not control nor give you access to records that are not held by the federal government, such as those maintained by provincial or municipal governments or by private organizations such as commercial banks and credit bureaus. Most provincial governments have legislation similar to the Privacy Act. Consult the provincial government listings in the blue pages of your local telephone book.

Some personal information is confidential
The federal government must keep some personal information confidential under the Privacy Act, much of which relates to other people, national security or law enforcement.

Safeguarding personal information
The protection of your personal information and privacy is a very important aspect of the Privacy Act. The Act states how and when the government may collect, store and dispose of personal information. It also covers specifically why and how the information may be used or given out, as well as who may use or receive it.

Giving out information
The government may only disclose your information to someone else with your consent or when one or more of the criteria in the Privacy Act are met, such as to comply with a subpoena. Such disclosures are discretionary and are subject to any other Act of Parliament.

E. Personal Information Banks

Personal Information Banks provide a summary of the type of information about individuals that is held by federal departments and agencies. The Privacy Act requires that Personal Information Banks include all personal information that is organized and retrievable by a person's name or by an identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned only to that person. Personal Information Banks must also include personal information that has been or is being used, or is available for use for an administrative purpose.

The three types of Personal Information Banks contained within Info Source: Sources of Federal Employee Information relate only to current and former Government of Canada employees and they are as follows:

Standard Employee Banks: There are a number of Employee Related Standard Personal Information Banks (Standard Employee Banks) that describe personal information contained in records commonly maintained by most government institutions about their employees. Institutions may require several or all of these Standard Banks to describe the personal information contained within their records. The Standard Banks describe information about such activities as pay and benefits, training and development, performance, etc.

Central Banks: These records and their related banks are maintained by central agencies such as the Public Service Commission, Public Works and Government Services Canada, and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. They describe information about employees from all or several government institutions.

Particular Banks: Particular Banks describe personal information about employees that is specific to the requirements of each department or agency and is held within their record keeping systems.

The other types of Personal Information Banks (PIB) relate to members of the general public or a combination of members of the general public and federal employees (current and former). These PIBs are contained the complementary volume to this publication -- Info Source: Sources of Federal Government Information, whichis available in the office of the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator at each federal government department or agency, federal government personnel offices and federal libraries.

Standard Banks: There are a number of Standard Personal Information Banks (Standard Banks) that describe personal information contained in records commonly maintained by most government institutions. Institutions may require several or all of these Standard Banks to describe the personal information contained within their records. The Standard Banks describe information about such activities as Access to Information and Privacy Requests, Executive Correspondence Management Systems, etc.

These Standard Banks are identified with the unique identifier "PSU" Giving out information

Particular Banks: describe personal information about members of the general public, contained in the records of the particular institution declaring that PIB. In addition, this type of Personal Information Bank may describe personal information about members of the general public and federal employees (current and former).

These Personal Information Banks are identified with the unique identifier "PPU".

Standard Banks: There are a number of Standard Personal Information Banks (Standard Banks) that describe personal information contained in records commonly maintained by most government institutions. Institutions may require several or all of these Standard Banks to describe the personal information contained within their records. The Standard Banks describe information about such activities as Access to Information and Privacy Requests, Executive Correspondence Management Systems, etc.

These Standard Banks are identified with the unique identifier "PSU".

F. How to Apply

Privacy Act
When you have decided to make a formal request under the Privacy Act, there are certain procedures to follow. Remember, you will find what you are looking for faster if you already have a good idea of which department or agency has the information you want.

• Obtain a Personal Information Request Form at any location where Info Source is available (including the Web Site: www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tbsf-fsct_e.html).
• Fill out the form and identify yourself in such a way that the government may verify who you are, i.e. that it is you, and not someone else, asking for your information. The more precise the information you provide, the faster your request can be answered.
• Send the form to the Privacy Coordinator of the appropriate department or agency.

There is no charge to apply for information under the Privacy Act.

To change the information
If you believe the information that a federal institution has on file about you is untrue or misleading, you may ask to have it corrected. Even if the department or agency does not agree to change this information, it must make a note that you have asked for the change and attach it to the file.

Turnaround time
Under the law, all or most of the information you ask for should be disclosed within 30 days of receiving the request. If a time extension is required, you will be notified within the first 30 days and told why up to another 30 days may be needed. Privacy Act.

G. Where to obtain Info Source

For more information about Info Source, the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act, you may contact:

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
L'Esplanade Laurier, 8th Floor, East Tower
140, O'Connor Street, Ottawa (Ontario) K1A 0R5

If you would like a copy of the Directory of Federal Government Enquiry Points or the Access to Information Act and Privacy Bulletin, please contact:

Treasury Board Distribution Centre
L'Esplanade Laurier, Room P-140, Level P-1W
300 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa ON K1A 0R5

If you would like to purchase a copy of Sources of Federal Government Information or Sources of Federal Employee Information, please contact:

Publishing and Depository Services
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Ottawa ON K1A 0S5

All four Info Source publications are also available free of charge on the Internet at: www.infosource.gc.ca

Note: Privacy Act requests must be addressed to the appropriate institutions, at the addresses listed in the pages that follow.

H. Useful Terms