Access to Information and Privacy
The Access
to Information Act gives Canadian citizens the right to access information in federal government records. The Privacy
Act provides citizens with the right to access personal information held by the government and protection of that
information against unauthorized use and disclosure. The President of the Treasury Board is the Minister responsible for
government-wide administration of the legislation. This includes issuing to the public a directory of federal government
information and related guides known as Info
Source. The Secretariat, as the lead agency, co-operates with the Department of Justice in the area of legislative amendments
and with the Privy Council Office regarding Cabinet confidences. The Secretariat also initiates and facilitates consultations with
the Offices of the Information and Privacy Commissioners on policy matters.
As part of the group of Info Source publications, materials exist to assist the Access to Information and Privacy community. 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. The annual Info
Source Bulletin contains statistics of requests made under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, and
summaries of federal court cases.
Reference tools for the ATIP community consists of:
Treasury Board policies on access and privacy reinforce information management principles inherent in the Management
of Government Information Policy and the Security
Policy. They support the objectives of "duty to inform", "routine disclosure" and "service to
the public" which are fundamental concepts within the Communications
Policy.
Deputy Ministers and Heads of Agencies are responsible for ensuring that their organizations comply with Access to
Information and Privacy legislation. In addition, the Minister of the Treasury Board co-ordinates administration of the Acts by
preparing and distributing policies and guidelines to help institutions interpret the laws and to assist them in their application
on high profile issues.
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