The complainant alleged that Privy Council Office (PCO) did not respond within the extended period under subsection 9(1) of the Access to Information Act to an access request. The request was for IAC assessments dealing with Russia and countries of the former Soviet Union in the year 1992. The allegation falls under paragraph 30(1)(a) of the Act.

The information Commissioner concluded that the delay was unacceptable, and that the proposed response date of October 3, 2025, by PCO was unreasonable. Not only did PCO take over a year to initiate consultations with other government departments, but in determining the estimated response date, PCO allotted themselves an additional 3 months for internal consultation following the receipt of consultation responses set for July 2025, which the Commissioner determined was unjustified.

The Information Commissioner Ordered that PCO provide a complete response to the access request no later than 60 business days following the date of the final report.

The Information Commissioner recommended the Clerk of the Privy Council to review PCO’s internal consultation and approval processes related to access to information requests in order to become more efficient and to respect its obligations under section 7 of the Act.

PCO gave notice to the Commissioner that it would be implementing the order.

The complaint is well founded.