Canadian Privacy Decisions

The complainant alleged that the Privy Council Office (PCO) improperly withheld records concerning global warming or climate change, citing exemptions related to confidential government information, international affairs, national security, defence, and disclosure restrictions. The Information Commissioner found that PCO failed to demonstrate that the withheld information met the requirements for these exemptions, particularly regarding foreign government information and potential harm to Canada's international affairs or defence. Consequently, the complaint was found to be well-founded.

• Whether information regarding foreign governments was obtained in confidence and disclosure would cause harm (subsection 13(1) ATIA).
• Whether disclosure of names of CSIS and CSE employees could reasonably be expected to cause harm (subsection 15(1) ATIA).
• Whether disclosure of dissemination markings could reasonably be expected to cause harm to international affairs (subsection 15(1) ATIA).
• Whether disclosure of limited information regarding foreign governments could reasonably be expected to cause harm to international affairs (subsection 15(1) ATIA).

The complainant alleged that Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) did not conduct a reasonable search for records regarding complaints submitted to its Labour Program. ESDC initially missed key components of the request, resulting in an unreasonable search. Following the investigation, ESDC conducted additional searches, found more responsive records, and intends to provide them to the complainant. The Information Commissioner found the complaint well-founded and ordered ESDC to process and release the additional records.

• Reasonableness of the search conducted by the institution
• Completeness of the search in relation to the access request