2024-2025 Annual Report to Parliament: Access to Information Act

Table of contents

Introduction

roman numeral 1. Introduction

The purpose of the Access to Information Act (ATIA) is to provide Canadians with access to records under the control of federal institutions, except for records subject to limited and specific exemptions and exclusions.

This report reflects activities of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC), with respect to the stated legislation, for the period of April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025.

The annual report is tabled in Parliament pursuant to section 94 of the ATIA and in accordance to section 20 of the Service Fees Act. The report describes the activities of CIRNAC that support compliance with access to information legislation.

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada's Mandate

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada continues to renew the nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown, government-to-government relationship between Canada and First Nations, Inuit and Métis; modernize Government of Canada structures to enable Indigenous Peoples to build capacity and support their vision of self-determination; and lead the Government of Canada's work in the North.

The relationship must be based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership. CIRNAC will build on the progress that has been already made, including the establishment of rights and recognition tables across the country, the strengthening of relationships with  National Indigenous Organizations to make progress on shared priorities, and the progress made across government on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action.

CIRNAC is one of two federal departments that are primarily responsible for meeting the Government of Canada's obligations and commitments to First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and for fulfilling the federal government's constitutional responsibilities in the North. CIRNAC's overall mandate and wide-ranging responsibilities are shaped by centuries of history and unique demographic and geographic challenges. The mandate is derived from the Constitution Act 1982, the Indian Act, the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Act (preceded by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Act), territorial Acts, treaties, comprehensive claims and self-government agreements, as well as various other statutes affecting Indigenous Peoples and the North.

roman numeral 2. Organization

Administration of the Access to Information Act at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

CIRNAC's Access to Information and Privacy Office (ATIPO) receives requests for records from the Canadian public and processes them on behalf of the Minister and the Department.  They perform their duties under the ATIAand the Privacy Act (PA) and through a Ministerial delegation order.

The ATIP Office is situated in the Corporate Secretariat.The Corporate Secretary is a member of the CIRNAC Senior Management Table.

The ATIP Office also coordinates and implements policies, guidelines and procedures to ensure departmental compliance with the ATIA and PA. Workshop presentations, training courses and awareness sessions designed to increase access to information and privacy capacity across the Department are also provided.

Under section 96, CIRNAC provides shared ATIP services to Indigenous Servies Canada (ISC) through a Service Level Agreement (SLA). The SLA is updated yearly and ISC's Corporate Secretary is responsible for its approval within their department.

Delegation of ministerial responsibilities for the ATIA and PA remains institutionally specific.

Under a shared service model, all ATIP analysts process requests for both CIRNAC and ISC. Requests are varied in volume and complexity.

The ATIP Office provides advice and guidance to both departments on a number of topics:

  1. The application of the ATIA and PA;
  2. The release of sensitive or protected information to the public;
  3. Education and awareness of access to information and privacy issues throughout the Department; and
  4. Proactive publications.

The Intake Team triages and coordinates the receipt of requests for records from the Canadian public or persons residing in Canada, under the control of the Department and made pursuant to the ATIA and PA.

The Operations Team processes records in line with the ATIA and PA. The Team is responsible for providing the responses within the legislated timeframe.

In addition to the ATIP Office, within each of the sectors and regional offices of CIRNAC there are ATIP Liaison Officers (ALOs) who  receive callouts from the ATIP Office and subsequently task the requests to areas within their sector to retrieve records. ALOs play a crucial role in ensuring the appropriate records, impact statements and approvals are obtained and communicated to the ATIP Office within the designated time allowances.

ATIP analysts work closely with the relevant program areas in order to ensure that all responsive documents are identified and that the information contained within those documents are treated in accordance with the Acts. This work ensures departmental records are appropriately disclosed to the Canadian public in support of openness and transparency.

All requests are monitored and processed using the AccessPro case management system. The ATIP Office  will be transitioning away from this sunsetting case management system. A new system called ATIPXpress has been procured. This solution was chosen  to increase efficiency by reducing processing times and moving away from a more manual system. It will improve departmental compliance with  legislative timelines, improve support to the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC), and the Privacy Commissioners of Canada (OPC) and improve service to the Canadian public. This new case management system provides a supported, stable, and technologically contemporary tool  to manage both department's workloads fluidly within one system, further cutting processing time. The solution is expected to  be implemented in fiscal 2025-2026.

ATIP Operations is working on updating and formalizing their Developmental Program in order to recruit and retain qualified analysts with specialized skills. The multi-phased program is based on performance benchmarks that clearly state the expectations at each level from CR-04 to PM-06. An employee can choose to participate in the program to develop their skills, build experience and advance their careers within the organization. With guidance from the Team Leaders, analysts can gain specialized expertise  related to CIRNAC's  unique record sets.

This program is developed with the intent to be open and transparent in order to develop and retain current staff and provide growth opportunities within the ATIP Office and the Department. The pilot Developmental Program has been highly successful. This reporting period, eleven analysts were promoted or provided acting opportunities based on their success in the program.

The Department has continued to meet its proactive publication requirements in this reporting period and has published briefing material titles submitted to the Minister and Deputy Minister on a monthly basis. It has also published the summaries of the completed requests on the Open Government Portal, thereby continuing to improve communication with Canadians and promoting transparency.

The Department continued to use the Microsoft Office 365 tools, to communicate internally and engage with key stakeholders. The ATIP office leveraged these  tools for the transfer of information with sectors  to allow for business continuity within the hybrid workplace structure.

To better serve our clients, the Department participates in the Access to Information and Privacy Online Request Service. Canadians can submit requests under the Acts through this online channel administered by TBS.

The ATIP Office continues to work in a hybrid model. Since pandemic response conditions substantially reduced the use of paper, the office mostly received electronic requests and records. It provided release packages electronically to applicants with the use of E-post Connect, which was implemented in February 2020.

roman numeral 3. Delegation Order

Under section 95 of the ATIA, the Minister’s authority may be delegated to departmental officials in order to administer the Act within CIRNAC.

During the reporting period, the delegation order signed by the Honorable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, on January 28, 2021, was in effect (Annex A). The order delegates full authority and responsibility for the ATIA to the following positions:

  • Deputy Minister
  • Associate Deputy Minister
  • Corporate Secretary
  • ATIP Coordinator
  • ATIP Deputy Directors

Director's Office

The Director (EX-01), as institutional ATIP Coordinator, holds full delegated authority under the ATIA. The Director is supported in day-to-day administrative tasks by the Deputy Director Operations (PM-06), Deputy Director Privacy/Policy (PM-06), an Administrative Assistant (AS-01) and is also supported in reporting by the Systems Administrator (AS-04)

Privacy/Policy Team

The Privacy/Policy Team is led by two Team Leaders (PM-05), who are responsible for ensuring the department is adhering to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information holdings as per the Privacy Act. They also ensure all policies for Access and Privacy align with Treasury Board policies and directives. The Privacy/Policy Team consists of Analysts at the PM-04, PM-03 and PM-02 levels who respond to privacy policy matters (such as privacy breaches, court ordered disclosure requests, Privacy Assessments, etc.) and provide training and Privacy advice. They are supported by an intake Clerk (CR-04).

Operations Team

The Operations Team is led by three Team Leaders (PM-05), who are responsible for the overview of request processing by their team, including the review of completed requests. The Operations Team consists of Analysts at the PM-04, PM-03, and PM-02 levels who process Access and Privacy requests of varying volume and complexity, as well as provide training.

Intake Team

The Intake Team is led by one Team Lead (PM-5) and is comprised of various Intake Officers (PM-01s and CR-04s), who enter all applications into the electronic case management system, acknowledge receipt of requests, perform imaging services, interact with and respond to inquiries from the public.

Performance

roman numeral 4. Interpretation of the Statistical Report

CIRNAC’s Statistical Report and Supplemental Report were submitted to the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) on May 23, 2025 (Annex B). The Report details various aspects of the requests CIRNAC received and processed during the period of April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025.

1. Requests under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Number of requests

In 2024-2025, CIRNAC received 309 requests from the Canadian public, representing a increase of approximately 29.3% compared to the 239 received in 2023-2024 (Table 1.1a). With the addition of the 184 requests that were carried over from the previous year, this reflected a total of 493 requests to be processed in the course of the reporting period. The Department completed 239 requests and carried 254 requests into the next reporting period (2025-2026). This has resulted in a 17.94% overall workload increase compared to the previous reporting year.

The listing of CIRNAC's completed access to information requests can be found on the Open Canada website.

Table 1.1a 2021-2025 Number of requests received and outstanding from previous reporting period
Number of Requests 2021-2022 2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025
Received during reporting period 303 227 239 309
Outstanding from previous reporting period 215 216 179 184
Total 518 443 418 493
Table 1.1b 2021-2025 Number of requests closed and carried over to next reporting period
Number of Requests 2021-2022 2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025
Closed during reporting period 305 266 235 239
Carried over to next reporting period 213 177 183 254
1.2 Sources of requests

In the 2024–2025 reporting year, the business’s (private sector) emerged as the most engaged sector, with 85 requests, indicating a strong presence and possibly increased collaboration or interest from private entities. The Public and Decline to Identify categories followed closely, with 63 and 64 requests respectively, suggesting a broad base of engagement from individuals or groups. Organizations also showed a notable increase, contributing 43 requests—significantly higher than in previous years. Meanwhile, Media and Academia accounted for 33 and 21 requests respectively, reflecting moderate but consistent participation. This distribution highlights a diversified engagement across sectors, with a marked rise in private sector and organizational involvement in 2024–2025.

Description of Table 1.2 Sources of Requests 2021-2025

Table 1.2 Sources of Requests 2021-2025
Text alternative for Table 1.2 Sources of Requests 2021-2025
  Public Media Business Organization Academia Decline to Identify
2021-2022 85 26 61 13 78 40
2022-2023 41 10 42 3 64 67
2023-2024 24 27 61 7 95 25
2024-2025 33 21 85 43 63 64
1.3 Channels of requests

The channels of requests serve to identify the mechanism used by the Canadian public to request records from the Department: Open Government of Canada Portal, e-mail, mail, phone or fax. The Government of Canada Online Portal was the most used mechanism to request records from the Department, accounting for 276 of the 309 requests received.

2. Informal Requests

An informal request is defined as a request for copies of previously released access to information requests. As per Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) policies, institutions are required to publicly post titles of summaries of completed requests. Government departments do not charge any application fees for the informal requests and there are no timelines for responding to the requesters. In addition, the requesters have no statutory right of complaint to the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada (OIC).

2.1 Number of informal requests

During the 2024-2025 reporting period, CIRNAC received 525 informal requests, an increase of 47% compared to the 277 requests received in 2023-2024. 119 requests were carried over from the previous year which meant a total of 644 informal requests were to be processed. The ATIP Office completed 405 requests and carried 239 requests into the next reporting period 2025-2026.

Table 2.1 Number of Informal Requests Received
Text alternative for Table 2.1 Number of Informal Requests Received
Year Number of Requests
2021-2022 157
2022-2023 617
2023-2024 277
2024-2025 525
2.2 Channels of informal requests

The channels of requests serve to identify the mechanism used by the Canadian public to make a request for previously released records: Government of Canada Open Canada website, e-mail, mail, in person, phone or fax. In the course of this reporting period, 495 requests were received online through Open Canada.

2.3 Completion time of informal requests

The table 2.3 (below), reports on the number of requests/completion time for the 405 informal requests closed during the 2024-2025 reporting period. The table explains the percentage of informal requests closed during the reporting period and the number of days it took to process and close them.

Table 2.3 Completion time of informal requests
Text alternative for Table 2.3 Completion time of informal requests
Days Percentage
1 to 15 days 1%
16 to 30 days 5%
31 to 60 days 14%
61 to 120 days 39%
121 to 180 days 24%
181 to 365 days 12%
> Than 365 days 5%
2.4 Pages released informally

This section provides information on the number of informal requests closed in relation to pages released. Table 2.4 provides information on the number of informal requests that were closed during the 2024-2025 reporting period that fall under each range of pages released. Of the 405 informal requests completed, 141 were requests for copies of records previously processed through a formal access to information request.

Table 2.4 Pages released informally
Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released
Less than 100 110 1,920
100 to 500 14 2,709
501 to 1000 13 8,288
1001 to 5000 3 3,189
Greater than 5000 1 16,314
Total 141 32,420
2.5 Pages re-released informally

Of the 405 informal requests completed, 264 requests were processed as re-releases. These requests were for copies of previously released records that were processed through informal requests.

Table 2.5 Pages re-released informally
Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released
Less than 100 199 4,356
100 to 500 50 10,488
501 to 1000 11 7,059
1001 to 5000 4 6,397
Greater than 5000 0 0
Total 264 28,300

3. Applications to the Information Commissioner on Declining to Act on Requests

As per the Act, departments may submit an application to the Information Commissioner to decline to act on a request considered to be vexatious, made in bad faith or considered to be an abuse of rights. This application must be approved by the Information Commissioner of Canada (OIC) pursuant to section 6 of the ATIA. CIRNAC has submitted 6 applications to decline to act pursuant to section 6 for the 2024-2025 reporting year.

4. Requests closed during the reporting period

4.1 Disposition and completion time

Of the 239 formal Access to Information requests closed during the reporting period, CIRNAC was able to fully or partially disclose records in 76 cases (32% of the requests) (Table 4.1).

Table 4.1 Percentage of completed files relevant to each disclosures
Text alternative for Table 4.1 Percentage of completed files relevant to each disclosures
Dispositions Percentage
All disclosed 9%
Disclosed in part 23%
All exempted 2%
All excluded 0%
No records exist 50%
Request transferred 3%
Request abandoned 13%

About 16% percent of requests were abandoned or transferred to the appropriate government institution (37 cases). Only 2% of all requests (6 cases) had the relevant records fully withheld under the provisions of the Act. Finally, there were no records that existed in response to 50% of the requests (120 cases).

4.2 Exemptions

The most commonly invoked exemption during the reporting period was pursuant to section 21(1) (advise and deliberations), which was cited in 64 requests (Table 4.2). The next most commonly invoked exemption applied was pursuant to section 20(1) (third party information) which was applied in 63 instances, and finally, the exemption pursuant to section 19(1) (personal information) was applied in 44 instances.

Table 4.2 Number of requests closed where exemption provisions were invoked
Section Number of requests
13(1)(c) 2
13(1)(e) 2
14(a) 2
16(1)(a)(ii) 1
16(2) 5
16(2)(c) 6
16(3) 1
17 1
18(b) 1
19(1) 44
20(1)(b) 38
20(1)(c) 14
20(1)(d) 11
21(1)(a) 18
21(1)(b) 29
21(1)(c) 14
21(1)(d) 3
23 16
4.3 Exclusions

In 2024-2025, the Department applied 13 mandatory exclusion provisions on requests completed. The most frequent exclusion applied was section 69(1)(g) re (a), which are records containing information related to Memoranda to Cabinet (Table 4.3).

Table 4.3 Number of requests closed where exclusion provisions were applied
Section Number of requests
68(a) 2
68.1 2
68.2(a) 2
69(1)(g) re (a) 5
69(1)(g) re (b) 1
69(1)(g) re (c) 1
69(1)(g) re (d) 1
69(1)(g) re (e) 2
4.4 Format of information released

Over the course of this reporting period, all responses were provided to the requesters electronically through E-post Connect or through e-mail.

4.5 Complexity

The following sections outline several factors affecting the complexity of requests that were completed throughout 2024-2025.

4.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed

Of the 239 requests closed, 113 requests generated 27,277 pages processed. The total amount of pages disclosed was 15,969 during the reporting period (Table 4.5.1).

Table 4.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed
Number of Pages Processed Number of Pages Disclosed Number of Requests
27,277 15,969 113
4.5.2 Relevant pages processed per request disposition for paper and e-records formats by size of requests

Of the 113 requests, 77 requests (68%) required the processing of 100 pages or less. 22 requests contained 101-1000 pages accounting for the processing of 5,695 pages. 14 requests, containing greater than 500 pages, accounted for the processing of 20,084 records.

Table 4.5.2 Relevant pages processed per request disposition by size of requests.
Dispositions < 100 pages 101-500 pages 501-1000 pages 1001-5000 pages > 5000 pages
Requests Pages Requests Pages Requests Pages Requests Pages Requests Pages
All disclosed 17 225 1 124 1 756 2 2,920 0 0
Disclosed in part 27 1,105 17 4,513 6 4,377 5 12,031 0 0
All exempted 5 90 1 291 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Abandoned 28 78 3 767 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 77 1,498 22 5,695 7 5,133 7 14,951 0 0
4.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats

No audio files were provided to the CIRNAC ATIP office in response to an ATIA request.

4.5.4 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests

No audio files were provided to the CIRNAC ATIP office in response to an ATIA request.

4.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats

No video files were provided to the CIRNAC ATIP office in response to an ATIA request.

4.5.6 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests

No video files were provided to the CIRNAC ATIP office in response to an ATIA request.

4.5.7 Other complexities

During the reporting period, the Department consulted other government institutions 12 times. Consultations with third parties were required in 38 instances with First Nations, organizations, and businesses. More than one institution can be consulted per request. Other complexities included requests with high profile subject matter, requests for contents of a database, and instances where records needed to be retrieved from other regions (Table 4.5.7).

Table 4.5.7 Other complexities
Disposition Consultation required Legal advice sought Other Total
All disclosed 1 0 11 12
Disclosed in part 18 5 26 49
All exempted 1 0 3 4
All excluded 0 0 0 0
Abandoned 2 0 0 2
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0
Total 22 5 40 67
4.6 Closed Requests
4.6.1 Number of requests closed within legislated timelines

The following section reports the number and percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines, with or without extensions, during the current reporting period. Overall, 173 files were closed within legislative timelines, representing 72% compliance. The results from 2024-2025 demonstrate a increase in compliance rates up from 60% achieved in the previous fiscal year.

Table 4.6.1 Requests closed within legislated timelines
Number of requests closed within legislated timelines 173
Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines (%) 72.38
4.7 Deemed refusals
4.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines

During the 2024–2025 reporting period, CIRNAC did not meet the statutory response timelines on 93 occasions. The majority of these deemed refusals were attributed to ongoing challenges in retrieving records and processing requests within the Department’s current resource capacity. Additional pressures faced by the ATIP Office included difficulties in recruiting and retaining junior-level staff for the pilot developmental program, managing files with exceptionally large volumes of records, and addressing a surge in requests received within a condensed timeframe. These factors significantly strained existing resources. The situation was further compounded by unanticipated Information Commissioner Orders, which required the reassignment of senior analysts and sector specialists, disrupting planned workflows. Moreover, external consultations with Indigenous organizations and other institutions introduced additional complexities and delays. Collectively, these challenges had a measurable impact on the Department’s workload and overall performance.

Table 4.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines
Number of requests closed past the legislated timelines Principal Reasons
Interference with Operations / Workload External Consultation Internal Consultation Other
93 70 12 0 11
4.7.2 Requests closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)

Requests closed beyond legislated timelines include those for which extensions were applied. In the 2024–2025 reporting period, a total of 66 requests were classified as deemed refusals due to being closed past the statutory deadlines. Of these, 29 requests were closed late without any extensions applied, while 37 requests had extensions invoked under section 9(1) of the Access to Information Act but were still completed beyond the legislated timelines. This breakdown provides insight into the Department’s compliance challenges and highlights areas for continued process improvement.

Table 4.7.2 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
1 to 15 days 3 5
16 to 30 days 7 1
31 to 60 days 2 5
61 to 120 days 2 5
121 to 180 days 2 2
181 to 365 days 9 10
More than 365 days 4 9
Total 29 37
4.8 Requests for translation

During the reporting period, there were no instances where a requester asked for responsive records to be translated to another official language.

5. Extensions

5.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests

Of the 239 requests closed during 2024-2025, a total of 95 extensions were applied pursuant to section 9(1) of the Act. The most common justification for these extensions was to prevent interference with departmental operations due to high workload, accounting for 69 extensions or 72% of the total. Additionally, 16 extensions (representing 17%) were required to facilitate consultations with third parties, including but not limited to First Nations. A further 10 extensions (11%) were necessary to consult with other federal government departments.

Table 5.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests
Disposition of Requests Where an Extension Was Taken 9(1)(a) 9(1)(b) 9(1)(c) Total
Interference Operations / Workload Consultation Third-Party Notice
Section 69 Other
All disclosed 10 0 0 0 10
Disclosed in part 31 2 7 13 53
All exempted 1 0 1 0 2
All excluded 3 0 0 1 4
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0
No records exist 21 0 0 1 22
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 4 0 1 1 6
Total 69 2 8 16 95
5.2 Length of extensions

More than one type of extension may be taken for a single request. The number of extensions reported does not equate to the number of requests involved. The majority of extensions, more specifically 131 extensions or 88%, requested and applied during the reporting period were for a length of time of 120 days or less (Table 5.2).

Table 5.2 Length of extensions
Length of extensions 9(1)(a) 9(1)(b) 9(1)(c) Total
Interference Operations / Workload Consultation Third party notice
Section 69 Other
30 days or less 9 0 1 1 1
31 to 60 days 27 1 1 1 6
61 to 120 days 32 1 6 6 6
121 to 180 days 0 0 0 0 1
181 to 365 days 1 0 0 0 1
365 days or more 0 0 0 0 0
Total 69 2 8 8 16

6. Fees

In accordance with the amendments to the ATIA that came into effect on June 21, 2019, CIRNAC is authorized to charge an application fee of $5, as outlined in paragraph 7(1)(a) of the Regulations. However, section 11 of the ATIA provides institutions with the discretion to waive this fee when deemed appropriate.

In November 2023, CIRNAC made the strategic decision to eliminate the $5 application fee for all formal ATIA. Requests submitted through the ATIP Online Request Portal, effective December 1, 2023, no longer changed fees. This initiative was implemented in support of advancing Indigenous Reconciliation by improving accessibility to government information. As a result, for the second year in a row, no application fees were collected during 2024–2025.

7. Consultations Received from other Institutions and Organizations

The Access to Information and Privacy Office, communicates with other departments to inquire on their service standards in order to ensure legislative timelines are met.

7.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and organizations

During the 2024–2025 reporting period, CIRNAC received a total of 57 consultations from other Government of Canada institutions, involving 5,840 pages for review. An additional 8 consultations were received from other organizations, including provincial, territorial, municipal governments, and international bodies, accounting for 472 pages. Combined with 9 outstanding consultations (8 from federal institutions and 1 from other organizations) carried over from the previous year, the Department processed a total of 74 consultations during the reporting period.

Of these, 55 consultations were completed—48 from federal institutions (7,390 pages) and 7 from other organizations (362 pages). At the end of the reporting period, 18 consultations remained outstanding and were carried forward to 2025–2026, comprising 16 from federal institutions (1,840 pages) and 2 from other organizations (311 pages).

Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions refer to those subject to the Access to Information Act, while consultations from other organizations include those from provincial and territorial governments, municipalities, and international entities.

Table 7.1a Consultation received and carried over from the previous reporting period from other Government of Canada institutions and organizations
Consultations Other Government of Canada Institutions Pages to Review Other Organizations Pages to Review
Received during reporting period 57 5,840 8 472
Outstanding from the previous reporting period 8 3,390 1 201
Total 65 9,230 9 673
Table 7.1b Consultation received from other Government of Canada institutions and organizations closed and carried over to next reporting period
Consultations Other Government of Canada Institutions Pages to Review Other Organizations Pages to Review
Closed during the reporting period 48 7,390 7 362
Carried over to next reporting period 16 1,840 1 311
7.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions

In 2024-2025, of the 48 consultations closed from other government of Canada institutions, 30 consultations or 62% were recommended by the Department for full disclosure (Table 7.2). 32 consultations or 66%, were completed within 60 days of their receipt. There were 8 occurrences (17%) where the Department required longer than 120 days to provide a response to their request.

Table 7.2 Consultation and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions
Text alternative for Table 7.2 Consultation and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions
  1 to 15 16 to 30 31 to 60 61 to 120 121 to 180 181 to 365 > 365
Disclose entirely 9 6 7 6 2 1 0
Disclose in part 0 3 2 2 2 1 1
Exempt entirely 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Exclude entirely 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 1 0 1 1 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations outside the Government of Canada

In 2024-2025, the Department received eight (8) new consultation requests from other organizations and seven (7) consultations were closed in the course of the same period. Six (6) of these requests were recommended to be partially disclosed.

Table 7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations
Text alternative for Table 7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations
  1 to 15 16 to 30 31 to 60 61 to 120 121 to 180 181 to 365 > 365
Disclose entirely 0 1 1 1 0 1 0
Disclose in part 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exempt entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exclude entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8. Completion time of Consultations on Cabinet Confidences

In this section, the information provides details on the number of completed consultations during the current reporting period in regards to the application of Section 69 (cabinet confidences) of the Act. In some instances, a file may have required more than one consultation.

8.1 Requests with Legal Services

In 2024-2025, five (5) consultations were sent to the departmental Legal Services Unit for the application of Section 69 of the Act due to possible cabinet confidences (Table 8.1). A response was received within 60 days in three (3) instances, and two (2) took no longer than 120 days to obtain a response. A total of 18 pages were recommended to be disclosed.

Table 8.1 Requests with Legal Services
Number of Days Less than 100 Pages Processed
Requests Pages Disclosed
1 to 15 days 0 0
16 to 30 days 2 4
31 to 60 days 1 3
61 to 120 days 2 11
121 to 180 days 0 0
181 to 365 days 0 0
> 365 days 0 0
Total 5 18
8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office

In 2024-2025, CIRNAC did not send any consultation requests to the Privy Council Office.

9. Complaints and Investigations

The Department has established a Complaint Coordinator position for the processing of complaints and working with the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC). This team tracks the progress made on complaints and supports the OIC while they complete their investigations. Regular meetings are held with the OIC where the progress and status of complaint files are discussed for resolution. These meetings have assisted with the early resolution of complaints.

9.1 Investigations

During the 2024–2025 reporting period, a total of 19 new complaints were submitted to the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC), in accordance with section 32 of the Access to Information Act (see Table 9.1). Throughout the year, the ATIP Office reviewed and processed 43,593 pages related to these complaints. Five complaints were either discontinued or abandoned, and formal representation was required in response to three separate complaints.

As of March 31, 2025, there were 16 complaints actively under review. Of these, six (6) originated during the 2024–2025 reporting period, eight (8) were carried over from 2023–2024, and two (2) remained unresolved from 2022–2023.

Table 9.1 Investigations
Section 32 Notice of intention to investigate Subsection 30(5) Ceased to investigate Section 35 Formal Representations
19 5 3
9.2 Reports of findings

During the current reporting period, the Department worked with the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) to successfully close 14 complaints. Of the 14 closed complaints, the Department received initial reports for four (4) and eight (8) final reports. The additional closed complaints did not require a report of findings due to having received an early resolution or cease to investigate notice from the OIC.

The Department received four (4) orders issued by the Information Commissioner. One order required the re-review of 78,587 pages of responsive records which put pressure on the Department. It met this pressure by providing overtime and working with the Office of Primary Interest (OPI) to receive records in batches to ensure no delay the review and release of records. These work arounds enabled the Department to meet its commitment to the Information Commissioner.

Table 9.2 Reports of findings
Section 37(1) Initial Reports Section 37(2) Final Reports
Received Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner Containing orders issued by the Information Commissioner Received Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner Containing orders issued by the Information Commissioner
4 0 4 8 0 4
9.3 Summary of Key Issues and Actions Taken on Complaints

During the reporting period, access to information complaints primarily centered on challenges related to the retrieval of records and the Department’s ability to process requests in a timely manner. In response to these issues, the institution took concrete steps to improve its performance and address the concerns raised. Notably, the Complaints Team focused its efforts on processing backlog files to reduce delays and improve overall response times in addition to creating a new tracker for complaints and orders issued by the Information Commissioner. Additionally, a senior consultant was assigned to the team to provide strategic oversight, enhance decision-making, and support more efficient file processing. These targeted actions reflect the institution’s commitment to improving its access to information services and resolving complaints in a timely and effective manner.

10. Court Action

There was no federal court action during this reporting period.

11. Resources related to the Access to Information Act

11.1 Allocated Costs

In 2024-2025, CIRNAC spent a total of $1,023,466 on staffing and goods and services. Of this total, $122,955 was spent on goods and services, and professional services contracts. These amounts reflect the level of effort in support of CIRNAC’s responsibilities pursuant to the Act (Table 11.1).

Table 11.1 Allocated Costs
Expenditures Amount
Salaries $848,744
Overtime $51,767
Goods and Services
Professional services contracts $115,323  
Other $7,632  
Total Goods and Services $122,955
Total $1,023,466
11.2 Human Resources

In 2024-2025, CIRNAC allocated a total 10.239 full time employees (FTE), including the services of 0.5 of a consultant and part time support of one (1) casual employee, through the course of the reporting period.

roman numeral 5. Training and Awareness

Throughout the 2024–2025 reporting period, the ATIP Office delivered ATIP 101 and ATIP 102 training sessions, aimed at enhancing awareness and building capacity across the Department. ATIP 101 focused on foundational knowledge, including the purpose and history of the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act, their general applications, and departmental-specific guidance, such as commonly applied exemptions and best practices for working collaboratively with Indigenous partners.

ATIP 102 provided targeted training for ATIP Liaison Officers, covering sector-specific procedures, compliance requirements, and internal service standards. These sessions are designed to ensure consistent and effective handling of ATIP requests across all departmental sectors. To further strengthen internal collaboration, the ATIP Office hosted biannual Town Hall meetings with Liaison Officers, fostering open dialogue and transparency.

During the 2024–2025 reporting period, ATIP Team Leaders and Deputy Directors conducted ad hoc training sessions for staff at all levels, including senior management and the offices of the Deputy Minister and Minister. These sessions covered ATIP awareness overviews, informal briefings on the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act and topic-specific discussions related to departmental priorities.

One-on-one coaching sessions were also provided to senior management, the Director, and Deputy Directors. These targeted engagements ensure consistent application of the Acts and foster open, transparent dialogue across the Department.

roman numeral 6. Monitoring Compliance

The ATIP Office runs weekly, monthly, quarterly and ad hoc reporting on all aspects of ATIP Operations and compliance with all levels of staff. During the reporting period there were weekly meetings with Minister’s Office, Deputy Minister’s Office, Parliamentary Affairs and Communications in order to present the incoming and outgoing requests and answer any questions. Monthly statistical reporting of ATIP Operations is completed and presented to the Corporate Secretary and to senior management, and reporting on compliance is provided quarterly to sectors. The System Administrator is responsible for all reporting functions including monitoring overall compliance.

roman numeral 7. Policies, Guidelines, and Procedures

In alignment with evolving directives and policies from the Treasury Board of Canada, the ATIP Office remains committed to regularly updating its internal policies and procedures. During the 2024–2025 fiscal year, significant revisions were made to the Proactive Publication procedures to enhance efficiency and streamline operations.

In response to an increased volume of orders from the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, the protocols for notifying the Minister and Deputy Minister and managing responses were revised to ensure timely and coordinated action. Additional updates were implemented to improve guidance on handling medical files, simple privacy requests, and day school-related inquiries.

The ATIP Manual—which consolidates all unit policies and procedures—was comprehensively updated during this reporting period. Key procedural revisions included: Closing of Requests; Complaints Procedure; Informal Requests chapters; and Release Chart Procedures.

roman numeral 8. Initiatives and Projects to Improve Access to Information

The Department acquired a new case management system, ATIPXpress, which is set to replace the legacy AccessPro platform. The previous system relied heavily on manual processes, contributing to inefficiencies and increased risk of error. ATIPXpress is designed to enhance accuracy, reduce processing delays, and improve overall workflow. Deployment of the new system is planned for the 2025–2026 fiscal year.

roman numeral 9. Proactive Publication

Proactive Publication under Part 2 of the ATIA

Proactive publication is a Department-wide effort with contributions from multiple sectors across both CIRNAC and ISC. These sectors include the Corporate Secretariat, the Human Resources and Workplace Services Branch, and the Chief Finances, Results and Delivery Officer sector. Each has developed their own workflows in order to streamline and post on the departmental website or Open Canada within the obligatory timelines. CCM Enterprise and GCDOCS were used to manage information and consult with sectors. Certain publications such as briefing binders, briefing note title lists, and packages of briefing material were reviewed by the ATIP office prior to publication. The table below outlines each legislative requirement, section of the Act, publication timeline, the link to the publication, and the overall compliance for the 2024-2025 year (Table 12.1).

Table 12.1 Proactive Publication Requirements Table
Legislative Requirement Section Publication Timeline Does requirement apply to your institution? (Y/N) Link to web page where publishedFootnote * % of proactive publication requirements published within legislated timelinesFootnote ** Internal group(s) or positions(s) responsible for fulfilling requirement
Travel Expenses 82 Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement Y Government Travel Expenses 100% Events Team
Hospitality Expenses 83 Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement Y Search Government Hospitality Expenses 100% Events Team
Reports tabled in Parliament 84 Within 30 days after tabling Y 100% Strategic Policy, Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs Branch (SPCPAB); Communications
Footnote 1

i.e. specific page where that information is located on open.canada.ca or the institution’s website

Return to table note * referrer

Footnote 2

When counting proactive publication requirements count monthly or quarterly reports as a single publication.

Return to table note ** referrer
Government entities or Departments, agencies, and other bodies subject to the Act and listed in Schedules roman numeral 1, I.1, or roman numeral 2 of the Financial Administration Act
Legislative Requirement Section Publication Timeline Does requirement apply to your institution? (Y/N) Link to web page where publishedFootnote * % of proactive publication requirements published within legislated timelinesFootnote ** Internal group(s) or positions(s) responsible for fulfilling requirement
Contracts over $10,000 86 Q1-3: Within 30 days after the quarter, Q4: Within 60 days after the quarter Y Search Government Contracts over $10,000 (canada.ca) 100% CFRDO's MAMD-Procurement Reporting Team
Grants & Contributions over $25,000 87 Within 30 days after the quarter Y Grants and Contributions (canada.ca) 100% CFRDO’s Financial system and Training Team
Packages of briefing materials prepared for new or incoming deputy heads or equivalent 88(a) Within 120 days after appointment Y N/A N/A Corporate Secretariat's Executive Services Operations (Ministerial Correspondence Unit and Systems and Reporting Team)
Titles and reference numbers of memoranda prepared for a deputy head or equivalent, that is received by their office 88(b) Within 30 days after the end of the month received Y Briefing Note Title Lists 100% Corporate Secretariat's Executive Services Operations (Ministerial Correspondence Unit and Systems and Reporting Team)
Packages of briefing materials prepared for a deputy head or equivalent’s appearance before a committee of Parliament 88(c) Within 120 days after appearance Y Committee appearances 100% Legislative, Parliamentary & Regulatory Affairs (LPRAD), Sectors, Communications
Footnote 3

i.e. specific page where that information is located on open.canada.ca or the institution’s website

Return to table note * referrer

Footnote 4

When counting proactive publication requirements count monthly or quarterly reports as a single publication.

Return to table note ** referrer
Government institutions that are departments named in Schedule roman numeral 1 to the Financial Administration Act or portions of the core public administration named in Schedule roman numeral 4 to that Act (i.e. government institutions for which Treasury Board is the employer)
Legislative Requirement Section Publication Timeline Does requirement apply to your institution? (Y/N) Link to web page where publishedFootnote * % of proactive publication requirements published within legislated timelinesFootnote ** Internal group(s) or positions(s) responsible for fulfilling requirement
Reclassification of positions 85 Within 30 days after the quarter Y Search Government Position Reclassifications | Open Government - Government of Canada 100% Centre of Expertise in Classification; HR Analytics
Footnote 5

i.e. specific page where that information is located on open.canada.ca or the institution’s website

Return to table note * referrer

Footnote 6

When counting proactive publication requirements count monthly or quarterly reports as a single publication.

Return to table note ** referrer
Ministers
Legislative Requirement Section Publication Timeline Does requirement apply to your institution? (Y/N) Link to web page where publishedFootnote * % of proactive publication requirements published within legislated timelinesFootnote ** Internal group(s) or positions(s) responsible for fulfilling requirement
Packages of briefing materials prepared by a government institution for new or incoming ministers 74(a) Within 120 days after appointment Y Open Government Portal 100% Corporate Secretariat's Executive Services Operations
Titles and reference numbers of memoranda prepared by a government institution for the minister, that is received by their office 74(b) Within 30 days after the end of the month received Y Briefing Note Title Lists 100% Corporate Secretariat's Executive Services Operations (Ministerial Correspondence Unit and Systems and Reporting Team)
Package of question period notes prepared by a government institution for the minister and in use on the last sitting day of the House of Commons in June and December 74(c) Within 30 days after last sitting day of the House of Common in June and December Y Question Period Notes 100% Legislative, Parliamentary & Regulatory Affairs (LPRAD), Sectors, Communications
Packages of briefing materials prepared by a government institution for a minister’s appearance before a committee of Parliament 74(d) Within 120 days after appearance Y Committee appearances 100% Legislative, Parliamentary & Regulatory Affairs (LPRAD), Sectors, Communications
Travel Expenses 75 Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement Y Government Travel Expenses 100% Events Team
Hospitality Expenses 76 Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement Y Search Government Hospitality Expenses | Open Government - Government of Canada 100% Events Team
Contracts over $10,000 77
  • Q1-3: Within 30 days after the quarter
  • Q4: Within 60 days after the quarter
 Y Search Government Contracts over $10,000 100% CFRDO's MAMD-Procurement Reporting Team
Ministers' Offices Expenses
*Note: This consolidated report is currently published by TBS on behalf of all institutions.		 78 Within 120 days after the fiscal year N N/A N/A  
Footnote 7

i.e. specific page where that information is located on open.canada.ca or the institution’s website

Return to table note * referrer

Footnote 8

When counting proactive publication requirements count monthly or quarterly reports as a single publication.

Return to table note ** referrer

Highlights

roman numeral 10. 2024-2025 Points of Interest

The Department received 309 ATIA requests and closed 239. It processed 27,277 pages of records under the legislation and carried over 254 files into the new year (2025-2026).

The largest source of access to information requests was individuals who identified as businesses at 28%, followed by 21% of people who declined to identify.

In addition, 65 requests for consultation were received from other institutions and organizations, resulting in the processing of 7,752 pages of records. A further, 525 informal requests were received and 405 were completed during this reporting period resulting in the re-review of 60,720 pages.

The majority of exemptions applied pursuant to the ATIA were subject to section 21 (advice and deliberations), followed by section 20(1) (third party information) and finally section 19 (personal information). The exclusion applied the most under the Act was section 69(1) (cabinet confidences) as they generally contained references to records related to funding via Treasury Board Submission or Memoranda to Cabinet.

Extensions were requested beyond 30 days, pursuant to section 9(1)(a) of the ATIA, for interference with operations, due to the increase demand on the ATIP Office and the Department and associated workloads. Extensions were also required pursuant to 9(1)(b) and 9(1)(c) for the purpose of consultations with other government departments and Indigenous organizations.

The Department received 19 complaints from the Office of the Information Commissioner. 14 complaints were closed resulting in the processing of 43,593 pages.

Pursuant Bill C-58, and the amendments to the ATIA which added a requirement for mandatory proactive publication of specific information produced by government institutions, the Department has remained compliant and continues to ensure publication of all required documents either on the departmental website or Open Canada.

The ATIP Office continuously monitors progress on all ATIA request files. Reports are prepared monthly to ensure compliance with legislative timelines so that risks can be mitigated. Quarterly reports on the Department’s performance in meeting legislative time frames are produced and shared with senior management.

In 2024-2025, CIRNAC spent $1,023,466 on staffing and goods and services in support of the ATIA.

The ATIP Office has administered the Access to Information Act for Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) since November 30, 2017. This past fiscal year (2024-2025) was the seventh full year of reporting for CIRNAC under the ATIA.

Annex A

Order of Delegation of the Access to Information Act dated January 28, 2021

I, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, pursuant to section 95 of the Access to Information Act and section 73 of the Privacy Act, hereby delegate the persons holding the positions set out in the Delegation of Authority Schedule attached hereto, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers, duties and functions of the Minister as head of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, under the provisions of the Act and related regulations set out in the schedule opposite each position. This delegation supersedes all previous delegation orders.

Original document signed on January 28, 2021

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

Designation Pursuant to Section 73 of the Access to Information Act

6
Advise requesters that we need additional information to proceed with their request
7(a)
Give written notice to requestor that we can proceed with the request
8(1)
Transfer request to another institution or accept transfer from another institution
9
Extend time limits
10
Refuse to acknowledge or deny the existence of records
11
Charge additional fees
12
Provide access in alternate format
13
Exempt information obtained in confidence
14
Exempt information pertaining to federal-provincial affairs
15
Exempt information pertaining to international affairs and/or defence
16
Exempt information pertaining to law enforcement and investigations
17
Exempt information pertaining to the safety of individuals
18
Exempt information pertaining to the economic interests of Canada
19
Exempt personal information
20
Exempt or disclose third party information
21
Exempt information pertaining to advice, decision-making processes of government plans and positions etc.
22
Exempt information pertaining to testing procedures or audits
23
Exempt information pertaining to solicitor-client privilege
24
Exempt information subject to statutory prohibitions or other Acts of Parliament
25
Sever information
26
Exempt information to be published within 90 days
27(1)(4)
Notify third parties of their rights to provide comments/representations regarding the disclosure of their records
28
Receive third party representations; make a decision as to whether to disclose the record or part thereof; and, notify third party of right to appeal to Federal Court
29(1)
Disclose information on Information Commissioner's recommendation
33
Advise the Information Commissioner of any third-party involvement
35(2)
Make representations to the Information Commissioner during an investigation
37(4)
Release information to complainant
43(1)
Issue a notice to a third party of an application for Court review
44(2)
Issue a notice to an applicant that a third party has applied for Court review
52
Request special rules for hearings
69
Exclude Cabinet Confidences
71
Inspect and exempt information in manuals
72(1)
Prepare Annual Report to Parliament
77
Carry out responsibilities conferred to the Head of the institution by the regulations made under section 77 which are not included in the above
Delegation of Authority Schedule
Position Access to Information Act and Regulations Privacy Act and Regulations
Deputy Minister Full authority Full authority except:
sections 73.1(3), 73.1(5).
Associate Deputy Minister Full authority Full authority except:
sections 73.1(3), 73.1(5).
Corporate Secretary Full authority except:
sections 94, 96(3) or 96(5).		 Full authority
Sections 72, 73.1(3), 73.1(5).
Director, Access to Information and Privacy Full authority except:
sections 94, 96(3) or 96(5).		 Full authority, except:
Sections 72, 73.1(3), 73.1(5).
Deputy Director, Access to Information and Privacy Full authority, except:
sections 33, 37(1)(c), 37(4), 41(2), 43(2), 44(2) and 52(2)(b) and 52(3), 94, 96(3) or 96(5).		 Full authority except:
sections 8(2)(j), 8(2)(m), 8(5), 9(1), 9(4), 10, 33(2), 35(1)b), 35(4), 36(3)(b), 51(2)(b), (3), 72, 73.1(3), 73.1(5).

please see Access to Information Act for more information on the Access to Information Act.

Designation Pursuant to Section 73 of the Privacy Act

Sections and Powers, Duties or Functions

8(2)
Disclose personal information without the consent of the individual to whom it relates
8(4)
Keep copies of requests made under 8(2)(e), keep records of information disclosed pursuant to such requests and to make those records available to Privacy Commissioner
8(5)
Notify the Privacy Commissioner in writing of disclosure under paragraph 8(2)(m)
9(1)
Retain a record of use of personal information
9(4)
Notify the Privacy Commissioner of consistent use of personal information and update index accordingly
10
Include personal information in personal information banks
11(a)
Publish annually an index of all personal information banks and their respective contents
11(b)
Publish annually an index of all personal information held by the institution which is not part of a bank
14
Respond to request for access, within statutory deadline; give access or give notice
15
Extend time limit and notify applicant
16
Where access is refused
17(2)(b)
Language of access or alternative format of access
17(3)(b)
Access to personal information in alternative format
18(2)
May refuse to disclose information contained in an exempt bank
19(1)
Shall refuse to disclose information obtained in confidence from another government
19(2)
May disclose any information referred to in 19(1) if the other government consents to the disclosure or makes the information pubic
20
May refuse to disclose information injurious to federal-provincial affairs
21
May refuse to disclose information injurious to international affairs and/or defence
22
May refuse to disclose information injurious to law enforcement and investigation
23
May refuse to disclose information injurious to security clearances
24
May refuse to disclose information collected by the Canadian Penitentiary Service, the National Parole Service or the National Parole Board
25
May refuse to disclose information injurious to which could threaten the safety of individuals
26
May refuse to disclose information about other individuals, and shall refuse to disclose such information where disclosure is prohibited under section 8
27
May refuse to disclose information subject to solicitor-client privilege
28
May refuse to disclose information relating to an individual's physical or mental health where disclosure is contrary to the best interests of the individual
31
Receive notice of investigation by the Privacy Commissioner
33(2)
Make representations to the Privacy Commissioner during an investigation
35(1)
Receive the Privacy Commissioner's report of findings of the investigation and give notice of action taken
35(4)
Give complainant access to information after 35(1)(b) notice
36(3)
Receive Privacy Commissioner's report of findings of investigation of exempt
37(3)
Receive report of Privacy Commissioner's findings after compliance investigation where the institution has not complied with sections 4 to 8
51(2)(b)
Request that matter be heard and determined in National Capital Region
51(3)
Request and be given right to make representations in section 51 hearing
72(1)
Prepare Annual Report to Parliament
77
Carry out responsibilities conferred on the Head of the institution by the regulations made under section 77 which are not included above
Delegation of Authority Schedule
Position Access to Information Act and Regulations Privacy Act and Regulations
Deputy Minister Full authority Full authority except:
sections 73.1(3), 73.1(5).
Associate Deputy Minister Full authority Full authority except:
sections 73.1(3), 73.1(5).
Corporate Secretary Full authority except:
sections 94, 96(3) or 96(5).		 Full authority
Sections 72, 73.1(3), 73.1(5).
Director, Access to Information and Privacy Full authority except:
sections 94, 96(3) or 96(5).		 Full authority, except:
Sections 72, 73.1(3), 73.1(5).
Deputy Director, Access to Information and Privacy Full authority, except:
sections 33, 37(1)(c), 37(4), 41(2), 43(2), 44(2) and 52(2)(b) and 52(3), 94, 96(3) or 96(5).		 Full authority except:
sections 8(2)(j), 8(2)(m), 8(5), 9(1), 9(4), 10, 33(2), 35(1)b), 35(4), 36(3)(b), 51(2)(b), (3), 72, 73.1(3), 73.1(5).

Please see Privacy Act for more information on the Privacy Act

Annex B - Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act

Name of institution: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

Reporting period: 4/1/2024 to 3/31/2025

Section 1: Requests Under the Access to Information Act

1.1.1 Number of requests
  Number of Requests
Received during reporting period 309
Outstanding from previous reporting periods
Outstanding from previous reporting period 92  
Outstanding from more than one reporting period 92  
Total Outstanding from previous reporting periods 184
Total 493
1.1.2 Number of requests
  Number of Requests
Closed during reporting period 239
Carried over to next reporting period
Outstanding from previous reporting period 72  
Outstanding from more than one reporting period 182  
Total Carried over to next reporting period 254
1.2 Sources of requests
Source Number of Requests
Media 33
Academia 21
Business (private sector) 85
Organization 43
Public 63
Decline to Identify 64
Total 309
1.3 Channels of requests
Source Number of Requests
Online 276
E-mail 31
Mail 2
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 0
Total 309

Section 2: Informal Requests

2.1.1 Number of informal requests
  Number of Requests
Received during reporting period 525
Outstanding from previous reporting periods
Outstanding from previous reporting period 110  
Outstanding from more than one reporting period 9  
Total Outstanding from previous reporting periods 119
Total 644
2.1.2 Number of informal requests
  Number of Requests
Closed during reporting period 405
Carried over to next reporting period 239
2.2 Channels of informal requests
Source Number of Requests
Online 495
E-mail 30
Mail 0
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 0
Total 525
2.3 Completion time of informal requests
Completion Time
0 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 21 55 157 96 48 22 405
2.4 Pages released informally
Less Than 100
Pages Released		 100-500
Pages Released		 501-1000
Pages Released		 1001-5000
Pages Released		 More Than 5000
Pages Released
Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released
110 1,920 14 2,709 13 8,288 3 3,189 1 16,314
2.5 Pages re-released informally
Less Than 100
Pages Re-released		 100-500
Pages Re-released		 501-1000
Pages Re-released		 1001-5000
Pages Re-released		 More Than 5000
Pages Re-released
Number of Requests Pages Re-released Number of Requests Pages Re-released Number of Requests Pages Re-released Number of Requests Pages Re-released Number of Requests Pages Re-released
199 4,356 50 10,488 11 7,059 4 6,397 0 0

Section 3: Applications to the Information Commissioner on Declining to Act on Requests

3.1.1 Applications to the Information Commissioner on Declining to Act on Requests
  Number of Requests
Outstanding from previous reporting period 0
Sent during reporting period 6
Total 6
3.1.2 Applications to the Information Commissioner on Declining to Act on Requests
  Number of Requests
Approved by the Information Commissioner during reporting period 0
Declined by the Information Commissioner during reporting period 0
Withdrawn during reporting period 0
Carried over to next reporting period 6

Section 4: Requests Closed During the Reporting Period

4.1 Disposition and completion time
Disposition of Requests Completion Time
0 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 7 5 7 0 1 1 21
Disclosed in part 0 3 3 8 8 15 18 55
All exempted 0 0 1 2 0 3 0 6
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
No records exist 41 50 16 10 1 0 2 120
Request transferred 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
Request abandoned 21 5 4 0 0 0 1 31
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 68 65 29 27 9 19 22 239
4.2 Exemptions
Section Number of Requests
13(1)(c) 2
13(1)(e) 2
14(a) 2
16(1)(a)(ii) 1
16(2) 5
16(2)(c) 6
16(3) 1
17 1
18(b) 1
19(1) 44
20(1)(b) 38
20(1)(c) 14
20(1)(d) 11
21(1)(a) 18
21(1)(b) 29
21(1)(c) 14
21(1)(d) 3
23 16
4.3 Exclusions
Section Number of Requests
68(a) 1
68.1 1
68.2(a) 1
69(1)(g) re (a) 5
69(1)(g) re (b) 1
69(1)(g) re (c) 1
69(1)(g) re (d) 1
69(1)(g) re (e) 2
4.4 Format of information released
Paper Electronic Other
E-record Data set Video Audio
0 76 0 0 0 0

4.5 Complexity

4.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed for paper, e-record and dataset formats
Number of Pages Processed Number of Pages Disclosed Number of Requests
27,277 15,969 113
4.5.2 Relevant pages processed per request disposition for paper, e-record and dataset formats 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 Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed
All disclosed 17 225 1 124 1 756 2 2,920 0 0
Disclosed in part 27 1,105 17 4,513 6 4,377 5 12,031 0 0
All exempted 5 90 1 291 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 28 78 3 767 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 77 1,498 22 5,695 7 5,133 7 14,951 0 0
4.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats
Number of Minutes Processed Number of Minutes Disclosed Number of Requests
0 0 0
4.5.4 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests
Disposition Less Than 60 Minutes Processed 60 - 120 Minutes Processed More than 120 Minutes Processed
Number of Requests Minutes Processed Number of Requests Minutes Processed Number of Requests Minutes
Processed
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0
4.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats
Number of Minutes Processed Number of Minutes Disclosed Number of Requests
0 0 0
4.5.6 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests
Disposition Less Than 60 Minutes Processed 60 - 120 Minutes Processed More than 120 Minutes Processed
Number of Requests Minutes Processed Number of Requests Minutes Processed Number of Requests Minutes
Processed
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0
4.5.7 Other complexities
Disposition Consultation Required Legal Advice Sought Other Total
All disclosed 1 0 11 12
Disclosed in part 18 5 26 49
All exempted 1 0 3 4
All excluded 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 2 0 0 2
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0
Total 22 5 40 67

4.6 Closed requests

4.6.1 Requests closed within legislated timelines
Number of requests closed within legislated timelines 173
Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines (%) 72.38493724

4.7 Deemed refusals

4.7.1 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
66 50 10 0 6
4.7.2 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 3 5 8
16 to 30 days 7 1 8
31 to 60 days 2 5 7
61 to 120 days 2 5 7
121 to 180 days 2 2 4
181 to 365 days 9 10 19
More than 365 days 4 9 13
Total 29 37 66
4.8 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 5: Extensions

5.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests
Disposition of Requests Where an Extension Was Taken 9(1)(a)
Interference With Operations/ Workload		 9(1)(b)
Consultation		 9(1)(c)
Third-Party Notice
Section 69 Other
All disclosed 10 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 31 2 7 13
All exempted 3 0 0 1
All excluded 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0
No records exist 21 0 0 1
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 4 0 1 1
Total 69 2 8 16
5.2 Length of extensions
Length of Extensions 9(1)(a)
Interference With Operations/ Workload		 9(1)(b)
Consultation		 9(1)(c)
Third-Party Notice
Section 69 Other
30 days or less 9 0 1 1
31 to 60 days 27 1 1 7
61 to 120 days 32 1 6 6
121 to 180 days 0 0 0 1
181 to 365 days 1 0 0 1
365 days or more 0 0 0 0
Total 69 2 8 16

Section 6: Fees

6.1 Fees
Fee Type Fee Collected Fee Waived Fee Refunded
Number of Requests Amount Number of Requests Amount Number of Requests Amount
Application 0 $0.00 309 $1,545.00 0 $0.00
Other fees 0 $0.00 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Total 0 $0.00 309 $1,545.00 0 $0.00

Section 7: Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations

7.1.1 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 the reporting period 57 5,840 8 472
Outstanding from the previous reporting period 8 3,390 1 201
Total 65 9,230 9 673
7.1.2 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
Closed during the reporting period 48 7,390 7 362
Carried over within negotiated timelines 6 840 1 304
Carried over beyond negotiated timelines 11 1,000 1 7
Total Carried over 17 1,840 2 311
7.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions
Recommendation Number of Days Required to Complete Consultation Requests
0 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 9 6 7 5 2 1 0 30
Disclose in part 0 3 2 2 2 1 1 11
Exempt entirely 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
Exclude entirely 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Consult other institution 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 3
Other 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Total 10 9 13 8 5 2 1 48
7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations outside the Government of Canada
Recommendation Number of Days Required to Complete Consultation Requests
0 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 1 1 1 0 1 1 5
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 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 7

Section 8: Completion Time of Consultations on Cabinet Confidences

8.1 Requests with Legal Services
Number of Days Fewer 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 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
61 to 120 2 11 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 5 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office
Number of Days Fewer 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

Section 9: Investigations and Reports of finding

9.1 Investigations
Section 32 Notice of intention to investigate Subsection 30(5) Ceased to investigate Section 35 Formal Representations
19 5 3
9.2 Investigations and Reports of finding
Section 37(1) Initial Reports Section 37(2) Final Reports
Received Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner Containing an intent to issue an order by the Information Commissioner Received Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner Containing orders issued by the Information Commissioner
4 0 4 8 0 4

Section 10: Court Action

10.1 Court actions on complaints
Section 41
Complainant (1) Institution (2) Third Party (3) Privacy Commissioner (4) Total
0 0 0 0 0
10.2 Court actions on third party notifications under paragraph 28(1)(b)
Section 44 - under paragraph 28(1)(b)
0

Section 11: Resources Related to the Access to Information Act

11.1 Allocated Costs
Expenditures Amount
Salaries $848,744
Overtime $51,767
Goods and Services
Professional services contracts $115,323  
Other $7,632  
Total Goods and Services $122,955
Total $1,023,466
11.2 Human Resources
Resources Person Years Dedicated to Access to Information Activities
Full-time employees 9.598
Part-time and casual employees 0.161
Regional staff 0.000
Consultants and agency personnel 0.480
Students 0.000
Total 10.239

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