5821-03623 — Public Services and Procurement Canada
The complainant alleged that Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) refused to process an access request for all emails of a specific employee. PSPC argued the request lacked sufficient detail. The Information Commissioner found that experienced employees could have identified the records and ordered PSPC to provide a complete response. The Commissioner also recommended training for PSPC employees on information management due to the large volume of emails found.
- Whether the access request provided sufficient detail for experienced institutional employees to identify relevant records with a reasonable effort, as required by section 6 of the ATIA.
- Whether PSPC reasonably refused to process the request under section 6 of the ATIA.
- Whether PSPC failed to respond to the access request within the legislated timeframe.
- Whether PSPC's information management practices are adequate to respond to access requests.
Complaint well founded — PSPC ordered to provide a complete response to the access request.
The Information Commissioner found that PSPC failed to demonstrate that the access request did not meet the requirements of section 6 of the ATIA, specifically that experienced institutional employees could not have identified the relevant records with a reasonable effort. Therefore, PSPC's refusal to process the request was not reasonable.
AI-generated summary for reference only. Always verify against the official decision ↗
PSPC was ordered to provide a complete response to the access request no later than July 9, 2029, and was recommended to provide training to employees on information management responsibilities and procedures.
- s.30(1)(a) ATIA
- s.6 ATIA
- s.4(2.1) ATIA
- s.7 ATIA
- s.10(3) ATIA
This is an informational summary of a decision and not legal advice.