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Notice to the reader: This document is no longer in effect. It has been archived online and is kept purely for historical purposes.
Table of Contents
Policy objective
Policy statement
Application
Policy requirements
Monitoring
References
Enquiries
Appendix A - Standards for the Management
of Confidences of the Queen's Privy Council
Appendix B - Standards for the
Transmission, Maintenance and Protection of Information
Holdings
Appendix C - Information Inventory
Structure
Appendix D - Definitions
Appendix E - Guidelines
The objective of this policy is to ensure the cost-effective
and coordinated management of federal government information
holdings.
It is the policy of the government to:
- manage all information holdings as a corporate resource to
support effective decision-making, meet operational requirements
and protect the legal, financial and other interests of the
government and the public;
- make the widest possible use of information within the
government by ensuring that it is organized to facilitate access
by those who require it, subject to legal and policy
constraints;
- reduce response burden on the public by eliminating
unnecessary collection of information; and
- identify and conserve information holdings that serve to
reconstruct the evolution of policy and program decisions or have
historical or archival importance and to ensure that such
information is organized in a manner to be readily available for
the study of decision-making in government and other educational
purposes which explain the historical role of the federal
government in Canadian society.
This policy applies to all departments and agencies, including
departmental corporations and branches designated as departments
for purposes of the Financial Administration Act.
1. Corporate management
Government institutions must:
- plan, direct, organize and control their information holdings
throughout their life cycle, regardless of the form or medium in
which the information is held;
- maintain a current, comprehensive and structured
identification or classification system or systems that provide
an effective means for organizing and locating information and,
in composite form, comprise a corporate inventory for managing
the institution's information holdings;
- manage all confidences of the Queen's Privy Council for
Canada in accordance with government-wide standards established
by the Privy Council Office and set out in Appendix A; and
- designate a senior official to represent the deputy head to
Treasury Board Secretariat and other central agencies for the
purposes of this policy.
2. Assessing and defining information needs
- For any new or modified programs or activities, government
institutions must assess and define their information needs,
together with the information systems required to respond to
those needs, at an early stage of the planning process.
- Institutions must control their creation and use of forms,
regardless of the media in which they appear, and review such
forms for conformity with all statutory and government policy
requirements prior to the implementation of any information
collection.
3. Collection
Government institutions must:
- avoid collecting information that is already available by
checking with the institutional inventory;
- minimize the response burden and costs associated with
government information collection by determining during the
design phase whether joint collection or information sharing with
other institutions is feasible to meet common information needs
and by collecting only that information that is directly relevant
to the programs and functions of the institution;
- in accordance with the Privacy Act, collect personal
information, (whenever possible), directly from the individual to
whom it pertains, inform all respondents from whom information is
collected of the name of the institution, the authority under
which the information is collected, whether provision of the
information is voluntary or mandatory, the purpose of the
collection, and, where applicable, the name of the personal
information bank which contains the information. Exceptions to
this requirement are allowed only for omnibus surveys or where
provision of this information to respondents would defeat the
purpose of the collection.
3.1 Public opinion research
In addition to meeting all policy requirements as they relate
to government information collection, federal institutions must
with regard to public opinion:
- at the earliest possible stage of development and in the case
of contracted research, before entering into any related
contract, inform PWGSC of all decisions to undertake government
information collection which qualifies as, or contains a
component of, public opinion research. Institutions must consult
Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and the
definition of public opinion research in the Contracting Policy
when considering specific cases.
4. Maintenance and protection
Government institutions must:
- apply the government-wide standards for the transmission,
maintenance and protection of information holdings throughout the
information life cycle (listed in Appendix B); and
- identify and protect essential information holdings (as
defined in the Guide to the Preservation of Essential Records
published by Emergency Preparedness Canada).
5. Dissemination and use
Government institutions must:
- ensure that their information holdings are identified and
described in the appropriate government public reference sources,
and that information is effectively disseminated where there is a
duty to inform the public;
- make their information holdings available for purchase by the
public, where appropriate and there is a significant public
demand;
- make their information available for use within the
government, subject to any legal or policy constraints such as
those contained in the Privacy Act and Government Security
Policy, in order to ensure an optimal use of information and a
minimal response burden on the public; and
- ensure that all material published by the institution is
easily accessible to decision-makers within the institution and
is available to the public on request.
Institutions will make every effort to disclose results
outside the formal resolution process prescribed by the Access to
Information Act. In the spirit of the Act, institutions are
encouraged to make results of public opinion research available
within 30 days of receipt and should only resort to the 90 day
allowance if constrained by publishing requirements.
In those cases where a minister elects not to disclose the
final report of public opinion research in response to an access
to information request, the minister will be required to send a
letter to the Information Commissioner of his or her decision
citing the provision(s) of the Access to Information Act that the
minister has exercised. A copy of the letter will be sent to the
Treasury Board for purposes of monitoring implementation of this
policy.
Requests for public opinion research results received under
the Access to Information Act will continue to be treated in
accordance with the Act.
6. Preservation, retention and disposal
Government institutions must:
- ensure that all information, as identified in the corporate
inventory, is scheduled for retention and disposal;
- ensure that records of enduring value which document the
evolution of government policies, programs and major decisions
are maintained; and
- identify and document projects, programs and policies
sufficiently to ensure continuity in the management of government
institutions and the preservation of a historical record.
The Treasury Board Secretariat will monitor compliance with
all aspects of this policy through departmental internal audit
reports. The National Archives has specific evaluation
responsibilities on behalf of the Treasury Board Secretariat in
regard to this policy, and may report on significant problems or
issues in the state of management of information holdings related
to their identification, organization, storage, conservation,
retention and disposal, including aspects relating to
institutional histories, profiles and case studies. Likewise,
government institutions may report on specific problems and
issues related to information collection; and the National
Library on published material. Internal audit groups in
institutions should include an assessment of the degree of
compliance with the policy in their audit of the management of
information holdings.
Authority
This policy is issued under the authority of the Financial
Administration Act and the authority of the designated minister
(President of the Treasury Board) under the Access to Information
Act and the Privacy Act.
Cancellation
The policy replaces:
- Treasury Board circular 1983-09, Records Management Policy
(Chapter 460)
- circular 1986-19, Government Information Collection and
Public Opinion Research
- articles .2.1.9, .2.1.10 and .4 of the Micrographics Policy
(Chapter 445), EDP Records Management (Chapter 440.7)
- Forms Management (Chapter 465) of the Administrative Policy
Manual.
Treasury Board Secretariat publications
This policy should be read in conjunction with other Treasury
Board policies:
- Access to Information volume
- Privacy and Data Protection volume
- Security volume
- Communications volume
- Information Technology Management Policy, chapter 2-1 of this
volume
Legislation
Legislation relevant to this policy includes the Access to
Information Act, the Privacy Act, the National Archives of Canada
Act and the National Library Act.
Please direct enquiries concerning the intent and
implementation of this policy to Information, Communications and
Security Policy, Administrative Policy Branch, Treasury Board
Secretariat.
Enquiries on public opinion research should be directed
to:
Marthe Schryburt
Public Opinion Research
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Enquiries on information collection should be directed to:
Louise Desramaux,
Data Access and Control Services
Statistics Canada
To be issued at a later date.
To be issued at a later date.
To be issued at a later date
Case study (étude des cas) -
is a major analysis of a departmental policy, project or program
over a selected period of time, based on historical research.
Corporate controls (les contrôles
intégrés) - in the context of this policy
are the institution's policies, practices and procedures approved
by the deputy head which define the process of planning,
directing, organizing and evaluating the collection, creation,
use, maintenance, security and preservation or disposal of
information required to achieve program objectives and
operational goals.
Federal library (bibliothèque
fédérale) -is that part of a
government institution which, among other things, is responsible
for acquiring, accommodating and providing information services
for all published material prepared or produced by or for that
institution, and for providing bibliographic descriptions and
facilitating public reference to it.
Government institution (institution
gouvernementale) - means any department or ministry of
state of the Government of Canada listed in Schedule 1 to the
Access to Information Act or any body or office listed in
Schedule 1.
Government information collection (la collecte de
données gouvernementales) - s the planned
gathering by or for a government institution of any information
(including personal information as defined in the Privacy Act)
that is intended to be used for any government purpose, except as
provided below.
This definition includes, but is not restricted to, the
collection of information for direct or indirect use in program
planning, operation or policy development, or the provision of
benefits, grants or services, whether that information is
collected from persons (including employees of government
institutions) businesses, institutions or other entities through
surveys, interviews, reports, forms, questionnaires or any other
formal or informal method.
Some information collection remains subject to the
institution's internal review mechanisms. Included in this
category are collections of:
(a) non-personal information which is:
- collected from within the government for program evaluation,
internal audit, management reporting, accounting or
administration;
- collected from federal or provincial government institutions
or a foreign government, where the information pertains solely to
government operations including reporting requirements specified
in Treasury Board policy; or
- acquired from a provincial government under a written
agreement between a provincial government institution and a
federal government institution for a shared information
collection.
(b) personal information:
- which is collected from employees as administrative reporting
to the employer (e.g. attendance and leave, appraisals or
training documentation); or
- which has already been collected or compiled for another
purpose.
Some types of information collection are exempted from all of
the collection requirements of this policy. Included in this
category are collections of:
- information required for investigative purposes;
- unsolicited information, or incidental information derived
from the normal course of day-to-day work;
- scientific or technical data derived from direct observation,
testing or measurement; or
- non-personal information which has already been collected or
compiled for another purpose.
For more information about this definition, please consult the
Public Opinion Research Group or the Treasury Board
Secretariat.
Information holdings (les fonds de
renseignements) - include all information under the
control of a government institution, regardless of physical mode
or medium in which such information may be stored. Without
restricting the generality of the foregoing, this may include
correspondence, memoranda, books, plans, maps, drawings,
diagrams, pictorial or graphic works, photographs, films,
microforms, sound recordings, videotapes, machine readable
records, published material, and any other documentary material.
Excluded from the definition are materials held by federal
libraries which were not prepared or produced by or for the
government.
Information needs (les besoins en information)
- are those requirements for collecting data and creating
information which are relevant and essential to the effective and
efficient operation of a program or activity. Normally, they will
derive from a statutory or other type of officially declared
mandate (e.g. set out in Estimates).
Information of historical or archival importance
(information d'importance historique ou archivistique)
- is that information identified through the scheduling
process or other agreement with the National Archives as having
enduring value for purposes such as research or legal
documentation.
Institutional history (document sur
l'évolution de l'institution) - is a
well-researched and organized publication of historical events of
a certain time period within an institution's past which is
accurate, balanced and credible.
Life cycle (le cycle de vie) - of
information holdings encompasses the stages of planning,
collection, creation or generation of information; its
organization, retrieval, use, accessibility and transmission; its
storage and protection; and, finally, its disposition through
transfer to archives or destruction.
Management of information holdings (la gestion des
fonds de renseignements) - means ensuring the planning,
needs assessment, collection, creation, organization, maintenance
and transmission of information which has quality, relevance,
integrity, accessibility and currency, and includes its
protection and proper disposal or archival preservation.
Methodology (méthodologie) - means
the methods and techniques used to achieve the objectives of an
information collection. It includes a clear statement of the
research objectives, the strategy for obtaining the data, and the
methods and techniques to be used for collection, processing,
analysis and interpretation of the information.
Modified program or activity (programme ou
activité modifié) - is a program or
activity the objectives of which have been formally altered by
government decision, regulation or statute.
Profile (le profil) - is composed of
biographical notes concerning a minister, senior public servant
or private-sector individual who was instrumental in the shaping
of an institution's mandate, or policies, or who contributed to
important events in the past.
Program activity structure (la structure des
activités de programme) - means the major
divisions or objectives of an institution's program at the level
of detail that is provided to Parliament and at which the
institution negotiates for funds. These activities can be
subdivided into sub-activities and specific projects.
Published material (matériel
publié) - refers to an information product which
has been created and edited for the purpose of distribution or
sale. Material published by or for government institutions is
deposited in federal library collections.
Public opinion research (recherche sur l'opinion
publique) - the planned gathering, by or for a
government institution, of opinions, attitudes, perceptions,
judgements, feelings, ideas, reactions, or views that are
intended to be used for any government purpose, whether that
information is collected from persons (including employees of
government institutions), businesses, institutions or other
entities, through quantitative or qualitative methods,
irrespective of size or cost.
The definition includes, but is not restricted to:
- policy research;
- market research;
- communications research, including advertising research;
- program evaluation;
- quality of service and customer satisfaction studies;
- omnibus surveys (placement of one or more questions);
and
- syndicated studies.
As well, the definition applies to components of other
initiatives, such as communication strategies, product
development, program evaluation, etc.
The following research and/or methods for obtaining opinions
and/or information and/or advice are not considered to be opinion
research:
- literature reviews or reviews of secondary sources, including
reviews of already conducted public opinion research; and
- secondary analysis of previously collected public opinion
research data.
1. Corporate policy
Institutional policies and procedures for management of
information should establish operating requirements that reflect
this policy, give direction to program managers and functional
specialists, and provide detailed guidance concerning the
organization and description of the institution's information
holdings.
2. Coordination
As stated in the policy, institutions must designate a senior
official to represent the Deputy Head to Treasury Board
Secretariat and other central agencies.
Coordination of the various information management disciplines
is necessary if information management principles are to be
applied at the corporate level. Coordination is also necessary in
the application of information legislation and to meet both
institutional and government-wide objectives. This is
particularly true in the assessment and definition of information
needs and the development of plans to meet them, thereby reducing
duplication in information collection, and in the organizing and
controlling of information holdings.
All parts of an organization dealing with the identification
of information needs, information systems design and processing,
records management, data management, forms and library
management, as well as the management of information in other
forms (e.g. maps, photographs) should be working toward common
goals established through corporate policy. Institutions should
ensure that needs relating to access to information, privacy,
information collection and security are all recognized and
accommodated within the information management process. Effective
coordination should also involve liaison with the information
users in the institution to ensure that they understand their own
responsibilities and institution-wide policies concerning the
management of information holdings.
Coordination may be facilitated by designating a
responsibility centre for the management of information holdings,
or by other institutional arrangements appropriate to the needs
of particular institutions.
3. Assessing, defining and planning to meet information
needs
As stated in the policy, institutions must include as part of
the planning process for new or modified programs or activities
an assessment and definition of the relevant information needs
for these programs or activities.
Effective information management depends on a corporate
assessment of the information required by the institution to
support its programs and activities. Defining information needs
should be an integral part of corporate strategic planning. It
permits an institution to appraise continuously the adequacy,
quality and ongoing need for particular information holdings and
to determine the information technology required to meet program
objectives.
Needs analysis and definition should be expressed in terms of
the types of information required. This analysis should take into
account:
(a) the obligation of the institution to create or collect
only that information relating directly to and necessary for the
operation of authorized programs and activities;
(b) the requirement to attempt to satisfy new information
needs through intra- and inter-institutional sharing of
information, where permitted by law or policy, or through
commercial sources, prior to creating or collecting new
information; and
(c) a consideration of the appropriate hardware, software and
communications technologies to ensure data integrity and to deal
with the processing, transmission, use, maintenance,
accessibility, storage, disposition, and dissemination of the
information. It is also necessary to give consideration to
meeting the requirements of the Privacy Act and the Government
Security Policy.
The institutional authority(ies) responsible for the
management of government information holdings should review the
information needs assessment to ensure that all information
management requirements have been considered.
4. Collection of information
Government institutions are responsible for arranging the
coordination of planned and proposed information collections.
Statistics Canada will provide services on a cost-recovery basis
where departments wish their services, as noted in the following
section on procedures.
The following procedures are suggested for collecting
information and the conducting public opinion research:
(a) Whenever possible, institutions should define information
needs as an integral part of the annual program and policy
planning cycle. In addition, they may define particular needs
that arise during the fiscal year.
(b) Institutions should assess whether their needs can be met
by existing sources of information in their organization.
(c) Institutions may consult Statistics Canada on a
cost-recovery basis for advice about coordination, strategies for
meeting information needs, proposed methodologies and
collections, collection planning, detailed design and the
conducting of collection and data analysis.
(d) Institutions should bring all information collection to
the attention of the Public Opinion Research Group, through the
submission of a research summary, unless arrangements have been
made with the Group to proceed according to alternate procedures
or the collection in question is specifically required by
legislation (example, Income Tax Act, Statistics Act) and is not
public opinion research. The Group will in turn provide advice on
which collections are considered public opinion research.
(e) The institution should then review, or ensure the review
of, the collection or research.
(f) The institution is responsible for ensuring that all new
collections appear in the institution's inventory.
4.1 Public opinion research
Public Works and Government Services Canada, as the
contracting authority, is responsible for reviewing government
information collection to determine whether an institution's
information requirements may be met by public opinion research,
co-ordinating the research and ensuring that the public opinion
research is carried out as this policy, the Contracting Policy,
and any Cabinet direction prescribe. In so doing, PWGSC, as the
contracting authority, maintains a legitimate interest in all
aspects and stages of the research project development. In
addition to the foregoing, PWGSC should be advised of all
government information collection at its earliest stage of
planning, and may request to be kept informed of the development
of certain collections, particularly in the case of collections
that may have a broad government context. Nothing in the
Management of Government Information Holdings Policy should be
viewed as contradicting the Contracting Policy; in all instances,
the Contracting Policy will take precedence.
In general, public opinion research is conducted in accordance
with the following principles:
- the government has a responsibility to make every effort to
inform itself on the concerns and views of Canadians in order to
establish priorities, develop policies, and implement and monitor
programs that serve Canadians;
- public opinion research and attitudinal research is a
legitimate method of obtaining information about public awareness
and concerns;
- Canadians have a right of access to the findings of
government public opinion research within the scope of the Access
to Information Act and Privacy Act;
- public funds should not be expended on public opinion
research concerned with monitoring voting behaviour or party
image; and
- the government should obtain the best value for money
spent.
In addition to the procedures specified in relation to the
collection of information, the following procedures should be
followed when conducting public opinion research:
(a) Annual plans relating to all anticipated public opinion
research will be submitted to PWGSC pursuant to its call letter.
This department will provide a copy of these plans to the
Communications Secretariat, Privy Council Office. When an
institution identifies the need to conduct public opinion
research subsequent to the submission of its annual plans, it
should advise both PWGSC and the Communications Secretariat,
Privy Council Office, accordingly, and follow all the usual
procedures leading to the concurrence of Cabinet.
(b) After consulting PWGSC, the Communications Secretariat,
Privy Council Office, will develop the government's strategic
plan for public opinion research, based on the research summary
prepared and the related estimated expenditure.
(c) After being notified of approval in principle by the
Communications Secretariat, Privy Council Office, the institution
will advise the contracting authority of its intention either to
proceed with the research, or not. If intending to proceed, the
institution will also submit detailed statement of requirements
at the same time it advises of its intention to proceed.
(d) The institution must obtain from PWGSC a registration
number for each public opinion research project before field work
begins.
Where institutions wish to enter into a contract for any
public opinion research service, they must follow an open and
competitive contracting process as described in the Contracting
Policy, to identify qualified suppliers.
(e) Before undertaking the research, the institution will
submit to the contracting authority the notice of departmental
approval and registration, specific research plans and the
information collection instrument. Final approval of the research
will be issued on the basis of these documents.
As long as there is an open and competitive contracting
process, departments may adjust the foregoing procedures to meet
their specific needs, small projects, or urgent requirements. The
Treasury Board Secretariat and PWGSC may issue operational
guidelines with respect to the implementation of the above
procedures.
4.2 Review of information collection
Institutions should review all of their information collection
periodically to ensure that they are meeting policy requirements
and that the information continues to meet identified needs.
These reviews are particularly important with regard to personal
information (see section 4 and subsections 6(2) and 71(3) of the
Privacy Act). Such reviews may be done during the annual update
of classes of records that section 5 of the Access to Information
Act requires and of personal information banks that section 11 of
the Privacy Act requires.
4.3 Forms management
The policy requires that all forms used to collect information
be reviewed before collection and that government institutions
control forms creation and use, regardless of the media in which
they appear. This process should standardize and reduce the
response burden. Institutions should try to eliminate
duplication, improve consistency in data collected and reduce
costs by consolidation. A designated departmental authority
should review all new or revised forms to ensure that the
information is clearly presented and that the form meets the
functional requirements of both the institution and its
users.
Forms must meet all statutory and government policy
requirements including those related to the Privacy Act, the
Official Languages Act, the Federal Identity Program and the
information collection requirements of this policy. The Committee
on Standardization of Forms, Canadian General Standards
Board (CGSB), is responsible for the standardization of forms for
government-wide use. Institutions are encouraged, wherever
possible, to use CGSB forms.
5. Organization, retrieval and inventory
5.1 Information classification and retrieval
The policy requires the maintenance of a current,
comprehensive and structured identification or classification
system or systems. Although it may be possible to have one single
institution-wide system, such as a machine-based descriptive
system, in most instances there will be a number of
identification or classification systems relating to various
information holdings (e.g. data bases or file systems). In all
cases, however, similar subject areas in the same or related
programs or activities should be cross-referenced to each other,
at least at the aggregate level.
An identification or classification system must organize and
locate information effectively. This is normally done through a
logical arrangement of holdings in a structure which reflects the
task(s) supported by the information. Institutions should ensure
that their holdings are organized in the manner which best
supports their management decision-making and the conduct of
their particular programs.
5.2 Inventory
An inventory is an institution's corporate accounting of the
information holdings under its control, regardless of media or
format. When the identification or classification systems are
current, comprehensive and structured to the needs of the
institution, the inventory is the sum of those detailed
identification or classification aids and links the institution's
programs and activities to their actual information holdings. An
inventory should both account for holdings and allow the
assignment of accountability for related legal and policy
requirements; it should make it easier to identify and retrieve
information on an institution-wide basis, serve as a checkpoint
to assess duplication and redundancy in information collection
and may be used as a tool to assess the adequacy and quality of
information holdings.
A primary instrument through which information is managed as a
corporate resource, the inventory also serves institutions in
meeting the requirements of the designated minister under the
Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and provides the
administrative machinery for applying government-wide and
institutional policies.
6. Maintenance and protection
6.1 Maintenance and storage
Standards for the maintenance and storage of information are
in the Government Information Technology Standards Policy, the
Government Security Policy and publications of the National
Archives of Canada. A list of the relevant standards appears in
Appendix B of this policy.
The National Archives provides low-cost storage facilities for
records and tapes to meet storage standards for information not
frequently or urgently required.
6.2 Security
The Government Security Policy and supporting operating
directives and guidelines on physical and information technology
security apply to the management of information holdings.
6.3 Essential information holdings
This policy requires each government institution to identify
its essential information holdings. Procedures and practices
respecting essential information holdings are in Emergency
Preparedness Canada's Guide to the Preservation of Essential
Records.
7. Transmission
The technical and security standards referenced in Appendix B
of this policy over the transmission of information by mail and
messenger systems or computer telecommunications. Institutions
should also have corporate directives for the economical
transmission of information which balance convenience,
practicality and speed with the costs.
8. Retention and disposal
To manage the life cycle of information effectively, the
policy requires that all information holdings be scheduled for
retention and disposal. The retention and disposal of an
institution's information holdings are governed by the provisions
of the National Archives of Canada Act and National Library
Act.
Subsections 5(1) and 6(1) of the National Archives of Canada
Act establish the authority of the National Archives to control
the destruction and disposal of the information holdings of
government institutions, excluding published material, and the
transfer of information of historic or archival importance to the
National Archives.
Information schedules or timetables specify when the
institution will no longer need the information and what will
happen to the information after expiry of the retention
period.
Under the policy, institutions must also identify and conserve
information which would assist in reconstructing the evolution of
policy and program decisions.
Scheduling or negotiation of other agreements for disposal
should take place in an integrated manner for all information
holdings to which the National Archives of Canada Act applies.
Scheduling should take place at the planning stage for new or
modified information holdings.
Under the National Library Act, all published material surplus
to the needs of a government institution must be forwarded to the
National Librarian.
The Privacy Act and the Privacy Regulations establish special
requirements for retaining and disposing of personal information
under the control of a government institution. The Guidelines for
Administering the Privacy Act provide guidance for this type of
scheduling.
Institutions are responsible for transferring personnel
information about former employees of government institutions and
former members of the Canadian Armed Forces to the control of the
National Archives to provide a central service in the Personnel
Records Centre for verifying decisions about former
employees.
9. Ministers' offices
Section 2 of the National Archives of Canada Act defines
ministerial records. Information under the control of the
institution, but held in a minister's office, should be managed
in accordance with this policy.
All government institutions should transfer the institutional
information holdings from the office(s) of its minister(s) to the
National Archives in accordance with schedules by the National
Archivist has approved. A set of the minister's institutional
information holdings would normally be included in the
classification system of the minister's office, the institutional
records in this system would be segregated from the minister's
personal and ministerial records, the institutional holdings
would be transferred as scheduled, and a copy of the minister's
institutional information holdings would be incorporated under
the appropriate subjects in the classification system of the
government institution concerned in order to maintain the
completeness of that system.
Further guidance about the management of information in
Ministers' offices is available through the Government Records
Branch of the National Archives.
10. Institutional histories, case studies and profiles
As stated in this policy, government institutions must
sufficiently document projects, programs and policies to ensure
continuity in the management of government institutions and the
preservation of a historical record.
This requirement expresses the government's desire to make it
easier to use information holdings more widely in educating
Public Service managers about decision-making and to use
government information more widely to document the historical
role of the federal government in Canadian society.
In developing and implementing proposals for institutional
histories, case studies and profiles, institutions may consult
the Canadian Centre for Management Development, which can provide
advice and guidance on these matters. The Centre will cooperate
with institutions in: identifying major historical undertakings
and related key information; selecting the method and time frame
for developing projects, defining their purpose and identifying
the required budgetary and human resources for developing them.
The Centre may offer advice on sources of expertise for
developing histories, case studies and profiles and may
participate in developing project proposals.
To meet the requirements of this policy with regard to
departmental histories, case studies and profiles, institutions
should:
- establish an advisory committee for planning, development and
implementing institutional histories, case studies and
profiles;
- identify current projects, programs and policies worth
documenting, develop proposals for developing institutional
histories, case studies and profiles, and liaise with the Centre
about the proposals;
- oversee the factual content and presentation of histories
according to their purpose;
- assess demand for histories, case studies or profiles at the
planning stages and seek advice on the need and design of such
projects from the Canadian Centre for Management Development and
Public Works and Government Services Canada before proceeding;
and
- provide support to writers of histories, case studies or
profiles for projects or contracts that the Centre has
accepted.
11. Published material
The management of published material that federal libraries
carry out is essential since the Access to Information Act and
the Privacy Act do not apply to publishes material or material
available for purchase by the public. The policy requires that
all material an institution publishes be easily accessible to its
decision-makers and be readily available to the public. This
objective can be achieved by compiling complete bibliographic
descriptions of the material according to established standards,
by including reference to it in catalogues and in indexes, by
transmitting the bibliographic information about it to the
National Library of Canada and by establishing uncomplicated
procedures for public access.
The National Library of Canada is responsible for compiling
and publishing a national bibliography and for compiling and
maintaining the national union catalogue. All material the
federal government publishes should be described according to
established bibliographic standards so that the public can locate
it quickly and easily.
Copies of unpublished documents should form part of an
institution's library collection if they support or provide
historical context to institutional policies and programs,
complement other published material, or are intended for general
distribution and can be made available to the public.
12. Dissemination
Institutions should manage government information holdings in
a manner to make it easier for the public to know about, and
access to, such holdings consistent with the principles in
section 2 of the Access to Information Act.
Dissemination of government information holdings which are not
exempted or excluded under the Access to Information Act or the
Privacy Act is an important feature of accountable,
representative government. One important purpose the inventory
serves is to inform Canadians about the information each
institution holds and to provide information to citizens without
need of recourse to the exercise of legal rights, whenever
possible. The Government Communications Policy sets out the
principles for communicating and disseminating government
information to the public.
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