Indigenous Services Canada (Re), 2026 OIC 30

The complainant alleged that Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) failed to conduct a reasonable search for records related to a video posted on Facebook. The request specifically excluded draft copies, media articles, and French records where English equivalents existed. During the investigation, it was discovered that ISC's Communications and Public Affairs unit had removed records deemed to be drafts, including logistics, filming arrangements, and approvals, based on their interpretation of the exclusion criteria. This led to an incomplete initial search. Following the OIC's intervention, ISC located an additional 1,087 pages of records. The Commissioner found that while the appropriate offices were tasked, the initial removal of records based on an incorrect interpretation of "drafts" rendered the search unreasonable. The complaint was found to be well-founded, and ISC was ordered to process the newly found records and provide a supplementary response.