Fact Sheet

Info Source – Access to Personal Information Fact Sheet

A. Introduction

In its operations, the federal government collects personal information about almost all Canadians. The information may relate to your annual income tax filings or your participation in a government program such as Employment Insurance or the Canada Pension Plan. The Privacy Act protects your personal information and gives you the right to see it.

For instructions on how to obtain other government-held information that is not of a personal nature, please refer to the Info Source: Access to Information Fact Sheet.

B. The Privacy Act

The Privacy Act protects the personal information of individuals by placing restrictions on how federal government institutions may collect, use and disclose personal information; by requiring that institutions undertake measures to help ensure that any personal information collected is accurate; and, by obligating institutions to set time limits on how long personal information should be retained.

The Privacy Act gives Canadian citizens and individuals present in Canada the right to have access to information that is held about them by government institutions, unless a specific exception applies. The Act also provides individuals with a right to request the correction of, and to require the notation of a refusal to correct, erroneous information.

C. Using the Privacy Act

C.1. Types of Personal Information
Some of the programs and operations of government that use personal information about individuals include income tax programs at the Canada Revenue Agency, health promotion programs at Health Canada and the Canada Pension Plan at Social Development Canada.

There is personal information that the federal government may not release under the Privacy Act. For example, some personal information may relate to individuals other than the person requesting the information, or it may be about sensitive national security matters or law enforcement investigations.

C.2. How to Apply

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.

To apply for personal information under the Privacy Act:

1. Fill out a Personal Information Request Form, which is available at www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tbsf-fsct/tbsf-fsct_e.asp.
2. Identify yourself in such a way that government can 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.
3. Send the form to the Privacy Coordinator of the appropriate institution you think has the information. Contact information for the Privacy Coordinators can be obtained from the following URL: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/atip-aiprp/apps/coords/index_e.asp
4. There is no charge to apply for information under the Privacy Act.

C.3. To change information

If you review information about yourself that a federal institution has on file , and you believe the information is untrue or inaccurate, you may ask to have it corrected. In the event an institution does not agree to change this information, it must make a notation that you have asked for the change and attach it to the record.

C.4. Safeguarding personal information

The protection of personal information is an important part of the Privacy Act. The Act states how and when the government can collect, store and dispose of personal information. It also covers specifically why and how the information can be used or given out, as well as who can use or receive it.

C.5. Giving out information

The government can 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 disclosures are discretionary and are subject to any other Act of Parliament.

C.6. Turnaround time

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

D. The 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.

You may write or call the Privacy Commissioner at:

Place de Ville, Tower B
112 Kent Street, 3rd Floor
Ottawa ON K1A 1H3

E. Info Source

Info Source is a series of four Treasury Board Secretariat annual publications containing information about the Government of Canada, its organization and information holdings. The publications are reference tools to assist members of the public in exercising their rights under 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.

The four Info Source publications are as follows:

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

• provides Statistical Tables reflecting 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.
  

F. 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 ON K1A 0R5

If you would like a copy Info Source: Directory of Federal Government Enquiry Points or the Info Source: 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 Info Source: Sources of Federal Government Information or Info Source: 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