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Annual Report to Parliament 2014–2015

Introduction

The Access to Information Act was proclaimed on July 1, 1983. The Act gives all individuals and corporate entities 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 government institution prepare, for submission to Parliament, an annual report on the administration of the Act within the institution during each fiscal year.

This report describes the administration of Status of Women Canada’s Access to Information program for the fiscal year 2014-2015.

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 ATIP 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 Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator is responsible for all aspects of program delivery, which include:

  • processing requests under the Access to Information Act;
  • acting as spokesperson for the Agency in dealings with the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Office of the Information Commissioner, and other government departments and agencies regarding the application of the Access to Information Act as it relates to the Agency;
  • responding to consultation requests submitted by other federal institutions on Status of Women Canada documents located in their files;
  • preparing the annual report to Parliament and other statutory reports as well as other materials that may be required;
  • reviewing and approving collections in accordance with the Government Policy on Information Collection;
  • developing policies, procedures and guidelines for the orderly implementation of the Act;
  • promoting awareness of the Access to Information Act to ensure agency responsiveness to the obligations imposed; and
  • monitoring agency compliance with the Access to Information Act.

Implementation of ATI Activities and Administrative Issues

Accomplishments

The Access to Information and Privacy Office completed seventeen (17) new requests during 2014-2015.

The Access to Information and Privacy Office has been able to continue its efficiency from the previous year in the processing of requests.

Delegation of Authority

The delegation orders were last amended in July 2013. The Coordinator/ Head of Agency and the Director General of Communications and Public Affairs have full authority while the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator has partial authority delegated by the Minister of Status of Women for administration and decision-making responsibilities under the two Acts. Appendix A provides a more detailed description of the delegation of authority.

Salary and Administrative Expenditures

In 2014-2015, the Access to Information and Privacy Office operated with 1.43 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 amounted to $117,960.00 ($110,317.00 were salary expenditures and $7,643.00 were administrative costs for 2014-2015).

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

Delegation of Powers, Duties and Functions Pursuant of Section 73 of the Access to Information Act
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 2014-2015 is included at the end of this chapter.

  2. Interpretation of the Statistics

    Introduction

    Between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015, Status of Women Canada did not carry over any requests from the previous year and received twenty two (22) new requests. In addition, the ATIP program received six (6) informal requests and twelve (12) requests for consultation from other federal institutions.

    Source of Requests

    Media was the largest group of requesters, followed by Academia. The following table provides a comparison with previous years.

    2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015
    Public 73% (27) 14% (9) 0% (0)
    Business 0% (0) 0% (0) 5% (1)
    Media 11% (4) 12% (8) 72% (16)
    Organization 2% (1) 9% (6) 5% (1)
    Academia 14% (5) 5% (42) 18% (4)
    Decline to Identify N/A N/A 0% (0)
    Requests Completed

    Seventeen (17) requests were completed during this fiscal year and five (5) requests were carried forward to be completed in fiscal year 2015-2016.

    Requests Completed
    2015-2016
    Completed request 17
    Carried over 5

    Dispositions of Requests Completed
    Number of Requests Percentage
    All disclosed 2 12%
    Disclosed in part 12 71%
    All excluded 0 0%
    All exempted 0 0%
    No records exist 1 5%
    Transferred 0 0%
    Request abandoned 2 12%
    Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0%
    Extensions

    Two (2) requests had their time limit extended as follows:

    Number of Days Number of Requests
    31 to 60 Days 1
    61 to 120 Days 1

    The time limits were extended for two (2) requests; both were extended due to consultations with other government institutions.

    Completion Time
    Completion Time Number of Requests Percentage
    1 to 15 Days 4 23%
    16 to 30 Days 8 47%
    31 to 60 Days 3 17%
    61 to 120 Days 2 12%
    121 to 180 Days 0 0%
    181 to 365 Days 0 0%
    More than 365 Days 0 0%
    Method of Access

    Access to the relevant documents was given in whole or in part for fourteen (14) requests. Paper copies were provided in twelve (12) cases and in an electronic format in two (2) cases.

    Fees

    Net fees collected amounted to $80.00 and represent sixteen (16) 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 2014-2015.

  5. Complaints

    SWC received one (1) complaint during fiscal year 2014-2015.

  6. Appeals to the Courts

    There were no appeals to the courts between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015.

  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, 2014 - March 31, 2015

Part 1: Request Under the Access to Information act

1.1 Number of requests
Number of Requests
Received during reporting period 22
Outstanding from previous reporting period 0
Total 22
Closed during reporting period 17
Carried over to next reporting period 5
1.2 Sources of requests
Source Number of Requests
Media 16
Academia 4
Business (private sector) 1
Organization 1
Public 0
Decline to Identify 0
Total 22
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
6 0 0 0 0 0 0 6

Note: All previously recorded as "treated informally" will now be accounted for in this section


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 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
Disclosed in part 1 6 3 2 0 0 0 12
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
No records exist 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Request transferred 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abondoned 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 4 8 3 2 0 0 0 17
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) 0 16(2)(b) 0 18(c) 0 20.4 0
13(1)(d) 0 16(2)(c) 0 18(d) 0 21(1)(a) 8
13(1)(e) 0 16(3) 0 18.1(1)(a) 0 21(1)(b) 6
14 0 16.1(1)(a) 0 18.1(1)(b) 0 21(1)(c) 1
14(a) 0 16.1(1)(b) 0 18.1(1)(c) 0 21(1)(d) 1
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) 2 22.1(1) 0
15(1) - I.A.* 1 16.2(1) 0 20(1)(a) 0 23 1
15(1) - Def.* 0 16.3 0 20(1)(b) 1 24(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) 4
16(1)(a)(ii) 0 16.5 0 20(1)(d) 3
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) 0 69(1)(g)re(a) 0
68(b) 0 69(1)(a) 0 69(1)(g)re(b) 0
68(c) 0 69(1)(b) 0 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) 0 69(1)(g)re(e) 0
68.2(b) 0 69(1)(e) 1 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 2 0 0
Disclosed in part 10 2 0
Total 12 2 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 15 15 2
Disclosed in part 642 497 12
All exempted 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 2
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 - 1000 pages processed 1001 - 5000 pages processed More than 5000 pages processed
Number of requests Page disclosed Number of requests Page disclosed Number of requests Page disclosed Number of requests Page disclosed Number of requests Page disclosed
All disclosed 2 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 10 41 2 456 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 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 14 56 2 456 0 0 0 0 0 0
2.5.3 Other complexities
Disposition Consultation Required Assessment of Feed Legal Advice Sought Other Total
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 2 0 0 0 2
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 2 0 0 0 2
2.6 Deemed refusals
2.6.1 Reasons for not meeting statutory deadline
Number of Requests Closed Past the Statutory Deadline Princial Reason
Workload External Consultation Internal Consultation Other
2 0 0 0 2
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 2 0 2
16 to 60 Days 0 0 0
31 to 30 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 2 0 2
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 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 1 1 0
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 0 1 1 0
3.2 Length of 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
30 days or less 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 days 0 0 1 0
61 to 120 days 0 0 1 0
121 to 189 days 0 0 0 0
181 to 365 days 0 0 0 0
365 days or more 0 0 0 0
Total 0 1 1 0
Part 4: Fees
Fee Type Fees Collected Fee Waived or Refunded
Number of requests Amount Number of requests Amount
Application 16 $80 0 $0
Search 0 $0 0 $0
Production 0 $0 0 $0
Programming 0 $0 0 $0
Preparation 0 $0 0 $0
Alternative format 0 $0 0 $0
Reprduction 16 $80 0 $0
Total 16 $80 0 $0

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 reporting period 12 146 0 0
Outstanding from the previous reporting period 0 0 0 0
Total 12 146 0 0
Closed during the reporting period 12 146 0 0
Pending at the end of the period 0 0 0 0
5.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other government 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 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
Disclose in part 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 3
Exempt entirely 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
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 10 1 1 0 0 0 0 12
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 entierly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclose in part 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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 - 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 1 128 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 1 128 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 1 1 3

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 $110,317
Overtime $0
Goods and Services $7,643
  • Professional services and contracts
$0
  • Other
$7,643
Total $117,960

9.2 Human Resources

Resources Person Years Dedicated ATI activities
Full-time employees 1.36
Part-time and casual employees 0.00
Regional staff 0.00
Consultants and agency personnel 0.00
Students 0.00
Total 1.36
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