The complainant alleged that the extension of time Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) took under subsection 9(1) of the Access to Information Act to respond to an access request was unreasonable. The request was for documents relating to parliamentary consideration of ArriveCAN. The timeframe of the request was March 12 to November 14, 2024. The allegation falls under paragraph 30(1)(c) of the Act.

The complainant also alleged that the extension of time PSPC took to respond to an access request does not meet the requirements of section 9. This allegation falls under paragraph 30(1)(a) of the Act.

PSPC could not show that it met all the requirements of paragraph 9(1)(b) – in particular, the OIC found that relying primarily on service standards did not demonstrate a genuine assessment of the actual time required to process the request. As a result, the OIC determined that the extension was not reasonable.

The Information Commissioner ordered the Minister of Public Works and Government Services to provide a complete response to the access request no later than June 1, 2026. Additionally, it was recommended that the Minister issue interim releases for documents not requiring consultation and for which the review has been completed.

PSPC gave notice to the Commissioner that it would implement the order and recommendation.

The complaint is well founded.