![]() |
Français | Contact Us | Help | Search | Canada Site | ||||
What's New | About Us | Policies | Documents | TBS Site |
Calendar | Links | FAQs | Presentations | Home |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Annual Reports on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act
Government institutions are reminded that they must submit their 2005-2006 annual reports to Parliament, as required by sections 72 of the Access to Information Act and of the Privacy Act. Each annual report must be submitted "within three months after the financial year in respect of which it is made or, if the House is not then sitting, on any of the first fifteen calendar days next thereafter that it is sitting". Annual Reports To Parliament These instructions are intended to assist in the preparation and submission of annual reports to Parliament. Further information on this subject may be obtained by referring to the Treasury Board Manual, Access to Information and Privacy and Data Protection volumes. The general outline of the reports should conform to the following instructions. Detailed Instructions Please refer to Appendix A for instructions on how to submit your report. In addition, Implementation Report No. 103 provides guidance on the preparation of the statistical reports to be included in the annual reports. New Reporting Requirements The Privacy Impact Assessment Policy (PIA Policy), which came into effect on May 2, 2002, requires the Treasury Board Secretariat to monitor compliance through a variety of means. Given this responsibility, institutions are required to report the following information for fiscal year 2005-2006:
This is an annual reporting requirement. Institutions are also asked to include the following information in their annual reports for 2005-2006:
Please note that the reporting requirements for 8(2) disclosures, data matching and sharing activities are mandatory. Content of 2005-2006 Annual Reports Annual reports are the means by which government institutions account for their efforts to administer access to information and privacy legislation. It is important to emphasize that reports should reflect the unique experiences of institutions and no single format can serve the needs of all departments and agencies. A sample "Table of Contents" listing elements that typically comprise annual reports is attached as Appendix A. The reports should provide an overall view of institutions' access to information and privacy policies and procedures. They should highlight recent developments and accomplishments, such as changes aimed at expediting processing activities and reducing turnaround times for requests. Reference should be made to any improvements to the provision of information through both formal and informal access channels. Reports should also identify issues that have privacy implications, such as legislative, policy and service delivery initiatives, privacy impact assessments, data matching and data sharing agreements and the impact of new technologies. Statistical reports must be included. Any major trends, discrepancies or links pertaining to the statistics should be documented in the text. In addition, the reasons for complaints, the findings of the Commissioners, appeals to the Courts, and decisions and remedial actions implemented should be outlined to provide a balanced view of the institution's performance. Reports should include references to organizational changes or changes to the decision-making process, notably to delegation orders. There is no need to repeat information provided in earlier reports. In making the distinction between repetition and cross-reference, institutions should be guided by convenience to the reader. Copies of recent annual reports are available in the Information, Privacy and Security Policy Division. Anyone who is interested in examining them should arrange to view them at the Treasury Board Secretariat. Authorization Although annual reports must be approved by the Minister, they do not have to be signed by the Minister. Reports are to be accompanied by a letter of transmittal from the Minister to the Clerk of the House of Commons and to the Clerk of the Senate. Institutions subject to both the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act must prepare separate annual reports for each Act, although they may be submitted under the same cover.
Submission Copies of the annual reports to Parliament must be submitted to the following: Ms. Audrey Elizabeth O'Brien Mr. Paul Bélisle The Information Commissioner of Canada Privacy Commissioner of Canada Colette Dubois Enquiries Please direct any questions regarding these instructions to Information, Privacy and Security Policy Division at (613) 957-2455 or by e-mail to Dubois.Colette@tbs-sct.gc.ca.
Donald Lemieux
Executive Director
Attachments: Annual Reports to Parliament Table of Contents The following sections may be contained in individual reports: Access to Information
Privacy In addition to (a) through (i):
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
![]() |
||||||||
|
![]() Top of Page |
Important Notices |