Privacy Act - Annual Report to Parliament 2019-2020
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Administration of the Act
- Trends and Statistics
- Annex A – Statistical Report
- Annex B – Delegation Order
- Footnotes
Introduction
The Privacy Act (Revised Statutes of Canada, Chapter P-21, 1985) was proclaimed on July 1, 1983. It extends the present laws of Canada that protect the privacy of individuals, and provides individuals with a right of access to personal information about themselves. It also protects the privacy of individuals by denying third parties access to personal information relating to them and enabling them to exercise strict control over the collection, disclosure and use of such information. Necessary exceptions should be limited and specific.
Bill C-58, An Act to amend the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act received royal assent on June 21, 2019, making important improvements to the openness and transparency of government. These are the most significant amendments to the act since it came into force in 1983.
The new legislation amends the Privacy Act to, among other things:
- create a new exception to the definition of “personal information” with respect to certain information regarding an individual who is a ministerial adviser or a member of a ministerial staff
- authorize government institutions to provide to other government institutions services related to requests for personal information
- expand the Governor in Council’s power to amend the schedule to the Act and to retroactively validate amendments to that schedule.Footnote 1
This annual report is tabled in Parliament in accordance with section 72 of the Privacy Act and describes how Western Economic Diversification Canada administered its responsibilities for the reporting period.
WD is committed to both the spirit and intent of the Privacy Act, to ensure the privacy of individuals with respect to their personal information held by the department.
Administration of the Act
Departmental Mandate
Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) was established in 1987 to promote the development and diversification of the economy of Western Canada and to advance the interests of the West in national economic policy, program and project development and implementation. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development is responsible for this organizationFootnote 2.
The Department operates under the provision of the Western Economic Diversification Act, which came into force on June 28,: 1988. WD’s mandate allows the department to deliver a wide range of initiatives across the West and make strategic investments to build on regional competitive advantages. Its western base enables the department to foster strong partnerships with business and community organizations, research and academic institutions, Indigenous peoples, and provincial and municipal governments. These connections help WD reflect western perspectives in national decision-making.
Departmental Structure
WD employs 385 individuals across Western Canada and in Ottawa, including economists, commerce officers and policy analysts. Specialists in such areas as communications, corporate administration, financial management, human resources, information management and information technology, and procurement provide the policy and programs analysts with support.
WD is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, and organized into four regional units (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba), with offices located in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and an office in Ottawa.
Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP)
The Human Resources and Corporate Services unit (HRCS) is responsible for a broad range of services, including Access to Information and Privacy, administered by the unit’s ATIP Centre of Expertise. HRCS is part of the Finance and Corporate Management Directorate located in Edmonton, Alberta.
The ATIP Coordinator, who is supported by the Deputy ATIP Coordinator and a Corporate Services Advisor, oversees WD’s ATIP Centre of Expertise. The Coordinators fulfill their responsibilities in addition to numerous other functions within the department. The Corporate Services Advisor processes all access and privacy requests.
The ATIP Centre of Expertise is responsible for the implementation and management of the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act programs and services for WD. Specifically, the ATIP Centre of Expertise:
- makes decisions on the disposition of personal information requests;
- conducts consultations with other federal government departments, other levels of government and third parties with respect to access to information and privacy issues, if required;
- promotes awareness of the legislation to ensure departmental responsiveness to the obligation imposed by law;
- monitors and advises on departmental compliance with the Acts, regulations, procedures and policies; and
- acts as the spokesperson for the Department when dealing with the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Information Commissioner, the Privacy Commissioner, and other government departments and agencies.
Other access to information-related activities undertaken by the ATIP Unit in 2019–2020, include:
Activity | Total* |
---|---|
Review of parliamentary questions and responses | 54 |
Other activities | |
Update the ATIP intranet site | x |
Preparing and tabling annual reports and statistical reports | x |
Participating in Information Management initiatives and providing ATIP guidance | x |
Review and update privacy protection business practices, procedures and policy development | x |
Regular review and destruction of personal information request files in accordance with retention schedule | x |
*questions/reviews/emails/reports etc.
The ATIP Centre of Expertise monitors all personal information requests, and no additional reporting or monitoring is conducted by other departmental officials due to the confidential nature of these requests.
Delegation of Authority
The current delegation order was issued in June 2016. In accordance with section 73 of the old Privacy Act, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, delegated his full powers, authorities and responsibilities to the Executive Director, Finance and Corporate Management (ATIP Coordinator) and Manager, Corporate Administration (Deputy ATIP Coordinator). The delegation also extends limited authority to the ATIP Officer (see Annex B).
Departmental Policies and Procedures
There were no changes made to WD’s Privacy Protection policy suite during fiscal year 2019–2020 as a result of changes in TBS policies or directives, or as result of issues raised by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner or other agents of Parliament.
Training and Outreach
No training/awareness activities were provided during the reporting period.
Trends and statistics
The following overview provides a summary of the statistical details found in WD’s 2019–2020 statistical report (Annex A – Statistical Report).
- WD traditionally receives very few requests for personal information. As WD's programs and services collect very little personal information, requests relate to human resource issues or staffing actions.
- WD did not receive any privacy consultations during the reporting period.
- No complaints were received in 2019–2020 pursuant to the Privacy Act, and there were no appeals or applications submitted to the Federal Court.
- No material privacy breaches were reported in fiscal year 2019–2020.
- WD completed one Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) in 2019–2020.
- Personal information collected by WD in the course of its programs and activities is disclosed only for the purpose for which it was collected, in accordance with paragraph 8(2)(a) of the Privacy Act. WD did not disclose personal information for any other purposes as outlined in paragraph 8(2)(m) during the 2019–2020 reporting period.
Requests received pursuant to the Privacy Act
WD received one request for personal information pursuant to the Privacy Act during this reporting period. This represents a 100% increase from fiscal year 2018–2019, when no privacy requests were received.
One request was completed during the reporting period.
The single privacy request processed by WD in this reporting period was completed in nine days. One page was disclosed in its entirety. No consultations or time extensions were required to complete this request.
The accompanying chart shows the comparison of the number of formal requests for personal information received, as well as the number of privacy-related consultations received by the department over the past five years:
Text Version
The multi-column chart shows the comparison of the number of formal personal information received and completed by Western Economic Diversification Canada under the Privacy Act, as well as the number of consultations, over the past five fiscal years – 2015-2016 to 2019–2020.
2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Received | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
Completed | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Consultations | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Operational costs associated with adminstering the Act
Given there was only one privacy request processed, it was calculated as .03 of the Corporate Services Advisor’s salary and a nominal amount for review. These costs are reported in the annual statistical report (see see Annex A). The total cost reported was $2,550.
ANNEX A – Statistical Report
Statistical Report on the Privacy Act
Name of institution: Western Economic Diversification Canada
Reporting Period: 2019-04-01 to 2020-03-31
Section 1 – Requests Under the Privacy Act
Received during reporting period | 1 |
---|---|
Outstanding from previous reporting period | 0 |
Total | 1 |
Closed during reporting period | 1 |
Carried over to next reporting period | 0 |
Section 2 – Request 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Disclosed in part | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All excluded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
No records exist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Request abandoned | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Neither confirmed nor denied |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2.2 Exemptions
Section | Number of Requests |
---|---|
18(2) | 0 |
19(1)(a) | 0 |
19(1)(b) | 0 |
19(1)(c) | 0 |
19(1)(d) | 0 |
19(1)(e) | 0 |
19(1)(f) | 0 |
20 | 0 |
21 | 0 |
22(1)(a)(i) | 0 |
22(1)(a)(ii) | 0 |
22(1)(a)(iii) | 0 |
22(1)(b) | 0 |
22(1)(c) | 0 |
22(2) | 0 |
22.1 | 0 |
22.2 | 0 |
22.3 | 0 |
23(a) | 0 |
23(b) | 0 |
24(a) | 0 |
24(b) | 0 |
25 | 0 |
26 | 0 |
27 | 0 |
28 | 0 |
2.3 Exclusions
Section | Number of Requests |
---|---|
69(1)(a) | 0 |
69(1)(b) | 0 |
69.1 | 0 |
70(1) | 0 |
70(1)(a) | 0 |
70(1)(b) | 0 |
70(1)(c) | 0 |
70(1)(d) | 0 |
70(1)(e) | 0 |
70(1)(f) | 0 |
70.1 | 0 |
2.4 Format of information released
Paper | Electronic | Other Formats |
---|---|---|
0 | 1 | 0 |
2.5 Complexity
2.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed
Number of Pages Processed | Number of Pages Disclosed | Number of Requests |
---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 1 |
2.5.2 Relevant pages processed and disclosed by size of requests
Disposition | Less than 100 Pages Processed | 101-500 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 | |
All disclosed | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Disclosed in part | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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 |
Request Abandoned | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Neither confirmed no denied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2.5.3 Other complexities
Disposition | Consultation Required | Legal Advice Sought | Interwoven Information | Other | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
All disclosed | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Disclosed in part | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All excluded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Request Abandoned | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Neither confirmed nor denied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2.6 Closed requests
2.6.1 Number of requests closed within legislated timelines
Requests closed within legislated timelines | |
---|---|
Number of requests closed within legislated timelines | 1 |
Number of requests closed within legislated timelines (%) | 100 |
2.7 Deemed refusals
2.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines
Number of Requests Closed Past the Legislated Timelines | Principal Reason | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Interference with Operations/Workload | External consultation | Internal consultation | Other | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2.7.2 Requests closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)
Number of Days Past Legislated Timelines | Number of Requests Past Legislated Timeline Where no Extension was Taken | Number of Requests Past Legislated Timeline Where an Extension was Taken | Total |
---|---|---|---|
1 to 15 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
16 to 30 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
31 to 60 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
61 to 120 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
121 to 180 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
181 to 365 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
More than 365 days | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2.8 Requests for translation
Translation Requests | Accepted | Refused | Total |
---|---|---|---|
English to French | 0 | 0 | 0 |
French to English | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Section 3 – Disclosures Under Subsections 8(2) and 8(5)
Paragraph 8(2)(e) | Paragraph 8(2)(m) | Paragraph 8(5) | Total |
---|---|---|---|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Section 4 – Requests for Correction of Personal Information and Notations
Disposition for Correction Requests Recieved | Number |
---|---|
Notations attached | 0 |
Requests for correction accepted | 0 |
Total | 0 |
Section 5 – Extensions
5.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests
Number of requests where an extension was taken | 15(a)(i) Interference with operations | 15(a)(ii) Consultation | 15(b) Translation purposes or conversion | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Further review required to determine exemptions | Large volume of pages | Large volume of requests | Documents are difficult to obtain | Cabinet Confidence Section (Section 70) | External | Internal | ||
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
5.2 Length of extensions
Length of Extensions | 15(a)(i) Interference with operations | 15(a)(ii) Consultation | 15(b) Translation purposes or conversion | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Further review required to determine exemptions | Large volume of pages | Large volume of requests | Documents are difficult to obtain | Cabinet Confidence Section (Section 70) | External | Internal | ||
1 to 15 days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
16 to 30 days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
31 days or greater | 0 | |||||||
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Section 6 – Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations
6.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and other organizations
Consultations | Other Government of Canada Institutions |
Number of Pages to Review |
Other Organizations | Number of Pages to Review |
---|---|---|---|---|
Received during reporting period | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Outstanding from the previous reporting period |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Closed during reporting period | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pending at the end of the reporting period |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
6.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions
Recommendation | 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 | |
All Disclosed | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Disclosed in part | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All excluded | 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
6.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations
Recommendation | 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 | |
All Disclosed | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Disclosed in part | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All exempted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All excluded | 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Section 7 – Completion Time of Consultation on Cabinet Confidences
7.1 Requests with Legal Services
Number of Days | Fewer than 100 Pages Processed | 101-500 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 |
7.2 Requests with Privy Council Office
Number of Days | Fewer than 100 Pages Processed | Pages Processed 101-500 |
Pages Processed 501-1000 |
Pages Processed 1001-500 |
Pages Processed More than 5000 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
Section 8 – Complaints and Investigations Notices Received
Section 31 | Section 33 | Section 35 | Court Action | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Section 9 – Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs)
9.1 Privacy Impact Assessments
Number of PIAs completed | 1 |
---|
9.2 Personal Information Banks
Personal Information Banks | Active | Created | Terminated | Modified |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Section 10 – Material Privacy Breaches
Number of material privacy breaches reported to TBS | 0 |
---|---|
Number of material privacy breaches reported to OPC | 0 |
Section 11 – Resources Related to the Privacy Act
11.1 Costs
Expenditures | Amount | |
---|---|---|
Salaries | $2,550 | |
Overtime | $0 | |
Goods and Services | $0 | |
* Professional services contracts | $0 | |
* Other | $0 | |
Total | $2,550 |
10.2 Human Resources
Resources | Person Years Deticated to the Privacy Activities |
---|---|
Full-time employees | 0.03 |
Part-time and casual employees | 0.00 |
Regional staff | 0.00 |
Consultants and agency personnel | 0.00 |
Students | 0.00 |
Total | 0.03 |
ANNEX B – Delegation Order
- Date modified: