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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

Statement by the ICIC: Access to information as a milestone of the digital age to guarantee human rights, the inclusion of groups in situations of vulnerability and the strengthening of democratic institutions in the 21st century

Release Date

June 22, 2022

The members of the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC), meeting on June 22, 2022, during the 13th Edition of our Annual Conference, held virtually and in the City of Puebla, Mexico, issue the following statement:

Dramatic increase in the number of complaints submitted to the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada (OIC) in 2021–22

Release Date

Gatineau, June 15, 2022 – The Information Commissioner of Canada, Caroline Maynard, has submitted her 2021–22 Annual Report to Parliament for tabling today.

The Annual Report shows a concerning 70% increase in complaints over the previous fiscal year. “Never, since the creation of the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada in 1983, have we recorded such a large number of complaints,” remarked Commissioner Maynard.

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