Quarterly statistics

The Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) publishes statistics about its complaint caseload and related work, including decisions by the OIC Registry (the group that receives, reviews and processes new complaints) about whether complaints are admissible, and investigations into admissible complaints.

The following graphs are updated quarterly and are supplemented by data in the Information Commissioner's annual report.

For more information on the OIC's investigations-related performance targets and progress against them, consult the Departmental Plan and Departmental Results Report.

• Inventory of open complaints
• Number and type of complaints accepted for investigation
• Number of complaints accepted versus number concluded through investigations
• Outcomes of concluded complaints
• Percentage of complaints concluded through investigations with orders

Inventory of open complaints

The OIC has made significant progress reducing the size of its inventory of open complaints. As of March 31, 2025, the inventory contained 2,191 complaints, which is 39% fewer than on March 1, 2018 (the beginning of the Commissioner's first term). This is despite the OIC's having accepted more than 34,000 complaints for investigation in the interim.

Number and type of complaints accepted for investigation

The OIC's complaint caseload has varied each year since the beginning of the Commissioner's first term in March 2018. Complaints from potential immigrants or their representatives about a lack of response to the access request for immigration files accounted for the large increase in delay complaints in 2021–2022 and 2022–2023. Due to improvements in the processing of access requests by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, among other factors, the number of these complaints has dropped considerably since. More information: Access at issue: Challenging the status quo and Access at issue: The unsustainable status quo.

Delay complaints focus on institutions' lack of response to access requests after the deadlines set out in the Access to Information Act. Extension of time complaints focus on whether the extra time an institution decided to take to respond to a request is reasonable or was taken for legitimate reasons, or whether the institution followed the rules in the Act for claiming extensions. Refusal complaints concern institutions' application of exemptions and exclusions under the Act, the adequacy of their record searches, the application of fees, the provision of records in a particular official language, the provision of records in alternative formats, publications under section 5 of the Act, and other matters relating to requesting or obtaining access to records.

Number of complaints accepted versus number concluded through investigations

The OIC has reduced the inventory of open complaints since the Commissioner began her first term in March 2018. In four out of the seven years (2018–2019, and 2022–2023 to 2024–2025), the OIC concluded more complaints than it accepted for investigation.

Outcomes of concluded complaints

Complainants can receive one of several outcomes when they submit a complaint. In 2024–2025, 22% (1,179) of complaints were concluded after investigation as well founded or not well founded. Another 15% (806) of complaints were discontinued by the complainant, while investigations into a further 39% (2,123) were stopped. This was most often because the complainant had received a response to their access request as a result of the OIC's inquiries and work, making further investigation unnecessary.

The OIC also received and concluded 1,298 complaints that it did not accept for investigation. These complaints, which were concluded by the OIC Registry (the group that receives, reviews and processes new complaints), were, for example, inadmissible (e.g. complaints submitted late or outside the Commissioner's mandate) or complaints the Commissioner refused to investigate.

More information: What are the possible outcomes for my complaint?

Percentage of complaints concluded through investigations with orders

The majority of complaints the OIC concludes do not require the Commissioner to issue orders. However, the proportion of complaints concluded through investigations for which the Commissioner issued orders is increasing—from 0.05% in 2020–2021 to 9% in 2024–2025.

More information: Information Commissioner's orders