2016 to 2017 Annual report on the Access to Information Act
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© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, 2016
Aussi disponible en français
ISSN 2369-4122
Cat. No.: P1-30E-PDF
On this page
- Preface
- Part I: Introduction
- Part II: The Public Services and Procurement Canada Access to Information and Privacy Program
- Part III: Statistical report—Interpretation and explanation of trends
- 1. Departmental overview of requests received
- 2. Requests under the Access to Information Act
- 3. Requests closed during the reporting period
- 4. Exemptions and exclusions
- 5. Format of information released
- 6. Complexity
- 7. Processing time
- 8. Translation
- 9. Fees
- 10. Consultations from other government institutions and organizations
- 11. Complaints and court actions
- 12. Resources related to the Access to Information Act
- Annex A: Delegation of authorities (Excerpt)
- Annex B: Statistical report on the Access to Information Act
Preface
The Access to Information Act (Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter A-1) was proclaimed on July 1, 1983. The act was most recently amended as a result of the Royal Assent of the Federal Accountability Act on December 12, 2006. Certain provisions came into force on December 12, 2006, and others took effect on April 1, 2007, and September 1, 2007.
The Access to Information Act gives Canadian citizens, permanent residents as well as individuals and corporations present in Canada a right of access to information contained in government records subject to certain specific and limited exceptions.
Section 72 of the Access to Information Act requires that the head of every federal government institution prepare, for submission to Parliament, an annual report on the administration of the act within their institution during each fiscal year.
This annual report provides a summary of the management and administration of the Access to Information Act within Public Services and Procurement Canada for the fiscal year 2016 to 2017.
Part I: Introduction
1. Background
The department, founded in 1841 and originally known as The Board of Works, was instrumental in the building of our nation's canals, roads and bridges, the Houses of Parliament, post offices and federal buildings across the country.
In 1993, the department became Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) through the amalgamation of the former Supply and Services Canada, Public Works Canada, Government Telecommunications Agency (Communications Canada), and the Translation Bureau (Secretary of State of Canada). In November 2015, the department's name changed to Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC).
The Department of Public Works and Government Services Act, passed in 1996, established the current department and set out the legal authorities for PSPC services. The act established PSPC as a common service organization that provides government departments, boards and agencies with support services for their programs.
PSPC employs approximately 12,500 permanent employees working in locations across Canada and headquartered in the National Capital Area.
The Office of the Procurement Ombudsman, an independent office, and part of the portfolio of the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, was established on May 5, 2008, as one of the final steps in the implementation of the Federal Accountability Act.
Our services are provided across Canada through 5 regional operations. We also operate international offices in Koblenz and Washington.
For more information about our department, refer to our organizational chart and the organization of Public Services and Procurement Canada.
2. Raison d'être and responsibilities
PSPC plays an important role in the daily operations of the Government of Canada. It supports federal departments and agencies in the achievement of their mandated objectives as their central purchasing agent, real property manager, linguistic authority, treasurer, accountant, pay and pension administrator, and common service provider. The department's vision is to excel in government operations, and our strategic outcome and mission is to deliver high-quality, central programs and services that ensure sound stewardship on behalf of Canadians and meet the program needs of federal institutions. The goal is to manage business in a way that demonstrate integrity, accountability, efficiency, transparency, and adds value for client departments and agencies, and Canadians.
By enabling government-wide critical programs and services as well as delivering major transformation initiatives, the department is helping the Government of Canada do business in line with the modern standards defining a renewed organization such as efficiency, effectiveness, connectivity and better value for clients and Canadians.
The Office of the Procurement Ombudsman, which reports to the minister and operates independently, reviews complaints from suppliers. It also reviews procurement practices in departments and agencies, and makes recommendations for the improvement of those practices to ensure fairness, openness and transparency in the procurement process.
3. Strategic outcome and program alignment architecture
PSPC's program alignment architecture (PAA), as approved by the Treasury Board, supports the strategic outcome to deliver high-quality, central programs and services that ensure sound stewardship on behalf of Canadians and meet the program needs of federal institutions. The following lists the programs that comprise PSPC's PAA:
- Acquisitions
- Accommodation management and real property services
- Receiver General for Canada
- Integrity programs and services
- Federal pay and pension administration
- Linguistic management and services
- Specialized programs and services
- Procurement OmbudsmanFootnote 1
- Internal services
Part II: The Public Services and Procurement Canada Access to Information and Privacy Program
1. Access to Information and Privacy Directorate structure and responsibilities
The Access to Information and the Privacy (ATIP) Directorate administers the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act for PSPC, including one special operating agency, the Translation Bureau, as well as the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman.
In 2016 to 2017, the ATIP Directorate operated with up to 25 ATIP officers and 3 students who worked under the supervision of 4 team leaders to manage the requests received within the department. The directorate also employed 1 policy advisor and 5 senior ATIP policy advisors. The directorate was supported by a team of 5 clerical staff.
The Director, ATIP, reports to the Director General, Ministerial Services and Access to Information (DG-MSAI), who, in turn, reports to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy, Planning and Communications Branch (ADM-PPCB). Reporting to the director, ATIP, the teams are overseen by 3 managers of ATIP operations, and a manager of privacy and policy. The operational units are responsible for processing access to information requests, consultations, complaints, and court cases; the Privacy and Policy Unit is responsible for the privacy program as well as ATIP policy, advice, training, monitoring and reporting. The administrative functions are supported by an office manager and a team of support staff.
The directorate is responsible for establishing and directing all activities within PSPC relating to the management of the departmental Access to Information and Privacy Program, in accordance with the departmental delegation instruments and the provisions of the act, regulations, directives, policies and guidelines.
At PSPC, the administration of the act is also supported at the branch and regional office levels. Each organizational branch has an ATIP liaison officer who coordinates the collection of information and provides guidance to branch managers on the application of the acts, as well as related departmental directives and procedures.
2. Delegation instruments
Under section 3 of the act, the minister is designated as the head of the government institution for purposes of the administration of the act. Pursuant to section 73, the minister may delegate any powers, duties or functions under the act by signing an order authorizing one or more officers or employees of the institution, who are at the appropriate level, to exercise or perform the powers, duties or functions of the head, specified in the order.
Within PSPC, this delegation instrument is based on a centralized process with the director and managers of the Access to Information and Privacy Directorate having full delegated authority under the act. Certain administrative functions are also delegated to the ATIP team leaders to accelerate request processing. Full authority under the act is also delegated to the ADM-PPCB and the DG-MSAI who are responsible for the program.
An excerpt of the delegation of authorities approved at the ministerial level is attached in Annex A: Delegation of authorities (Excerpt).
3. Policies and procedures
3.1 Departmental Policy on Access to Information and Privacy
For the reference of all employees, departmental policies are posted on PSPC's intranet website.
The Policy on the Access to Information and Privacy Program (002) outlines the delegation of authority, establishes relevant definitions, and sets out the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders within PSPC.
3.2 Access to information and privacy liaison officer handbook
The ATIP liaison officer handbook complements the department policy on ATIP. It is produced by the ATIP Directorate as a guide to introduce departmental ATIP liaison officers across the department to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and regulations, to outline the roles and responsibilities of each PSPC ATIP stakeholder, and to provide national processing standards and guidelines for the centralized handling of requests.
3.3 Access to information and privacy directorate desk procedures
The ATIP Directorate has an ATIP officer desk procedures manual in place to standardize the work procedures used by staff, to facilitate the training of new ATIP employees and to complement the functionality of the electronic ATIP tracking system.
4. Training
4.1 Departmental employees
Given the complex nature of the Access to Information Act, and the need to balance the public's right to access information with the need to protect the legitimate interests of government and other parties, the ATIP Directorate provides regular guidance and information sessions.
During the fiscal year, the ATIP Directorate delivered 29 training and awareness sessions to 355 managers and employees at various levels from branches across the department.
As well, ATIP participates in sessions of the department's Orientation Program for new employees. This allows ATIP to provide information on employee obligations under the act, including an explanation of the duty to assist, a reminder that only those delegated under the act can make disclosure decisions, a reference to procedures for reporting suspected contraventions, as well as a link to the departmental policy on ATIP.
4.2 Access to Information and Privacy Directorate staff
The ATIP officer Development Program created in 2006 was revised in 2016 to 2017 to update the mandatory training section and to allow for internal deployment of qualified employees at level into the program. The objective of the program is to address the department's mid and long-term shortage of skilled ATIP professionals by recruiting new employees at the junior level, and preparing them to fill senior ATIP officer positions at the PM-4 group and level up to a 5-year horizon. The program is also intended to reduce the costs associated with the competitive staffing process and eliminate the need for consultants.
ATIP employees have the opportunity to take advantage of the ATIP training offered in house and by the Treasury Board Secretariat, and also attend conferences such as the Canadian Access and Privacy Association (CAPA) conference.
Part III: Statistical report—Interpretation and explanation of trends
The 2016 to 2017 statistical report on the Access to Information Act is attached in Annex B: Statistical report on the Access to Information Act.
1. Departmental overview of requests received
The ATIP Directorate processes all requests received by the department pursuant to the Access to Information Act. Each request is first reviewed for clarity and is then assigned to one or more organizational units of the department that are then responsible for locating and retrieving the records containing the information sought.
Organizational units review their relevant records and provide recommendations to the ATIP Directorate on potential sensitivities that could result from their disclosure. When necessary, the ATIP Directorate also undertakes consultations with other organizations and third parties before a skilled ATIP analyst reviews each record to make a decision on disclosure. The ATIP Directorate then notifies the requester and provides access to all of the records that may be disclosed.
The majority of the access to information (ATI) requests received by the department during 2016 to 2017 related to briefing notes on various topics, the replacement of fighter jets, the national ship building procurement strategy, and the remuneration services provided by PSPC, of which a good number related specifically to the Phoenix pay system.
2. Requests under the Access to Information Act
In the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year, the media represented the highest proportion of users of the act at PSPC, generating 37 percent of the requests received. The public was the second largest source of requests, constituting 28% of those received, whereas the business sector accounted for 26%. Four percent of the requesters declined to identify their source and the remaining came from organizations and the academic community. Chart I provides the related details.
Chart I: Access to information requests received by source
Summary of Chart I: Access to information requests received by source
- Business: 340 requests (26%)
- Public: 360 requests (28%)
- Media: 483 requests (37%)
- Decline to identify: 55 requests (4%)
- Organization: 43 requests (4%)
- Academia: 14 requests (1%)
A total of 1,491 requests were in progress during this reporting period, which represents a 37 % increase in volume compared with the previous fiscal year. Of the 1,491 requests in progress, 1,295 (87%) were new requests, while 196 requests (13%) were outstanding from the previous years. Chart II provides an overview of the trends related to the volume of requests processed by PSPC over the past 3 fiscal years.
Chart II: Processing trends for access to information requests
Summary of Chart II: Processing trends for access to information requests
- 2014 to 2015: 170 outstanding requests from previous fiscal year, 691 received, 641 completed and 220 carried forward to next fiscal year
- 2015 to 2016: 220 outstanding requests from previous fiscal year, 863 received, 886 completed and 197 carried forward to next fiscal year
- 2016 to 2017: 196 outstanding requests from previous fiscal year, 1,295 received, 1,163 completed and 328 carried forward to next fiscal year
3. Requests closed during the reporting period
Of the 1,491 requests in progress, 1,163 requests (78%) were completed during the 2016 to 2017 reporting period. The remaining 328 requests (22%) were carried forward to the next fiscal year.
In addition to the above-noted workload, PSPC responded to 174 informal requests for records previously released under the act. This represents an 8 % increase compared with the previous reporting period.
Of the 1,163 cases completed, information was released either in whole or in part in 785 requests (68%), with more than 182,266 pages reviewed and 147,370 pages released. Chart III provides an overview of the disposition of requests closed by PSPC during the fiscal year.
Chart III: Disposition of access to information requests closed
Summary of Chart III: Disposition of access to information requests closed
- All disclosed: 230 requests (20%)
- Disclosed in part: 555 requests (48%)
- All exempted/all excluded: 22 requests (2%)
- No records exist: 146 requests (12%)
- Transferred: 27 requests (2%)
- Abandoned: 183 requests (16%)
- Neither confirmed nor denied: 0 request (0%)
4. Exemptions and exclusions
Sections 13 through 24 of the act set out the exemptions intended to protect information pertaining to a particular public or private interest, and section 26 of the act is an administrative exception relating to the publication of information.
Pursuant to section 68, the act does not apply to material that is published or available for purchase, library or museum material preserved solely for public record, material deposited with Library and Archives Canada. Records considered to be confidences of the Queen's Privy Council of Canada are also excluded pursuant to section 69 of the act.
These limited and specific exemption and exclusion provisions form the only basis for withholding information that is requested under the act.
Annex B: Statistical report on the Access to Information Act shows the types of exemptions and exclusions invoked during the period. For clarity, if 5 different exemptions and/or exclusions were applied in one request, each relevant section would be reported, for a total of 5. If the same exemption or exclusion was used several times for the same request, it would be reported only once.
PSPC is the holder of a considerable amount of commercial, technical and financial information from third parties and, as in past years, the majority of the requests received by the department were for records containing third party information. While third party information can at times be sensitive, PSPC endeavours to release as much information as permitted, to remain consistent with the spirit of the act and the severability provisions of its section 25.
As noted in Annex B: Statistical report on the Access to Information Act, personal information (subsection 19(1) of the act), third party information (paragraphs 20(1) (b) and (c)) as well as solicitor-client privilege (section 23) accounted for the majority of the exemptions applied by the department.
In the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year, exclusions were invoked pursuant to sections 68 and 69 of the act on 102 requests, or 9% of the total number of cases completed. This represents a 1% increase compared to the previous reporting period.
5. Format of information released
Of the 785 requests in which information was released (all disclosed or disclosed in part), the records were provided in the form of paper copies for 253 requests (32%), whereas 522 cases (66%) were in electronic format.
6. Complexity
PSPC processed over 240,000 pages during the reporting period. This represents a 12% increase compared with the previous fiscal year. While the files contained an average of 243 pages to be processed, 50 of the1,295 requests completed (4%) had over 1,000 pages, including 8 with more than 5,000 pages. Chart IV provides the trends related to the relevant pages processed and disclosed by PSPC over the past 3 fiscal years.
Chart IV: Trends for relevant pages processed and disclosed
Summary of Chart IV: Trends for relevant pages processed and disclosed
- 2014 to 2015: 194,435 pages processed and 113, 700 pages disclosed
- 2015 to 2016: 215,473 pages processed and 135,803 pages disclosed
- 2016 to 2017: 240,567 pages processed and 147,486
In addition to the high volume of records, consultations were required for 413 of the 1,295 requests completed (32%). Other factors resulting in increased complexity included the multiple tasking and clarifications of requests, unique and unprecedented cases, as well as the processing and disclosure of electronic records in their original software format.
The consultation process on Cabinet confidences is also complex as detailed schedules must be prepared. In some cases, consultations have been returned to the ATIP Directorate seeking additional information that in turn required further internal and/or external consultations. This contributed to increasing the complexity and processing time.
7. Processing time
Due to the nature of PSPC's mandate, the records requested often contain commercially sensitive information as well as information created by or of greater interest to other government institutions. As a result, many of the requests required an extension pursuant to paragraphs 9(1) (b) and/or (c) of the act, in order to undertake the necessary consultations with other government institutions and third parties. Time extensions under paragraph 9(1) (a) of the act were also required for requests involving a large number of records.
Of the 1,163 requests completed during the fiscal year, 491 (42%) needed to be extended in accordance with section 9 of the act.
Despite the volume and complexity, 672 requests (58%) were completed within the initial 30-day period. The average processing time for all requests completed was 100 days. This is 24 days more than the previous fiscal year.
Since 2009 to 2010, the department has strived to maintain a high performance and attained a 95.2% compliance rate in 2016 to 2017 for responding to ATI requests within the legislated timelines.
During the reporting period, 56 requests fell in a deemed refusal status and were closed after the statutory deadline. On average, PSPC needed an additional 189 days to complete these late files.
The ATIP Directorate workload was the principal reason for delays in 46% of the 56 late cases. Factors such as the complexity of requests and the reassignment of files within the ATIP Directorate also contributed to the delays.
The department's timeliness and compliance continue to be closely monitored and reported to senior management on a weekly basis. The compliance rate is indicated in the weekly report sent by the ATIP coordinator to all Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMs) and branch liaison officers. A meeting takes place every week with the ADM of the Policy, Planning and Communications Branch (PPCB) and representatives from communications to have a look at the new requests and requests that may be released in the following 2 weeks.
8. Translation
There were no requests for the translation of information from one official language to another.
9. Fees
The Access to Information Act authorizes a $5 application fee related to the processing of formal requests under the act. Although the act and its regulations permit charging other fees for processing requests, in May 2016, the President of the Treasury Board of Canada announced changes to the Directive on the Administration of the Access to Information Act which prohibited charging any fees beyond the initial $5 fee. This measure supports the Government of Canada's priorities surrounding an open and transparent government.
The fees collected during this reporting period totalled $5,295.00 while the fees waived in accordance with subsection 11(6) of the act were $2,619.60. Fees collected for this reporting period are estimated to represent less than 1% of the department's total cost of administering the ATIP Program. Fees charged for search and for programming were issued prior to the implementation of the May 2016 changes to the directive.
An electronic payment system continues to be used to facilitate the payment of fees by debit and credit cards.
10. Consultations from other government institutions and organizations
In addition to ATI requests, the department received 310 consultations during the reporting period, amounting to an additional 23,714 pages of records to review. A total of 314 consultations were in progress during the reporting period. PSPC responded to 297 consultations, within an average of 22 days. This is comparable to the previous fiscal year. Chart V provides consultation trends over the last 3 years.
Chart V: Processing trends for consultations
Summary of Chart V: Processing trends for consultations
- 2014 to 2015: 16 consultations outstanding from previous year, 378 consultations received, 375 consultations completed and 19 consultations carried forward to next fiscal year
- 2015 to 2016: 19 consultations outstanding from previous year, 329 consultations received, 338 consultations completed and 10 consultations carried forward to next fiscal year
- 2016 to 2017: 10 consultations outstanding from previous year, 310 consultations received, 302 consultations completed and 18 consultations carried forward to next fiscal year
11. Complaints and Court actions
Table I provides the breakdown of complaints made to the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada (OIC) and of requests for judicial review filed with the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal.
Reporting period | Complaints | Judicial reviews |
---|---|---|
2014 to 2015 | 27 | 3 |
2015 to 2016 | 78 | 3 |
2016 to 2017 | 39 | 0 |
11.1 Complaints to the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada
In 2016 to 2017, the OIC notified the department of 39 new complaints, 10 of which related to requests received in previous fiscal years. In addition to the fact that this represents a significant decrease compared with the previous fiscal year, 13 (33%) of the new complaints were made by 2 requesters.
Of the 39 new complaints, 12 (31%) related to information withheld under the act, 14 (36%) concerned missing records, 5 (13%) pertained to time extensions taken, and 5 (13%) were about delays. The remaining 3 complaints fell into the category of miscellaneous.
In 2016 to 2017, the OIC closed 57 complaints. Of these, 10 were well founded, 22 were discontinued, 11 were not well-founded, and 14 were settled/resolved. Although founded complaints represented less than 1% of requests closed during the period, PSPC regularly reviews investigative findings to improve its administration of the Access to Information Act.
11.2 Court actions
In 2016 to 2017, there were no applications for judicial review pursuant to sections 41 or 44 of the act.
12. Resources related to the Access to Information Act
The total salary costs associated with the Access to Information Program amounted to $2,302,178.00 and operations and maintenance costs amounted to $192,885.00, for a combined total of $2,495,063.00. The number of employees and temporary resources were estimated at 35 person years for the fiscal year 2016 to 2017.
Annex A: Delegation of authorities (Excerpt)
Please note that the November 4, 2011 version has been updated as follows:
Changes to Schedule 1
- Integration of "printing" under goods procurement within department-wide authorities. While printing is currently covered under standing offers which offer specific authorities, integrating printing within the goods procurement will provide additional clarity and flexibility
- Increased limits for the Software Licensing Supply Arrangements (SLSA) from $40K to $100K upon review of business volumes in collaboration with Acquisitions Branch
- Integration of new travel authorities and revision of hospitality, events and conferences authorities in order to be aligned and compliant with the revised Treasury Board (TD) Directive on travel, hospitality, conference and event expenditures, effective August 1, 2013
- Integration of a new authority for the chief financial officer to act as the delegated travel and hospitality approval authority in situations where the deputy minister participates at the hospitality event or is the traveler
- Modification of the delegations pursuant to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act in order to reflect the transfer of the mandate for these authorities from the director general (DG), executive secretariat to the DG responsible for the ATIP program, and the provision of additional authorities to team leaders
- Amendment to revenue agreement memorandum of understanding (MOU)s and Specific Service Agreement (SSAs) authorities in order to allow incumbents of certain real property positions (level 3 and 4) to perform low risk transactions in order to avoid project delays
- Modification of the authority to make changes to the table of equivalent positions in order to allow the deputy minister to perform changes to the specific delegation of authorities in accordance with the TB Directive on delegation of financial authorities for disbursements
- Addition or change to the "table of equivalent positions" and "specific delegation of authorities" tables to reflect the current organizational structures
Minister's and Deputy Minister's delegation of authorities
We hereby delegate the powers vested in the offices of the Minister and Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada, in the manner defined in Schedules 1 to 4, the associated tables of equivalent positions and specific delegations in the notes to these schedules, including officers appointed on a temporary or acting basis to positions so defined, subject to the principles, guidelines, limitations and restrictions described in the department's delegation of authorities manual and all relevant legislation, regulations and policies.
Specifically, this instrument is intended to delegate authority, as defined by:
- Schedule 1
- "Department-wide authorities", the "table of equivalent positions" for schedule 1 and the specific delegations contained in the "notes to schedule 1"
- Schedule 2
- "Real Property authorities", the "table of equivalent positions" for schedule 2 and the specific delegations contained in the "notes to schedule 2"
- Schedule 3
- "Common service acquisition authorities", the "table of equivalent positions" for schedule 3 and the specific delegations contained in the "notes to schedule 3"
- Schedule 4
- "Receiver General for Canada authorities"
Further, these delegations are made on the explicit understanding that they are to be used only to:
- commensurate with the level of responsibility assigned to the position and when required to undertake the duties of that position as described in the operational plans of the department
- attain departmental objectives, within the departmental mandate
- attain clients' objectives when providing common services to client departments
The department's delegation of authorities manual documents the delegated authorities of Public Services and Procurement Canada and includes important information on the conditions under which we have made these delegations. All officers of the department who are acting on our behalf in any matter related to these delegations must make themselves familiar with the contents of the manual to ensure that they are fully cognizant of the conditions and implications of doing so.
Original signed by
The Honourable Judy M. Foote
P.C., M.P. (Bonavista-Burin-Trinity)
Minister of Public Services and Procurement
February 19, 2016
George Da Pont
Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement
January 19, 2016
Asset disposals | Asset write-offs | Asset loans | Project approval: IT-enabled projects and business projects | Treasury Board submission | Amendment to the table of equivalent positions and specific delegations | Access to Information Act | Privacy Act | Use of government vehicles | Exemption from parking charges | Certification of true copies | Release settlement documents | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Departmental limit | Full | Full | Full | Full and project complexity risk assessment level 3 | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full |
Generic levels | ||||||||||||
Level 1 | 50 | Full | Full | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 |
Level 2 | 50 | Full | Full | n/a | n/a | n/a | 56 | 57 | 58 | n/a | n/a | 61 |
Level 3 | 50 | 51 | 52 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 56 | 57 | 58 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Level 4 | 50 | 51 | 52 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 56 | 57 | 58 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Supplementary informationColumns 50 to 52 are administrative authorities that allow managers to identify assets for disposal, write-off or loan. The authority to complete these transactions is only delegated to officers of Materiel Management in Corporate Services or Regional Corporate Services, Strategic Management and Communications. Departmental limit: Full means the authority to dispose, write-off or loan assets for which the department is responsible. Level 1: Full means the authority to dispose, write-off or loan assets for which the manager is responsible. Column 53 for IT-enabled projects, obtaining the approval from the Chief Information Officer of PSPC is also required. Column 54 is a primary control on spending when that spending is outside the limits of departmental authority. This is the authority to initiate a TB submission. Only the minister and deputy minister may approve a submission to the Treasury Board. Columns 55 to 61 are administrative authorities which are delegated to positions with assigned responsibility. Exercising of these authorities must also comply with relevant legislation, regulation and policy requirements and limitations. Notes to schedule 1The notes to the schedule define the exceptions where authority is delegated to specific positions. These delegations are referenced in the schedule. Column 56 Access to Information Act |
Applicable equivalent positions at that level | Type of delegated authority | |
---|---|---|
Level 1 | ADM responsible for the ATIP Program | Full |
Director General responsible for the ATIP Program | Full | |
Level 2 | Director, Access to Information and Privacy | Full |
Level 3 | Manager, Access to Information and Privacy | Full |
Level 4 | Chief / Team leader, Access to Information and Privacy | Fulltable 1 note 1 |
ATIP Officer | Fulltable 1 note 2 | |
Table 1 Notes
|
Annex B: Statistical report on the Access to Information Act
Statistical report on the Access to Information Act
- Name of institution:
- Public Services and Procurement Canada
- Reporting Period:
- April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017
Part 1: Requests under the Access to information Act
Type | Number of requests |
---|---|
Received during reporting period | 1,295 |
Outstanding from previous reporting period | 196 |
Total | 1,491 |
Closed during reporting period | 1,163 |
Carried over to next reporting period | 328 |
Source | Number of requests |
---|---|
Media | 483 |
Academia | 14 |
Business (private sector) | 340 |
Organization | 43 |
Public | 360 |
Decline to identify | 55 |
Total | 1,295 |
1 to 15 days | 16 to 30 days | 31 to 60 days | 61 to 120 days | 121 to 180 days | 181 to 365 days | More than 365 days | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
41 | 67 | 79 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 209 |
Note
All requests previously recorded as "treated informally" will now be accounted for in this section only.
Part 2: Requests closed during the reporting period
Disposition of requests | Completion time | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 to 15 days | 16 to 30 days | 31 to 60 days | 61 to 120 days | 121 to 180 days | 181 to 365 days | More than 365 days | Total | |
All disclosed | 36 | 129 | 43 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 230 |
Disclosed in part | 27 | 141 | 115 | 169 | 56 | 36 | 11 | 555 |
All exempted | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
All excluded | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 |
No records exist | 35 | 98 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 146 |
Request transferred | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
Request abandoned | 145 | 26 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 183 |
Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 274 | 402 | 171 | 195 | 62 | 45 | 14 | 1,163 |
Section | Number of requests |
---|---|
13(1)(a) | 8 |
13(1)(b) | 1 |
13(1)(c) | 2 |
13(1)(d) | 9 |
13(1)(e) | 0 |
14 | 0 |
14(a) | 0 |
14(b) | 0 |
15(1) | 0 |
15(1) – International affairs | 5 |
15(1) – Defence | 7 |
15(1) –Subversive Activities | 0 |
16(1)(a)(i) | 0 |
16(1)(a)(ii) | 0 |
16(1)(a)(iii) | 0 |
16(1)(b) | 0 |
16(1)(c) | 2 |
16(1)(d) | 0 |
16(2) | 0 |
16(2)(a) | 0 |
16(2)(b) | 0 |
16(2)(c) | 28 |
16(3) | 0 |
16.1(1)(a) | 0 |
16.1(1)(b) | 0 |
16.1(1)(c) | 0 |
16.1(1)(d) | 0 |
16.2(1) | 1 |
16.3 | 0 |
16.4(1)(a) | 0 |
16.4(1)(b) | 0 |
16.5 | 0 |
17 | 1 |
18(a) | 3 |
18(b) | 55 |
18(c) | 0 |
18(d) | 7 |
18.1(1)(a) | 3 |
18.1(1)(b) | 0 |
18.1(1)(c) | 0 |
18.1(1)(d) | 0 |
19(1) | 338 |
20(1)(a) | 1 |
20(1)(b) | 265 |
20(1)(b.1) | 0 |
20(1)(c) | 232 |
20(1)(d) | 22 |
20.1 | 0 |
20.2 | 0 |
20.4 | 0 |
21(1)(a) | 85 |
21(1)(b) | 108 |
21(1)(c) | 38 |
21(1)(d) | 6 |
22 | 4 |
22.1(1) | 0 |
23 | 85 |
24(1) | 63 |
26 | 1 |
Section | Number of requests |
---|---|
68(a) | 8 |
68(b) | 0 |
68(c) | 0 |
68.1 | 0 |
68.2(a) | 0 |
68.2(b) | 0 |
69(1) | 0 |
69(1)(a) | 3 |
69(1)(b) | 0 |
69(1)(c) | 2 |
69(1)(d) | 7 |
69(1)(e) | 12 |
69(1)(f) | 0 |
69(1)(g) re (a) | 26 |
69(1)(g) re (b) | 0 |
69(1)(g) re (c) | 20 |
69(1)(g) re (d) | 14 |
69(1)(g) re (e) | 9 |
69(1)(g) re (f) | 1 |
69.1(1) | 0 |
Disposition | Paper | Electronic | Other formats |
---|---|---|---|
All disclosed | 98 | 129 | 3 |
Disclosed in part | 155 | 393 | 7 |
Total | 253 | 522 | 10 |
2.5 Complexity
Disposition of requests | Number of pages processed | Number of pages disclosed | Number of requests |
---|---|---|---|
All disclosed | 53,044 | 51,608 | 230 |
Disclosed in part | 17,6922 | 95,762 | 555 |
All exempted | 657 | 0 | 9 |
All excluded | 549 | 0 | 13 |
Request abandoned | 9,395 | 116 | 183 |
Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Disposition | Less than 100 pages processed | 101 to 500 pages processed | 501 to 1000 pages processed | 1001 to 5000 pages processed | More than 5000 pages processed | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | |
All disclosed | 195 | 2,921 | 20 | 3,951 | 6 | 3,727 | 6 | 1,4218 | 3 | 26,791 |
Disclosed in part | 374 | 8,572 | 107 | 20,911 | 34 | 15,135 | 36 | 49,005 | 4 | 2,139 |
All exempted | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All excluded | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Request abandoned | 180 | 0 | 1 | 116 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 767 | 11,493 | 132 | 24,978 | 41 | 18,862 | 42 | 63,223 | 8 | 28,930 |
Disposition | Consultation required | Assessment of fees | Legal advice sought | Other | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
All disclosed | 42 | 1 | 0 | 102 | 145 |
Disclosed in part | 347 | 3 | 2 | 220 | 572 |
All exempted | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
All excluded | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Request abandoned | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 413 | 6 | 3 | 324 | 746 |
2.6 Deemed refusals
Principal Reason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Number of requests closed past the statutory deadline | Workload | External consultation | Internal consultation | Other |
59 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 23 |
Number of days past deadline | Number of requests past deadline where no extension was taken | Number of requests past deadline where an extension was taken | Total |
---|---|---|---|
1 to 15 days | 7 | 5 | 12 |
16 to 30 days | 3 | 2 | 5 |
31 to 60 days | 4 | 6 | 10 |
61 to 120 days | 6 | 10 | 16 |
121 to 180 days | 2 | 2 | 4 |
181 to 365 days | 0 | 4 | 4 |
More than 365 days | 0 | 8 | 8 |
Total | 22 | 37 | 59 |
Translation requests | Accepted | Refused | Total |
---|---|---|---|
English to French | 0 | 0 | 0 |
French to English | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Part 3: Extensions
Disposition of requests where an extension was taken | 9(1)(a) Interference with operations | 9(1)(b) Consultation | 9(1)(c) Third party notice | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Section 69 | Other | |||
All disclosed | 15 | 5 | 18 | 10 |
Disclosed in part | 50 | 49 | 144 | 168 |
All exempted | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
All excluded | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
No records exist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Request abandoned | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
Total | 72 | 57 | 172 | 190 |
Length of extensions | 9(1)(a) Interference with operations | 9(1)(b) Consultation | 9(1)(c) Third party notice | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Section 69 | Other | |||
30 days or less | 33 | 1 | 41 | 3 |
31 to 60 days | 26 | 9 | 48 | 114 |
61 to 120 days | 10 | 32 | 68 | 48 |
121 to 180 days | 2 | 14 | 12 | 13 |
181 to 365 days | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
365 days or more | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Total | 72 | 57 | 172 | 190 |
Part 4: Fees
Fee collected | Fee waived or refunded | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Fee type | Number of requests | Amount | Number of requests | Amount |
Application | 1,036 | $5,180.00 | 111 | $570.00 |
Search | 1 | $65.00 | 2 | $165.00 |
Production | 0 | $0.00 | 0 | $0.00 |
Programming | 1 | $50.00 | 1 | $50.00 |
Preparation | 0 | $0.00 | 0 | $0.00 |
Alternative format | 0 | $0.00 | 0 | $0.00 |
Reproduction | 0 | $0.00 | 112 | $1,834.60 |
Total | 1,038 | $5,295.00 | 226 | $2,619.60 |
Part 5: Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations
Consultations | Other government institutions | Number of pages to review | Other organizations | Number of pages to review |
---|---|---|---|---|
Received during the reporting period | 304 | 19,951 | 6 | 3,763 |
Outstanding from the previous reporting period | 10 | 922 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 314 | 20,873 | 6 | 3,763 |
Closed during the reporting period | 297 | 19,903 | 5 | 3,166 |
Pending at the end of the reporting period | 17 | 970 | 1 | 597 |
Recommendations | Number of days required to complete consultation requests | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 to 15 days | 16 to 30 days | 31 to 60 days | 61 to 120 days | 121 to 180 days | 181 to 365 days | More than 365 days | Total | |
Disclose entirely | 71 | 110 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 214 |
Disclose in part | 7 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
Exempt entirely | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Exclude entirely | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Consult other institution | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Other | 13 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
Total | 93 | 147 | 50 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 297 |
Recommendations | Number of days required to complete consultation requests | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 to 15 days | 16 to 30 days | 31 to 60 days | 61 to 120 days | 121 to 180 days | 181 to 365 days | More than 365 days | Total | |
Disclose entirely | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Disclose in part | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Exempt entirely | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Exclude entirely | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Consult other institution | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Part 6: Completion time of consultations on cabinet confidences
Number of days | Fewer than 100 pages processed | 101 to 500 pages processed | 501 to 1,000 pages processed | 1,001 to 5,000 pages processed | More than 5,000 pages processed | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | |
1 to 15 | 74 | 636 | 11 | 1,228 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
16 to 30 | 9 | 68 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
31 to 60 | 3 | 36 | 5 | 93 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
61 to 120 | 2 | 60 | 1 | 88 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
121 to 180 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 148 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
181 to 365 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
More than 365 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 88 | 800 | 20 | 1,557 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Number of days | Fewer than 100 pages processed | 101 to 500 pages processed | 501 to 1,000 pages processed | 1,001 to 5,000 pages processed | More than 5,000 pages processed | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages Disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | Number of requests | Pages disclosed | |
1 to 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
16 to 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
31 to 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
61 to 120 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
121 to 180 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
181 to 365 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
More than 365 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Part 7: Complaints and investigations
Section 32 | Section 35 | Section 37 | Total |
---|---|---|---|
39 | 1 | 0 | 40 |
Part 8: Court action
Section 41 | Section 42 | Section 44 | Total |
---|---|---|---|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Part 9: Resources related to the Access to Information Act
Expenditures | Amount |
---|---|
Salaries | $2,299,543.00 |
Overtime | $2,635.00 |
Goods and services
|
$192,885.00 |
Total | $2,495,063.00 |
Resources | Person years dedicated to access to information activities |
---|---|
Full-time employees | 31.70 |
Part-time and casual employees | 0.75 |
Regional staff | 0.00 |
Consultants and agency personnel | 0.00 |
Students | 3.05 |
Total | 35.50 |
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