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Guidance

Helpful information on how we approach investigations and interpret the Access to Information Act.

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Submit a complaint

The Access to Information Act gives Canadians the right to request information from federal institutions. If you submitted a request for information to a federal institution under the Act and you are not satisfied with how it was processed, you may complain to the OIC.

You can ask for records from the OIC by making an access request under the Access to Information Act. Anyone who believes that their access request was improperly handled by the OIC may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner ad hoc.

Complaints regarding matters covered by the Privacy Act are only investigated by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

The OIC investigates complaints under the Access to Information Act. Not all institutions are subject to the Act – it applies to about 250 institutions listed in Schedule I of the Act.

To make an access to information request to a federal government institution, see the ATIP Online Request Service.

The time frame for filing a complaint to the OIC is within 60 days after you have received response to your access request from a federal institution, or within 60 days after you became aware that grounds for the complaint exist.

To inquire as to the status of your complaint, please contact us.

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Individuals seeking accommodations for a disability or for needs related to one of the grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act should contact our Registry (1-800-267-0441 or Greffe-Registry@oic-ci.gc.ca).

Caroline Maynard

What we do

Complaints

The Access to Information Act gives Canadians the right to request information from federal institutions. If you submitted a request for information to a federal institution under the Act and you are not satisfied with how it was processed, you may file a complaint with us.

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Guidance

Our guidance for institutions on how we approach investigations and on the Information Commissioner’s interpretation of the Act is available to everyone.

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Parliamentary activities

The Information Commissioner reports directly to Parliament. She appears before parliamentary committees and makes written submissions to them. She also publishes her annual report to Parliament and issues special reports when required. Upon request, the Commissioner provides expert advice to parliamentarians on access to information matters.

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Latest news

Commissioner expresses concerns regarding the Government of Canada’s report on the review of Access to Information

Release Date

Caroline Maynard, the Information Commissioner of Canada, released the following statement regarding the tabling of the Report to Parliament on the Government of Canada’s Review of Access to Information:

When the President of the Treasury Board launched the review of Access to Information in June of 2020, I was cautiously optimistic, given the scope of what the government put forward.

Upholding the right of access to information: The Commissioner’s perspective

Release Date

Canadian Access and Privacy Association (CAPA) Annual Conference

By Caroline Maynard, Information Commissioner of Canada

November 28, 2022
Ottawa, Ontario

(Check against delivery)

The world has changed since the last time I attended the CAPA Conference in November of 2018, 6 months into my mandate as Information Commissioner.

It was the one and only time I met Michael Dagg, who had a tremendous impact on government transparency.

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