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Information Notice - Access to Information and Privacy,

No. 2007-09

August 31, 2007

To: Access to Information and Privacy Coordinators

Subject:  Coming into force of certain provisions of the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act

This is to remind you of the coming into force on September 1, 2007, of certain provisions of the Federal Accountability Act that amend the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, including:

  • subsection 4(2.1) requiring the head of the institution to assist requesters, regardless of their identity, and to provide access in the format requested, subject to the regulations;
  • the regulation on format related to subsection 4(2.1);
  • removing all Crown corporations and wholly-owned subsidiaries from the Schedules of both the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act; these entities are now covered by the legislation through newly-added definitions in both Acts; and
  • the exemptions and exclusions related to the Crown corporations that are subject to the Acts.

You will find a chart at Appendix A listing the provisions that come into effect on September 1, 2007.

This means that all amendments to the Access to Information Act (ATIA) and the Privacy Act (PA) will be in effect on September 1, 2007, with the exception of the following provisions of the Federal Accountability Act, which are to come into force on a date to be determined:

  • s.89 - Exemption for the Commissioner of Lobbying (s.16.2 ATIA)
  • s.90 - Striking out the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists from Schedule 1 of the ATIA
  • s.91 - Adding the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying to Schedule 1 of the ATIA
  • s.97 - Striking out the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists from the Schedule of the PA
  • s.98 - Adding the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying to the Schedule of the PA.

In addition, subsection 228(2) of the Federal Accountability Act provides that the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board will only be added to the coverage of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act with consent of two thirds of the provinces covered by the Canada Pension Plan having at least two thirds of the population covered by the Canada Pension Plan.

Over the coming months and, as part of the broader review of ATIP policy renewal work that is currently underway, the Treasury Board Secretariat will provide additional guidance and training on recent amendments to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, as well as on their application.

Feel free to contact us at ippd‑dpiprp@tbs‑sct.gc.ca, or by telephone at 613‑946‑4945.

Donald Lemieux
Executive Director
Information and Privacy Policy Division
Chief Information Officer Branch

 Appendix A

 Provisions of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act
Coming into Force on September 1, 2007

Access to Information Act

Section of the Access to Information  Act

Section of the Federal Accountability Act

3 In this Act,  

"government institution"means

(a) any department or ministry of state of the Government of Canada, or any body or office, listed in Schedule I, and

(b) any parent Crown corporation, and any wholly-owned subsidiary of such a corporation, within the meaning of section 83 of the Financial Administration Act;

141(2)

3.1 For greater certainty, for the purposes of this Act, information that relates to the general administration of a government institution includes information that relates to expenses paid by the institution for travel, including lodging, and hospitality.

142

4(2.1) The head of a government institution shall, without regard to the identity of a person making a request for access to a record under the control of the institution, make every reasonable effort to assist the person in connection with the request, respond to the request accurately and completely and, subject to the regulations, provide timely access to the record in the format requested.

143

18.1 (1) The head of a government institution may refuse to disclose a record requested under this Act that contains trade secrets or financial, commercial, scientific or technical information that belongs to, and has consistently been treated as confidential by,

(a) the Canada Post Corporation;
(b) Export Development Canada;
(c) the Public Sector Pension Investment Board; or
(d) VIA Rail Canada Inc.

147

(2) However, the head of a government institution shall not refuse under subsection (1) to disclose a part of a record that contains information that relates to

(a) the general administration of an institution referred to in any of paragraphs (1)(a) to (d); or

(b) any activity of the Canada Post Corporation that is fully funded out of moneys appropriated by Parliament.

147

20.1 The head of the Public Sector Pension Investment Board shall refuse to disclose a record requested under this Act that contains advice or information relating to investment that the Board has obtained in confidence from a third party if the Board has consistently treated the advice or information as confidential.

148

20.2 The head of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board shall refuse to disclose a record requested under this Act that contains advice or information relating to investment that the Board has obtained in confidence from a third party if the Board has consistently treated the advice or information as confidential.

148

20.4 The head of the National Arts Centre Corporation shall refuse to disclose a record requested under this Act if the disclosure would reveal the terms of a contract for the services of a performing artist or the identity of a donor who has made a donation in confidence and if the Corporation has consistently treated the information as confidential.

148

68.1 This Act does not apply to any information that is under the control of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that relates to its journalistic, creative or programming activities, other than information that relates to its general administration.

159

68.2 This Act does not apply to any information that is under the control of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited other than information that relates to

(a) its general administration; or

(b) its operation of any nuclear facility within the meaning of section 2 of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act that is subject to regulation by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission established under section 8 of that Act.

159

77(1)(a) Paragraph 77(1)(a) of the Act is replaced by the following:

(a) prescribing limitations in respect of the format in which records are to be provided under subsection 4(2.1);

(a.1) prescribing limitations in respect of records that can be produced from machine readable records for the purpose of subsection 4(3);

163(1)

Schedule I to the Act is amended by striking out the following under the heading "OTHER GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS":

164

Atlantic Pilotage Authority

         Administration de pilotage de l'Atlantique

 

Bank of Canada

         Banque du Canada

 

Blue Water Bridge Authority

         Administration du pont Blue Water

 

Business Development Bank of Canada

         Banque de développement du Canada

 

Canada Council for the Arts

         Conseil des Arts du Canada

 

Schedule I to the Act is amended by striking out the following under the heading "OTHER GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS":

Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation

         Société d'assurance-dépôts du Canada

164

Canada Development Investment Corporation

         Corporation de développement des investissements du Canada

 

Canada Lands Company Limited

         Société immobilière du Canada limitée

 

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

        Société canadienne d'hypothèques et de logement

 

Canadian Air Transport Security Authority

         Administration canadienne de la sûreté du transport aérien

 

Canadian Commercial Corporation

         Corporation commerciale canadienne

 

Canadian Dairy Commission

         Commission canadienne du lait

 

Canadian Museum of Civilization

         Musée canadien des civilisations

 

Canadian Museum of Nature

         Musée canadien de la nature

 

Canadian Race Relations Foundation

         Fondation canadienne des relations raciales

 

Canadian Tourism Commission

         Commission canadienne du tourisme

 

Cape Breton Development Corporation

         Société de développement du Cap-Breton

 

Cape Breton Growth Fund Corporation

         Corporation Fonds d'investissement du Cap-Breton

 

Defence Construction (1951) Limited

         Construction de défense (1951) Limitée

 

Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation

         Société d'expansion du Cap-Breton

 

Farm Credit Canada

         Financement agricole Canada

 

The Federal Bridge Corporation Limited

         La Société des ponts fédéraux Limitée

 

Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation

         Office de commercialisation du poisson d'eau douce

 

Great Lakes Pilotage Authority

         Administration de pilotage des Grands Lacs

 

Schedule I to the Act is amended by striking out the following under the heading "OTHER GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS":

International Development Research Centre

         Centre de recherches pour le développement international

164

The Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc.

         Les Ponts Jacques-Cartier et Champlain Inc.

 

Laurentian Pilotage Authority

         Administration de pilotage des Laurentides

 

Marine Atlantic Inc.

         Marine Atlantique S.C.C.

 

National Capital Commission

         Commission de la capitale nationale

 

National Gallery of Canada

         Musée des beaux-arts du Canada

 

National Museum of Science and Technology

         Musée national des sciences et de la technologie

 

Old Port of Montreal Corporation Inc.

         Société du Vieux-Port de Montréal Inc.

 

Pacific Pilotage Authority

         Administration de pilotage du Pacifique

 

Parc Downsview Park Inc.

         Parc Downsview Park Inc.

 

Queens Quay West Land Corporation

         Queens Quay West Land Corporation

 

Ridley Terminals Inc.

         Ridley Terminals Inc.

 

Royal Canadian Mint

         Monnaie royale canadienne

 

The Seaway International Bridge Corporation, Ltd.

         La Corporation du Pont international de la voie maritime, Ltée

 

Standards Council of Canada

         Conseil canadien des normes

 

Telefilm Canada

         Téléfilm Canada

 

Privacy Act

Section of the Privacy Act

Section of the Federal Accountability Act

3 In this Act, :

"government institution"means

(a) any department or ministry of state of the Government of Canada, or any body or office, listed in the schedule, and

(b) any parent Crown corporation, and any wholly-owned subsidiary of such a corporation,

within the meaning of section 83 of the Financial Administration Act;

181(2)

69.1 This Act does not apply to personal information that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation collects, uses or discloses for journalistic, artistic or literary purposes and does not collect, use or disclose for any other purpose.

188

The schedule to the Act is amended by striking out the following under the heading "OTHER GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS":

190

Atlantic Pilotage Authority

         Administration de pilotage de l'Atlantique

 

Bank of Canada

         Banque du Canada

 

Blue Water Bridge Authority

         Administration du pont Blue Water

 

Business Development Bank of Canada

         Banque de développement du Canada

 

Canada Council for the Arts

         Conseil des Arts du Canada

 

Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation

         Société d'assurance-dépôts du Canada

 

Canada Development Investment Corporation

         Corporation de développement des investissements du Canada

 

Canada Lands Company Limited

         Société immobilière du Canada limitée

 

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

         Société canadienne d'hypothèques et de logement

 

Canada Post Corporation

         Société canadienne des postes

 

Canadian Air Transport Security Authority

         Administration canadienne de la sûreté du transport aérien

 

Canadian Commercial Corporation

         Corporation commerciale canadienne

 

The schedule to the Act is amended by striking out the following under the heading "OTHER GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS": 

Canadian Dairy Commission

         Commission canadienne du lait

190

Canadian Museum of Civilization

         Musée canadien des civilisations

 

Canadian Museum of Nature

         Musée canadien de la nature

 

Canadian Race Relations Foundation

         Fondation canadienne des relations raciales

 

Canadian Tourism Commission

         Commission canadienne du tourisme

 

Cape Breton Development Corporation

         Société de développement du Cap-Breton

 

Cape Breton Growth Fund Corporation

         Corporation Fonds d'investissement du Cap-Breton

 

Defence Construction (1951) Limited

         Construction de défense (1951) Limitée

 

Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation

         Société d'expansion du Cap-Breton

 

Export Development Canada

         Exportation et développement Canada

 

Farm Credit Canada

         Financement agricole Canada

 

The Federal Bridge Corporation Limited

         La Société des ponts fédéraux Limitée

 

Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation

         Office de commercialisation du poisson d'eau douce

 

Great Lakes Pilotage Authority

         Administration de pilotage des Grands Lacs

 

International Development Research Centre

         Centre de recherches pour le développement international

 

The Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc.

         Les Ponts Jacques-Cartier et Champlain Inc.

 

Laurentian Pilotage Authority

         Administration de pilotage des Laurentides

 

Marine Atlantic Inc.

         Marine Atlantique S.C.C.

 

National Arts Centre Corporation

         Corporation du Centre national des Arts

 

The schedule to the Act is amended by striking out the following under the heading "OTHER GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS": 

National Capital Commission

         Commission de la capitale nationale

190

National Gallery of Canada

         Musée des beaux-arts du Canada

 

National Museum of Science and Technology

         Musée national des sciences et de la technologie

 

Old Port of Montreal Corporation Inc.

         Société du Vieux-Port de Montréal Inc.

 

Pacific Pilotage Authority

         Administration de pilotage du Pacifique

 

Parc Downsview Park Inc.

         Parc Downsview Park Inc.

 

Queens Quay West Land Corporation

         Queens Quay West Land Corporation

 

Ridley Terminals Inc.

         Ridley Terminals Inc.

 

Royal Canadian Mint

         Monnaie royale canadienne

 

The Seaway International Bridge Corporation, Ltd.

         La Corporation du Pont international de la voie maritime, Ltée

 

Standards Council of Canada

         Conseil canadien des normes

 

Telefilm Canada

         Téléfilm Canada

 


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