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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

Information Commissioner’s appearance before ETHI Committee

Release Date

May 12, 2023
Ottawa, ON

(Check against delivery)

Opening Remarks

Thank you for inviting me to speak to this committee today.

I am pleased to report that my office had another record year in 2022-2023. During the last fiscal year, my team has closed 8,089 complaints. Since the beginning of my mandate in 2018, the annual number of complaints closed by my office has increased by 310%.

This is good news, but it is only part of the story.

Information Commissioner’s appearance before ETHI Committee

Release Date

March 7, 2023
Ottawa, ON

(Check against delivery)

Opening remarks

Thank you for inviting me to appear before this committee once again in the context of your ongoing study of the access to information and privacy system.

During my last appearance before this committee, I noted that I was looking forward to the conclusion of the Government’s review of the access to information regime, which was launched in 2020.

Last December, the Government finally released the final report on its review.

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