Sources of Federal Government Information 2005-2006

Standard Program Records

This section describes the subject matter of certain records which are common to most federal departments and agencies, such as personnel records, financial records, purchasing and property control records, materiel management and central services. Individuals seeking access to the Standard Program Records of a particular institution should forward their access requests to the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator at the address given in the previous pages.

Accounts and Accounting
Description: Accounts and accounting generally; cash accounts; accounts payable; accounts receivable; and standing advances.
Program Record Number: PRN 915

Acts and Legislation
Description: Acts and legislation - general, departmental, federal, foreign and provincial.
Program Record Number: PRN 902

Access to Information and Privacy Requests 
Description: Includes material related to the administration of and internal procedures for the processing of formal and informal requests, in accordance with the Access to Information Act and/or the Privacy Act.
These records may contain the requests made by individuals to obtain access to information under the control of the institution in accordance with the Access to Information Act and/or the Privacy Act, related replies and information related to their processing, such as the software systems used within institutions to manage the administration of access and privacy requests, i.e. ATIP Flow, ATIP Image software, Coordination of Access to Information Requests (CAIR) System, etc. These records may include requests for correction of personal information; informal requests; complaints, investigations and requests for judicial review; consultations received from or sent to other institutions; requests for advice received from institutional officials that raise privacy and/or access to information concerns, etc.
Topics: These records may include material related to cases leading to a change of policy or procedure, material related to reports to Parliament on the administration of the Acts; conference material; committee information; copies of relevant legislation, and related policies, as well as information related to the interpretation and application of these laws and policies.
Program Record Number: PRN 930

Administration
Description: Administration generally; accidents generally; motor vehicle accidents; agreements; appreciation; complaints and enquiries; associations, clubs and societies; audit, review and evaluation; badges, emblems and flags; bilingualism and biculturalism; cafeterias and eating facilities; campaigns and canvassing; ceremonies and celebrations; circulars, directives and orders; committees; conferences, meetings and symposia; corporations, companies and firms; emergency measures; inventions, patents and copyrights; licences and permits; parliamentary matters; plans and programs; reports and statistics; visits and tours.
Program Record Number: PRN 901

Administration and Management Services
Description: Administrative and management services generally; correspondence management; duplication services; electronic data processing; electronic networks; forms management; information services; legal services; library services; mail, messenger and postal services; management services; records management; security services; telecommunications; travel and transportation services; secretarial, typing and word processing services; translation services.
Program Record Number: PRN 903

Audits
Description: Auditor General reports and internal audit reports.
Program Record Number: PRN 916

Automated Document, Records, Information Management Systems
Description: Automated document, records and information management systems are used to manage the full life cycle, from creation/collection to final disposition, of electronic documents (e-mail, word processing documents, spreadsheets, graphics, images, etc.), as well as non-electronic records (hard copy, posters, photographs, video tapes, audio tapes, maps, etc.). Information contained within the automated system may be entered in an electronic format, i.e. the capture of an electronic object or the creation of an electronic object through scanning (OCR), or a summary (profile) of the non-electronic information that is manually entered into the automated system.
This document/records/information life cycle management is done to facilitate compliance with the existing legislative and policy framework for the federal government.
Automated systems of this type normally allow for the integration of records and document management, imaging, and optical character recognition (OCR). Other features include the ability to search the information repositories for any word or string of words (full-text index searching and retrieval) and reporting capabilities. The automated system may also be electronically integrated with the institution's correspondence tracking system that is used to manage the tracking of incoming correspondence to ensure that responses about departmental policies, programs, initiatives and issues are prepared in a consistent and time-efficient manner.
Topics: The records related to Automated Document, Records and Information Management Systems may contain information about the institution's functional requirements, system specifications, the Treasury Board shared systems initiative, training information, procedures for the use of the system, implementation plans, maintenance procedures, migration strategies, technical support mechanisms, etc.
Program Record Number: PRN 929

Business Continuity Plans (BCP)
Description: In compliance with the 2004 Operational Security Standard - Business Continuity Planning (BCP) Program, institutions must establish a Business Continuity Planning (BCP) Program. This program provides for the continued availability of services and associated assets that are critical to the health, safety, security or economic well-being of Canadians or the effective functioning of government. The BCP Program complements emergency preparedness that is mandated by legislation or government policy (e.g. fire and building evacuation plans; civil emergency plans). It also supports planning that is necessary to restore other-than-critical services and their associated assets and resources; departments should use this program to incorporate their planning for other-than-critical services.
The types of incidences for which the BCP may be initiated may vary from a minor incident, such as a building-specific power outage or an equipment or system failure, to one of provincial or national proportions. The BCP outlines and coordinates: the efforts of institutional staff; and the implementation of advance arrangements and procedures to ensure that the institution can continue or restart critical business operations within a reasonable timeframe.
Topics: The records related to Business Continuity Plans (BCP) may contain information about: Recovery plans; network and/or data backup procedures; emergency and recovery resources; service level agreements (including Memorandums of Understanding with other federal institutions); time-sensitive business functions; recovery or emergency response team members; essential records; plan escalation procedures; notification procedures for emergency response teams, institutional staff, Minister's staff, federal, provincial and municipal bodies; plan activation procedures; Command, Control and Emergency Centre Operations; Delegation/Designation of Authority; detailed business resumption, recovery and restoration procedures; software tools to create, and maintain the BCP; media handling procedures; etc.
Program Record Number: PRN 928

Budgets
Description: Budgets generally; estimates and supplementary estimates; and program forecasts.
Program Record Number: PRN 917

Buildings
Description: Buildings generally; acquisition; alterations and repairs; construction; contracts; damages; disposal; fire and fire prevention; and maintenance.
Program Record Number: PRN 906

Buildings and Properties
Description: Buildings and properties generally; accommodation; accounting and inventories; planning and requirements; reports and statistics.
Program Record Number: PRN 905

Classification of Positions
Description: Classification generally; audits; category and group; individual positions; and standards.
Program Record Number: PRN 919

Co-operation and Liaison
Description: Co-operation and liaison generally and at the federal, international, provincial, university, college and school levels.
Program Record Number: PRN 904

Employment and Staffing
Description: Employment and staffing generally; applications; casual and term employees; competitions; programs recruitment; requests for staffing action; and summer students.
Program Record Number: PRN 920

Equipment and Supplies
Description: Equipment and supplies generally; accountability and inventories; catalogues; clothing; disposal and surplus; food; forms; fuels; laboratory; loans; maintenance and repairs; price lists and stationery.
Program Record Number: PRN 909

Finance
Description: Finance generally; agreements and arrangements; allotments and transfers; allowances; banks and banking; cheques; claims; contracts; currency; encumbrances; expenditures; fees; funds; revolving funds and working capital advances; grants; signing authorities; taxes and travel allowances; and expenses.
Program Record Number: PRN 914

Furniture and Furnishings
Description: Furniture and furnishings generally; beds and bedding; chesterfields and sofas; drapes; filing cabinets; household and office furniture and furnishings; and pictures.
Program Record Number: PRN 910

Hospitality
Description: Hospitality is the provision of a reception, meal or entertainment to guests of government institutions, including social events or ceremonies in accordance with established policies and guidelines. Records related to hospitality events may contain information about the circumstances of the function, including any event requiring special authority; the form of hospitality; cost; location; number of attendees listed by category, i.e. guests, government employees; and approvals by the appropriate delegated officials.
Topics: The records may contain information about the function nature and scope, function type, i.e. dinner, reception, etc.; function location, i.e. private residence, restaurant, conference; financial limitations, who provided services related to the function, hospitality event protocols, etc. The records may also contain information about Hospitality Policies and Guidelines, financial signing authorities, the publication of hospitality information posted online, etc.
Program Record Number: PRN 933

Human Resources
Description: Human resources generally; career management; inventories; performance appraisal; reports and statistics; requirements and utilization.
Program Record Number: PRN 921

Information Technology Services
Description: This includes records related to the computer equipment and associated software for both institutional computer networks and employees workstations, electronic systems development and maintenance, technical assistant and support for networks, office systems and databases. May also include material related to the institution's technology architecture, standards and infrastructure; electronic mail systems and platforms, software and hardware acquisition, the annual planning process for the development of computer systems; and the business case process for application development and system acquisitions.
Topics: Includes material related to network systems, hardware and/or software – including peripheral equipment, i.e. printers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), Wireless Handholds, system user manuals or guides, change management processes, IT training courses, personal computer or desktop support (Help Centre), computer maintenance, etc.
Program Record Number: PRN 932

Lands
Description: Lands - general; acquisition; concessions; development; disposal; fencing; flood control; landscaping parking areas; roads; streets and sidewalks.
Program Record Number: PRN 907

Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare
Description: Occupational health, safety and welfare generally; counselling; health units; medical examinations; nursing services; recreation and sports; and surveys.
Program Record Number: PRN 922

Office Appliances
Description: Office appliances generally; calculators; data processing hardware; duplicating equipment; photographic and microfilming equipment; recorders and typewriters.
Program Record Number: PRN 911

Official Languages
Description: Official languages generally; identification and designation of bilingual positions; language requirements program; recruitment; and replacements.
Program Record Number: PRN 923

Pensions and Insurance
Description: Pensions and insurance generally; superannuation plans; Canada Pension Plan; Quebec Pension Plan; reciprocal agreements; federal, provincial and private hospital and medical insurance plans; death benefit plan; disability insurance and unemployment insurance plan.
Program Record Number: PRN 924

Personnel
Description: Personnel - general; accidents and injuries; appointments; attendance; awards and honours; Corps of Commissionaires; positions and levels; hours of work and overtime; leave and holidays; promotions and reclassifications; regulations and directives; reports and statistics; retirements; and separations.
Program Record Number: PRN 918

Physical Security
Description: In accordance with the Physical Security Standard issued under the Government Security Policy, federal institutions are responsible for the establishment and maintenance of appropriate measures (physical, procedural and psychological) to prevent, detect and respond to unauthorized access and other threats. Related to this is the establishment and use of detection devices and methods to identify attempted or actual unauthorized access as well as procedures and tools to activate effective and appropriate responses.
Topics: Includes material related to physical security design; physical safeguards, monitoring devices, security access procedures and tools (pass/identity cards), access to restricted zones; storage, transportation and transmittal of information and goods; destruction of information and goods; and the protection of personnel and the public at large.
Program Record Number: PRN 931

Proactive Disclosure
Description: These records include information about the mandatory publication on institutional web sites of specifically identified government information. The purpose of making these specific information elements available on the Internet is to promote transparency, facilitate public access, and provide relevant and timely information so that Canadians are better able to hold their Government and public sector officials to account. The intent of the proactive disclosure initiative is to ensure that this information is provided in a consistent manner across government and that information is regularly updated according to established timeframes and guidelines.
Federal institutions are required to update information identified for the purpose of pro-active disclosure every three months and post it on-line within 30 days of the end of each period.
Topics: These records include information related to tools and guidance from the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) and other lead agencies about proactive disclosure; the maintenance of web sites related to proactive disclosure; etc.
Program Record Number: PRN 935

Procurement
Description: Procurement generally; contracts; local purchase orders; procedures and regulations; requisitions; standing offer agreements.
Program Record Number: PRN 912

Relocation
Description: These records are used to document and administer the relocation of individuals and their families.
Topics: Includes material related to employee entitlements and obligations, employer obligations, third party service providers, relocation claims, etc. May also include information about rental accommodations; travel to new locations; searching for new accommodation, i.e. house hunting; hotel/motel accommodation; copies of departmental policies and procedures pertaining to relocation; moving and storage company information; etc.
Program Record Number: PRN 936

Salaries and Wages
Description: Salaries and wages generally; acting pay; deductions; pay rates; pay system; performance and senior merit pay; regulations; salary revisions; and severance pay.
Program Record Number: PRN 925

Staff Relations
Description: Staff relations generally; adjudication; bargaining agents; collective agreements and interpretations; discipline; grievances; managerial and confidential exclusions; and union relations.
Program Record Number: PRN 926

Training and Development
Description: Training and development generally; attendance; course content; course evaluations; individual courses; language training; nominations; plans; schedules and directives; and types of courses.
Program Record Number: PRN 927

Travel
Description: These records are used to document and manage the travel activities of individuals who travel in support of their institution's mandate. These records may also include information related to the proactive disclosure of relevant travel expenses as specified in the Guidance Document: Proactive Disclosure of Travel and Hospitality Expenses issued by the Treasury Board Secretariat.
Topics: Includes material related to travel allowances, or per diem rates, travel expense claims, hotel directories, airline directories, etc. May also include copies of institutional policies and procedures pertaining to travel including the employee entitlements and obligations, employer obligations, payment for official institutional travel; etc.
Program Record Number: PRN 934

Utilities
Description: Utilities - general; air conditioning; electric power; water and sewage; garbage disposal; gas and oil; heating; lighting; plumbing and ventilation.
Program Record Number: PRN 908

Vehicles
Description: Vehicles generally; air, land and water vehicles; insurance; maintenance and repairs; operating standards; registration and licences.
Program Record Number: PRN 913