Federal (Canada) Privacy Decisions

A complainant alleged that Health Canada failed to identify all records responsive to an Access to Information Act request and should have provided an index of these records. The Information Commissioner of Canada found that Health Canada conducted a reasonable search and did not improperly withhold records. The Commissioner also determined that Health Canada was not obligated to create an index for this request, as it would have been unreasonable.

• Duty to assist
• Reasonableness of search
• Obligation to create an index of records

The complainant filed a complaint after National Defence (DND) did not respond to their access to information request. DND had decided that the request did not meet the requirements of section 6 of the Access to Information Act. The Information Commissioner found that the complaint was not well-founded, indicating that DND's handling of the request was appropriate.

• Whether the institution responded to the request within the time limits prescribed by the Act.