Canadian privacy & access decisions

An individual complained that Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) improperly disclosed personal information to La Presse newspaper. The newspaper published an article referencing a document created by AANDC that listed individuals who had made Access to Information Act (ATIA) requests related to former Minister Jim Prentice. AANDC confirmed the document's existence and reported that it had been created to respond to ATIA requests. The OPC found that AANDC improperly disclosed the personal information of those listed in the document, which ultimately reached La Presse. Furthermore, AANDC shared this information with officials who did not have a legitimate need-to-know. The complaint was found to be well-founded.

• Whether the document contained personal information under s.3 of the Privacy Act
• Whether all AANDC officials who accessed the document had a need-to-know the identity of the requesters under s.7(a) of the Privacy Act and TBS Policy on Access to Information s.6.2.3
• Whether the disclosure of the information to La Presse constituted a contravention of s.8 of the Privacy Act