Info Source
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Sources of Federal Employee Information 2008
Introduction
Foreword
Info Source is a series of publications containing information about and/or collected by the Government of Canada. The primary purpose of Info Source is to assist individuals exercise their rights under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. Info Source also supports the federal government's commitment to facilitating access to information regarding its activities.
Info Source includes the following four publications:
Info Source: Sources of Federal Government Information:
- provides information about the functions, programs, activities and related information holdings of federal government institutions subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act; and
- provides individuals and employees of the federal government with relevant information to access personal information about them held by federal government institutions subject to the Privacy Act.
Info Source: Sources of Federal Employee Information:
- provides information to assist current and former federal government employees locate personal information about them held by federal government institutions and to exercise their rights under the Privacy Act.
Info Source: Bulletin – Statistical Reporting:
- contains statistical information about access to information and privacy requests on an annual basis; and
- provides cumulative statistics about access to information and privacy requests since 1983.
Info Source: Bulletin – Federal Court Case Summaries:
- includes an annual summary of federal court cases related to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.
A. Roles and Responsibilities
Treasury Board Secretariat
The Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act assign responsibility to the President of Treasury Board (as the designated Minister) to create and disseminate information annually about federal government institutions' programs and activities and the personal information they collect, use and disclose. Treasury Board Secretariat fulfills this role by compiling and distributing the Info Source publications.
Library and Archives Canada
In accordance with the Library and Archives of Canada Act, Library and Archives Canada is charged with various responsibilities regarding the disposition of records created by federal institutions. These responsibilities include the authorization of records destruction by government institutions and the preservation of records for historical or archival purposes.
For more information, please see: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/index-e.html.
Federal Government Institutions
Federal government institutions are responsible for sound management practices and decisions in responding to requests from applicants and with respect to the handling and protection of personal information.
Institutions are also responsible for providing comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date descriptions of their functions, programs, activities, related information holdings and collections of personal information for the Info Source publications on an annual basis. Each institution is responsible for the information it submits.
Each federal institution also has an Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator or a Privacy Coordinator. A list of federal government ATIP Coordinators is available at: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/atip-aiprp/apps/coords/index-eng.asp.
Office of the Privacy Commissioner
The mandate of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is overseeing compliance with the Privacy Act, which covers the personal information-handling practices of federal government departments and agencies. The mission of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is to protect and promote the privacy rights of individuals. The Commissioner works independently from any other part of the government to investigate complaints from individuals with respect to the federal public sector and the private sector.
For more information, please see: www.privcom.gc.ca.
B. Privacy Act
In their day-to-day operations, federal government institutions collect personal information from almost all Canadians. The Privacy Act provides Canadian citizens and permanent residents, as well as all individuals who are present in Canada (but who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents), a right of access to personal information about themselves that is under the control of a government institution. It also protects against unauthorized disclosure of that personal information.
Under the Privacy Act, personal information is defined as "information about an identifiable individual that is recorded in any form". This can include information relating to the race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age or marital status of an individual, the education or the medical, criminal, financial or employment history of an individual, the address, fingerprints or blood type of the individual and any identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned to the individual.
Some personal information is confidential
Under the Privacy Act, there is some personal information that federal government institutions may not release. This information normally relates to other people, sensitive national security matters or law enforcement investigations.
Safeguarding personal information
The protection of an individual's personal information and privacy is a very important aspect of the Privacy Act. The Act states how and when the government may collect, store and dispose of personal information. It also indicates specifically why and how the information may be used or given out, as well as who may use or receive it.
Disclosing personal information
The government may only disclose an individual's personal information to someone else with the individual's consent, or when one or more of the criteria outlined in the Privacy Act are met, such as a requirement to comply with a subpoena.
Personal Information Banks
Personal Information Banks provide a description of the types of personal information about individuals that is held by federal government institutions. The Privacy Act requires that Personal Information Banks include all personal information that is organized and retrievable by a person's name or by an identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned only to that person. Personal Information Banks must also include personal information that has been or is being used, or is available for use for an administrative purpose.
Please see the Glossary of Terms in Section E for descriptions of the various types of Personal Information Banks and an explanation of their contents.
Note: The Privacy Act cannot give individuals access to personal information that is not under the control of a federal government institution, such as personal information collected by provincial or municipal governments or by private organizations such as commercial banks and credit bureaus.
C. How to Apply
Privacy Act
The following procedures should be followed when making a formal request under the Privacy Act.
- Obtain a Personal Information Request Form from the Treasury Board Secretariat web site: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tbsf-fsct/350-58-eng.asp.
- Send the form to the Privacy Coordinator of the appropriate federal institution. A list of federal government ATIP Coordinators is available at: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/atip-aiprp/apps/coords/index-eng.asp.
There is no fee to apply for information under the Privacy Act.
To change personal information
If an individual believes that the personal information a federal institution has on file about them is untrue or misleading, they may ask to have it corrected. Even if the institution does not agree to change this information, it must make a note that a request for the change was made and attach the note to the file.
Time to process a request
Under the Privacy Act, all or most of the information requested should be provided to an applicant within 30 days of receiving the request. If a time extension is required, the applicant will be notified within the first 30 days and told why up to another 30 days may be needed. Applicants who feel that it is taking too long to process their requests may submit a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (See Section A – Roles and Responsibilities).
D. Where to obtain Info Source
For more information about Info Source, the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act, please contact:
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
219 Laurier Avenue West, 14th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R5
General Enquiries: 613-946-4945
Facsimile: 613-957-8020
E-Mail: infosource@tbs-sct.gc.ca
Internet: www.tbs-sct.gc.ca
To purchase a copy of Info Source: Sources of Federal Government Information or Info Source: Sources of Federal Employee Information on CD-ROM, please contact:
Publishing and Depository Services
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0S5
E-Mail: publications@pwgsc.gc.ca
Telephone: 613-941-5995
Telephone Toll-free: 1-800-635-7943 (Canada & US)
Facsimile: 613-954-5779
Facsimile Toll-free: 1-800-565-7757 (Canada & US)
Internet: http://publications.gc.ca
All Info Source publications are available free of charge on the Internet at: www.infosource.gc.ca.
E. Glossary of Terms
| TERM | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| Administrative Purpose | The use of personal information in a decision making process that directly affects that individual. This includes all uses of personal information for confirming identity (i.e. authentication and verification purposes) and for determining eligibility of individuals for government programs. |
| Bank Number | A field in a Personal Information Bank. This unique identifying number is created by each institution for each PIB using the institution's Federal Identity Program acronym or commonly used acronym, Personal Information Bank code (e.g. PPU, PPE, etc.), and the institution's assigned reference number. |
| Class of Individuals | A field in a Personal Information Bank. Identifies the group or category of individuals about whom the information relates; e.g. current and former employees, contractors, program applicants, etc. |
| Classes of Personal Information | Other personal information not used administratively or not retrievable by personal identifier; for example, instance unsolicited opinions, complaints or correspondence.This category was created to ensure that federal institutions account for all of the personal information that they hold. |
| Classes of Records | Descriptions of the records created, collected and maintained by a federal institution as evidence of and information about a particular institutional program or activity.
Formerly referred to as Program Records. |
| Consistent Uses | A field in a Personal Information Bank. Itemizes the potential or related uses for which the personal information may be used or disclosed. |
| Data Matching | An activity involving the comparison of personal information from different sources, including sources within the same government institution, for administrative or non-administrative purposes. Data-matching includes the disclosure or sharing of personal information with another organization for data-matching purposes. |
| Description | A field in a Personal Information Bank. Indicates the specific personal information contained in the records which the bank is describing. For example, name, address, telephone number, age, sex, marital status, country of birth, citizenship, employee identification numbers, fingerprints, etc. |
| Government Institution | Government institutions are defined in the Access to Information and Privacy Acts as:
About 250 Government institutions are subject to the Acts. |
| Personal Information Bank (PIB) | A description of personal information that is organized and retrievable by a person's name or by an identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned only to that person. The personal information described in the personal information bank has been used, is being used, or is available for an administrative purpose and is under the control of a government institution.
There are three types of Personal Information Banks in this publication. |
| Personal Information Bank –Central | Central Personal Information Banks describe personal information about members of the general
public and employees (current and former) from all or several federal government
institutions and are maintained by central federal government departments and agencies
such as the Public Service Commission of Canada, Public Works and Government
Services Canada, and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
|
| Personal Information Bank – Institution-Specific | Institution-Specific Personal Information Banks describe personal information about members of the general public and employees (current and former) that is contained in the records of a specific federal government institution.
|
| Personal Information Bank – Standard | Standard Personal Information Banks describe personal information about members of the general public and employees (current and former) that may be found in records created, collected and maintained by most federal government institutions to support common internal functions, programs and activities such as communications, travel and employment. Standard Personal Information Banks are created by Treasury Board Secretariat.
|
| Purpose | A field in a Personal Information Bank. Provides an explanation of the reason why the personal information was obtained or compiled. |
| Record Number | A field in a Class of Record description. This unique identifying number is created by each institution for each Class of Record description using the institution's Federal Identity Program acronym (or commonly used acronym) and the institution's reference number. |
| Records Disposition Authority (RDA) Number | A field in a Personal Information Bank. A unique number assigned by Library and Archives Canada. A Records Disposition Authority is the instrument that the Librarian and Archivist of Canada issues to enable government institutions to dispose of records which no longer have operational or other utility. There are three disposition methods – destroying the records (at the discretion of institutions), transferring historical records to the control of Library and Archives Canada, or removing records from the control of the Government of Canada; e.g. transferring them to a Special Operating Agency or other level of government. |
| Related Record Number | A field in a Personal Information Bank. Personal Information Banks must be cross-referenced to institutional Classes of Records. See the definition of Record Number above. |
| Retention and Disposal Standards | A field in a Personal Information Bank. Identifies the length of time records are maintained under the control of an institution and the point at which the final disposition is applied. |
| TBS Registration Number | A field in a Personal Information Bank. Unique number assigned by Treasury Board Secretariat once a Personal Information Bank has been reviewed and approved. |
