Federal (Canada) privacy & access decisions

The complainant alleged that Library and Archives Canada (LAC) failed to respond to an access request within the 30-day period stipulated by section 7 of the Access to Information Act. The request sought extensive information related to the Métis Nation, treaties, and the Native Women's Association of Canada, covering a broad historical period. LAC argued that the request was too broad and vague, lacking sufficient detail for experienced employees to identify specific records with reasonable effort, and that responding would require extensive historical and legal research beyond its mandate. The OIC determined that the request did not meet the requirements of section 6 of the Act, which mandates that requests provide enough detail for records to be identified with reasonable effort. Despite LAC's attempts to seek clarification and offer assistance through its reference services, the complainant did not provide further specifics. Consequently, the OIC concluded that LAC was not obligated to process the request and was not in deemed refusal. The complaint was found to be not well founded.

• Whether Library and Archives Canada responded to the access request within the 30-day period
• Whether the access request provided enough detail for experienced institutional employees to identify relevant records with a reasonable effort under section 6 of the ATIA
• Whether the institution's efforts to seek clarification from the requester were reasonable
• Whether the institution was in deemed refusal pursuant to subsection 10(3) of the ATIA