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Annual Report to Parliament 2017-2018

Introduction

The Access to Information Act provides members of the public and corporations with the legislated right, subject to certain limited and specific exceptions, to access federal government records. The Act complements other methods for obtaining government information, and does not limit in any way the access to government information that is normally available to the public upon request.

This annual report on the administration of the Access to Information Act describes how Status of Women Canada (SWC) fulfilled their responsibilities under the Access to Information Act during the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2017, and ending March 31, 2018.

The Minister of Status of Women, as head of the institution, is required to prepare an annual report on the administration of the Act. This report is prepared and tabled in Parliament in accordance with section 72 of the Access to Information Act.

Part I: General Information

Status of Women Canada

The mandate of Status of Women Canada is to "coordinate federal policy with respect to the status of women and administer related programs." This was set out in Order-in-Council 1976-779 and the Appropriation Act 1976-77.

The vision of Status of Women Canada (SWC) is a Canada where equality is achieved between women and men in all aspects of life.

The mission of the Agency is to exercise leadership and work in partnership to advance equality and increase women’s participation; to provide expert advice on how to take gender equality into account in developing the best policies and programs for all Canadians; and to support action and innovation that will lead to equality in communities across Canada.

The Access to Information and Privacy office reports to the Director General of Communications and Public Affairs. The office coordinates all activities related to the legislation within the Agency both at headquarters and in the regions.

Access to Information Activities

The Status of Women (SWC) Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator acts on behalf of the Minister of Status of Women and the Head of Agency to ensure that the Agency's responsibilities under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act are met. The ATIP Coordinator reports directly to the Director General of Communications and Public Affairs.

The main activities of SWC's ATIP Office consist of:

  • processing requests for information submitted under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act;
  • developing policies, procedures and guidelines in support of Access to Information and Privacy legislation and central agency requirements;
  • promoting awareness of both acts to ensure employees understand their roles and responsibilities;
  • monitoring compliance with both acts and central agency requirements;
  • preparing annual reports to Parliament;
  • coordinating Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs);
  • coordinating the resolution of any complaints against SWC which have been submitted to the Information Commissioner under the Access to Information Act and to the Privacy Commissioner under the Privacy Act;
  • providing centralized management of privacy breaches;
  • providing SWC staff with advice and guidance on ATIP issues;
  • providing support and recommendations to the Head and the Executive Committee; and
  • supporting SWC in meeting its commitments to openness and transparency through proactive disclosure of information and the release of information via informal avenues.

Processing of access to information and privacy requests is centralized within the ATIP Office in Gatineau, Quebec. In 2017-2018, the SWC ATIP Office employed a total of 1.66 full-time equivalents (FTEs).

Implementation of ATI Activities and Administrative Issues

Accomplishments

The Access to Information and Privacy Office received forty one (41) new requests, completed thirty seven (37) new requests, completed eight (8) informal requests, twenty four (24) consultations with other government of Canada institutions and one (1) consultation with another organization during 2017-2018. The ATIP office also processed nine (9) Notice of Releases from other federal institutions.

Salary and Administrative Expenditures

In 2017-2018, the Access to Information and Privacy Office operated with 1.66 full-time employees dedicated to the administration of both the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and their related functions.

The Agency’s allocation for the central coordination of the Access to Information Act amount to $125,684.00 ($122,380.00 were salary expenditures and $3,304.00 were administrative costs for fiscal year 2017-2018).

Reading Room

A reading room is available at headquarters, as needed. Should a reading room be needed elsewhere, SWC’s regional offices in certain regions across Canada are available upon request.

Data Collection

The responsibility for the coordination of new data collection by the agency is assigned to the ATIP Coordinator. This ensures both compliance with the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and the creation of new Personal Information Banks or Program Records, as necessary.

Appendix A

Delegation Order

The responsibilities associated with the administration of the Access to Information Act are delegated to agency officials through a delegation order signed by the Minister of Status of Women.

Status of Women Canada

Section of the Act Powers, Duties and Functions Head, Status of Women Canada ATIP Coordinator
7(a) Notice where access requested X X
8(1) Transfer to – transfer from institution X X
9 Extension of time limits X X
11(2), (3), (4), (5), (6) Additional fees X X
12(2) Language of access X X
12(3) Access in an Alternative Format X X
13 Information obtained in confidence X X
14 Federal-Provincial affairs X X
15 International affairs and defense X X
16 Law enforcement and investigation X
17 Safety of individuals X
18 Economic interests of Canada X
19 Personal information X X
20 Third party information X X
21 Advice X X
22 Testing procedures X X
23 Solicitor/client privilege X X
24 Statutory prohibitions X X
25 Severance X X
26 Information to be published X X
27(1)(4) Third party notification X X
28(1)(b) Give written notice to a third party of the Department’s decision to disclose records containing information pertaining to that third party X X
28(2) Waive the requirement for a written representation by a third party X X
28(4) Disclose records for which a notice has been issued to a third party of the Department’s decision to disclose those records, unless the third party seeks a Court review of the decision under Section 44 X X
29(1) Disclosure on recommendation of Information Commissioner X X
33 Advise Information Commissioner of third party involvement X X
35 Right to make representations X
37(4) Access to be given complainant X X
43(1) Notice to third party (application to Federal Court) X X
44(2) Notice to applicant (application to Federal Court by third party) X X
52(2)(3) Special rules for hearings X
69 Excluded information X X
71(2) Exempt information severed from manuals X X
77 Responsibilities conferred on the head of the institution the regulations make under section 77 which are not included above X X

Part II: Report on the Access to Information Act

Request Under the Access to Information Act

  1. Statistical Report

    The annual statistical report for fiscal year 2017-2018 is included at the end of this chapter.

  2. Interpretation of the Statistics

    Introduction

    Between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018, Status of Women Canada carried over thirteen (13) requests from the previous year and received forty one (41) new requests. In addition, the ATIP program received eight (8) informal requests and twenty four (24) requests for consultation from other federal institutions and one (1) consultation from another organization.

    Source of Requests

    During the 2017-2018, Business (private sector) was the largest group of requesters, followed by Public.

    Source of Requests
    2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018
    Public 29% (4) 12% (6) 22% (9)
    Business 0% (0) 0% (0) 41% (17)
    Media 50% (7) 64% (32) 17% (7)
    Organization 7% (1) 12% (6) 7% (3)
    Academia 7% (1) 0% (0) 2% (1)
    Decline to Identify 7% (1) 12% (6) 10% (4)
    Requests Completed

    Fifty (50) requests were completed during this fiscal year and four (4) requests were carried forward to be completed in fiscal year 2018-2019.

    Requests Completed
    2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018
    Completed request 19 38 50
    Carried over 1 13 4
    Dispositions of Requests Completed
    Dispositions of Requests Completed
    Number of Requests Percentage
    All disclosed 12 24%
    Disclosed in part 23 46%
    All excluded 0 0%
    All exempted 0 0%
    No records exist 14 28%
    Transferred 0 0%
    Request abandoned 1 2%
    Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0%
    Extensions

    Ten (10) requests had their time limit extended as follows:

    Extensions
    Number of Days Number of Requests
    30 days or under 0
    31 to 60 days 3
    61 to 120 days 6
    121 to 180 days 0
    181 to 365 days 1
    More than 365 days 0

    The time limits were extended for ten (10) requests; they were extended due to workload, interference with operations, consultations with other government institutions and third party notices. Although internal consultations and other reasons were also contributing factors.

    Completion Time
    Completion Time
    Completion Time Number of Requests Percentage
    1 to 15 days 12 23%
    16 to 30 days 17 33%
    31 to 60 days 9 18%
    61 to 120 days 8 16%
    121 to 180 days 3 6%
    181 to 365 days 1 2%
    More than 365 days 0 0%
    Method of Access

    Access to the relevant documents was given in whole or in part for thirty five (35) requests. Paper copies were provided in thirty four (34) cases and in an electronic format in one (1) case.

    Fees

    Net fees collected amounted to $180.00 and represent thirty six (36) application fees.

  3. Access to Information Education and Training Activities

    No formal training activities were provided during the reporting period, however informal advice and guidance was provided as needed.

  4. Significant Changes to the Institution

    There were no significant changes to the institution during fiscal year 2017-2018.

  5. Complaints or Audits

    Applicants have the right to register a complaint with the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) regarding any matter relating to the processing of their requests, and Status of Women Canada (SWC) received one complaint during fiscal year 2017-2018. The complainant alleged that Status of Women Canada refused to provide the records requested. After further information was received by the applicant, records were identified and released in their entirety. The request was closed within the fiscal year. The Office of the Information Commissioner will be providing the letter of finding to Status of Women Canada.

    No audits relating to the administration of ATIP legislation were concluded during the reporting period.

  6. Appeals to the Courts

    There were no appeals to the courts between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018.

  7. Monitoring time to process requests

    A status report of all outstanding requests is prepared on a weekly basis for Director General review and Executive Committee oversight.

Annual Statistical Report to the Access to Information Act

April 1, 2017 - March 31, 2018

Part 1: Request Under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Number of requests
Number of Requests
Received during reporting period 41
Outstanding from previous reporting period 13
Total 54
Closed during reporting period 50
Carried over to next reporting period 4
1.2 Sources of requests
Source Number of Requests
Media 7
Academia 1
Business (private sector) 17
Organization 3
Public 9
Decline to Identify 4
Total 41
1.3 Informal 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
8 0 0 0 0 0 0 8

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

2.1 Disposition and completion time
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 1 8 0 2 1 0 0 12
Disclosed in part 0 8 8 5 1 1 0 23
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
No records exist 10 1 1 1 1 0 0 14
Request transferred 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abondoned 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 12 17 9 8 3 1 0 50
2.2 Exemptions
Section Number of Requests Section Number of Requests Section Number of Requests Section Number of Requests
13(1)(a) 0 16(2) 0 18(a) 0 20.1 0
13(1)(b) 0 16(2)(a) 0 18(b) 0 20.2 0
13(1)(c) 1 16(2)(b) 0 18(c) 0 20.4 0
13(1)(d) 0 16(2)(c) 0 18(d) 0 21(1)(a) 13
13(1)(e) 0 16(3) 0 18.1(1)(a) 0 21(1)(b) 9
14 1 16.1(1)(a) 0 18.1(1)(b) 0 21(1)(c) 1
14(a) 1 16.1(1)(b) 0 18.1(1)(c) 0 21(1)(d) 0
14(b) 0 16.1(1)(c) 0 18.1(1)(d) 0 22 0
15(1) 0 16.1(1)(d) 0 19(1) 11 22.1(1) 0
15(1) - I.A.* 0 16.2(1) 0 20(1)(a) 0 23 0
15(1) - Def.* 0 16.3 0 20(1)(b) 2 24.1(1) 0
15(1) - S.A.* 0 16.4(1)(a) 0 20(1)(b.1) 0 26 0
16(1)(a)(i) 0 16.4(1)(b) 0 20(1)(c) 3
16(1)(a)(ii) 0 16.5 0 20(1)(d) 1
16(1)(a)(iii) 0 17 0
16(1)(b) 0
16(1)(c) 0
16(1)(d) 0

* I.A.: International Affairs  Def: Defence of Canada  S.A. Subversive Activities

2.3 Exclusions
Section Number of Requests Section Number of Requests Section Number of Requests
68(a) 0 69(1) 1 69(1)(g) re (a) 0
68(b) 0 69(1)(a) 1 69(1)(g) re (b) 0
68(c) 0 69(1)(b) 1 69(1)(g) re (c) 0
68.1 0 69(1)(c) 0 69(1)(g) re (d) 0
68.2(a) 0 69(1)(d) 2 69(1)(g) re (e) 1
68.2(b) 0 69(1)(e) 0 69(1)(g) re (f) 0
69(1)(f) 0 69.1(1) 0
2.4 Format of information released
Disposition Paper Electronic Other Format
All disclosed 12 0 0
Disclosed in part 22 1 0
Total 34 1 0
2.5 Complexity
2.5.1 Relevant pages procesed and disclosed
Disposition of Requests Number of Pages Processed Number of Pages Disclosed Number of Requests
All disclosed 147 147 12
Disclosed in part 2269 1857 23
All exempted 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 1
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0
2.5.2 Relevant pages processed and disclosed by size of requests
Disposition Less than 100 pages processed 100 - 500 pages processed 501 - 1,000 pages processed 1,001 - 5,000 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 12 147 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 17 579 6 1278 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Abandoned 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 30 726 6 1278 0 0 0 0 0 0
2.5.3 Other complexities
Disposition Consultation required Assessment of fees Legal advice sought Other Total
All disclosed 3 0 0 0 3
Disclosed in part 11 0 0 0 11
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0
Abandoned 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0
Total 14 0 0 0 14
2.6 Deemed refusals
2.6.1 Reasons for not meeting statutory deadline
Number of Requests Closed Past the Statutory Deadline Principal Reason
Workload External Consultation Internal Consultation Other
15 4 2 2 7
2.6.2 Number of days past deadline
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 0 7
16 to 60 Days 2 0 2
31 to 60 Days 2 0 2
61 to 120 Days 4 0 4
121 to 180 Days 0 0 0
181 to 365 Days 0 0 0
More than 365 Days 0 0 0
Total 15 0 15
2.7 Requests for translation
Translation Request Accepted Refused Total
English to French 0 0 0
French to English 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0

Part 3: Extensions

3.1  Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests
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 0 1 1 0
Disclosed in part 1 2 3 2
All exempted 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0
No records exist 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0
Total 1 3 4 2
3.2 Length of extensions
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 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 days 0 1 0 2
61 to 120 days 1 2 3 0
121 to 189 days 0 0 0 0
181 to 365 days 0 0 1 0
365 days or more 0 0 0 0
Total 1 3 4 2
Part 4: Fees
Fee Type Fee Collected Fee Waived or Refunded
Number of requests Amount Number of requests Amount
Application 36 $180.00 0 $0.00
Search 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Production 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Programming 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Preparation 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Alternative format 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Reproduction 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Total 36 $180.00 0 $0.00

Part 5: Consultations received from other institutions and organizations

5.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and organizations
Consultations Other Government of Canada institutions Number of pages to review Other organizations Number of pages to review
Received during the reporting period 24 526 1 168
Outstanding from the previous reporting period 0 0 0 0
Total 24 526 1 168
Closed during the reporting period 20 485 1 168
Pending at the end of the reporting period 4 41 0 0
5.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions
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 entierly 8 5 1 0 0 0 0 14
Disclose in part 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 6
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 11 8 1 0 0 0 0 20
5.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations
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 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclose in part 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
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 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

Part 6: Completion time of consultations on Cabinet confidences

6.1 Requests with Legal Services
Number of Days Less than 100 pages processed 100 - 500 pages processed 501 - 1,000 pages processed 1,001 - 5,000 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
1 to 15 3 32 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 3 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6.2 Requests with Privy Council Office
Number of Days Less than 100 pages processed 100 - 500 pages processed 501 - 1000 pages processed 1001 - 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
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
1 0 0 1

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

9.1 Costs
Expenditures Amount
Salaries $121,814.00
Overtime $566.00
Goods and Services $3,304.00
  • Professional services and contracts
 $0.00
  • Other
 $3,304.00
Total $125,684.00

9.2 Human Resources

Resources Person Years Dedicated to Access to Information Activities
Full-time employees 1.61
Part-time and casual employees 0.00
Regional staff 0.00
Consultants and agency personnel 0.00
Students 0.00
Total 1.61
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