Source: http://international.gc.ca/gac-amc/publications/atip-aiprp/annual_reports-rapport_annuels/parl1415_pa_lprp.aspx?lang=eng
Timestamp: 2017-10-21 04:51:02
Document Index: 246632917

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 50', 'art 1', 'art 22', 'art 19165', 'art 18', 'art 9', 'art 19', 'art 1']

Annual Report to Parliament on the Administration of the Privacy Act - 2014-2015
Key Issues Raised, and Actions Taken as a Result of Complaints, Audits and Investigations
Subsection 8(2)(M)
Annex A: Designation Order
Annex B: Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada - 2014-15 Statistical Report
We are pleased to table the Annual Report to Parliament on the administration of the Privacy Act (PA or the Act) for fiscal year 2014-2015, as required under sections 72 of the Act.
The Privacy Act provides Canadian citizens and individuals present in Canada the right to seek access to their personal information that is held by the federal government. It also governs the collection, use, disclosure, retention and disposal of personal information.
On behalf of the Government of Canada, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development is Canada’s face and voice to the world, working to advance Canada’s political and economic interests in the international community as well as to apply Canadian experience to help address global issues.
have the management of Canada’s diplomatic and consular missions;
administer the foreign service of Canada; and
The Department also provides administrative support to other government institutions with personnel abroad.
The Access to Information and Privacy Protection Division (ATIP Office) is responsible for the administration of the Act, including the processing of requests and consultations. The Director of the ATIP Office reports to the Corporate Secretary, who in turn reports to the Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In 2014-2015, the ATIP Office staff fluctuated between fifty and seventy (including consultants) to fulfill the Department’s obligations under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. As of March 31, 2015, the ATIP Office consisted of; a director, four deputy directors, six team leaders, forty analysts at various levels, six clerical staff, seven consultants, five students, and one systems administrator. The work ranges from processing complex and/or voluminous requests to more straightforward, routine requests and consultations from other government departments as well as providing advice to internal and external stakeholders and providing training to departmental staff.
Under Section 73 of the Act, the Minister’s authority is delegated to enable the Department to meet its legislated requirements as well as exercise its powers. As a result of amalgamation, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada is currently operating with two separate and distinct Delegation Orders. Since October 2009, responsibility for all sections of the Act was delegated to the Deputy Ministers, to the Corporate Secretary, to the Director of the ATIP Office, to the Deputy Directors of the ATIP Office, as well as to Heads of Mission for the purposes of disclosure under section 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act. (See Annex A).
Between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015, DFATD received 114 requests for personal information under the Privacy Act. Along with those new requests, twenty four (24) requests were carried over from the previous fiscal year, for a total of 138. During the reporting period, 113 requests were completed and 25 still active files were carried over to the next reporting period.
The distribution of completed requests is as follows:
Table 1: Disposition of Completed Requests
Disclosed in Part 50
Abandoned by applicant 26
No records exist 25
The exemption most commonly used by DFATD during the period was section 26 [Information about another individual] of the Privacy Act. It was invoked in 52 requests. DFATD did not apply exclusions under subsection 70(1) [confidences of cabinet] during this reporting period.
In all, during this reporting period, DFATD disclosed 16,082 pages of the 20,683 relevant pages processed.
During the reporting period, DFATD claimed extensions pursuant to subsections 15(a)(i) and 15(a)(ii): 20 and 15 times, respectively.
When a request contains records that are of interest to another institution, the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator of that institution is consulted. Between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015, DFATD received 24 consultations under the Privacy Act from other federal government institutions.
During the reporting period, 20 consultations were completed under the Privacy Act
During 2014-2015, the ATIP Office continued to provide analysts with the necessary training and tools to perform their jobs effectively via training sessions developed to meet the ATIP Office’s training needs. The Learning Roadmaps developed in a previous year have continued to be an effective tool to identify and formalize the training requirements for employees in the ATIP Division.
The ATIP Office also continued to benefit from its ATIP Professional Development Program which allows DFATD to “grow its own” ATIP Analysts due to the shortage of experienced ATIP Analysts within the federal ATIP Community. This program has been very successful in addressing recruitment, retention and succession planning issues. 12 employees are presently in the program and recruiting continues.
The Policy & Governance Team assists in addressing the ATIP training needs of the ATIP Office, the Department and other federal government institutions. The Policy and Governance Team also advises the Department regarding compliance with the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act, their regulations and relevant Treasury Board of Canada policy requirements.
The ATIP Office continues to broaden its use of internal collaboration tools to share information, best practices, and facilitate cooperation across the Department. The ATIP Office also maintains a structured, department-wide ATIP awareness program including at the following events: staff meetings, “DFATD 101” courses which are designed for all employees, pre-posting training sessions in order to better prepare employees for their work at Canada’s missions abroad, and in sessions with subject matter experts during which records are reviewed in order to educate employees on the exercise of discretion when making recommendations.
To ensure that employees at Canada’s missions abroad also receive necessary training, sessions were delivered to Locally Engaged Staff, Trade, Political, Development, Consular Officers, and Administrative Assistants using videoconferencing and webinar technology. In addition, an online interactive ATIP awareness tutorial, developed in collaboration with the Canadian Foreign Service Institute, continues to be used.
To assist Consular Officers in understanding their roles and responsibilities vis-a-vis the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act in the context of providing consular services to Canadians, a specific training program is delivered using scenario-based practical exercises to better prepare employees for situations they may encounter in the course of their duties.
In all, during the reporting period, training sessions were delivered to approximately seven hundred and thirty-eight employees. DFATD’s ATIP Division continuously strives to develop and refine its training tools through comments from employees participating in the various training session delivered.
While the workload has stabilized, it remains substantial and the Access to Information and Privacy Protection Office at DFATD is continually working to find efficiencies to deal with this ongoing challenge. Internal guidelines have been converted to an evergreen electronic document.
During the reporting period, the Department received 2 complaints. 1 has been completed and 1 carried over to the next fiscal year.
Missing records complaint
Privacy Commissioner concluded the complaint was well founded.
Inappropriate sharing of personal information complaint
Awaiting response from the Privacy Commissioner
Exemption complaint
The Department takes the issue of complaints seriously. In order to avoid as many of these complaints as possible, the ATIP Office is providing ATIP Awareness sessions throughout the Department, updating the Bureau Intranet and Internet ATIP web sites, ensuring that new personnel receive appropriate training and can refer to a new online ATIP tutorial.
The department monitors time to process requests using the following tools:
Active Tasking Report (bi-weekly): Identifies all the current active taskings within the Department, and includes for each tasking the responsible area and bureau, type of tasking, summary of the request and the name of the assigned analyst. These are provided to all Assistant Deputy Ministers and Director Generals in DFATD.
A new « Weekly File Discussion » report has been developed and implemented. Team Leaders and Deputy Directors meet weekly to discuss any concerns that may arise from this report.
Details regarding the 9 privacy breaches which took place during the reporting period:
P3-2014-00348 – Disclosure to media regarding travel details of a well-known Canadian as well as interactions with foreign border officials. Reported to the Privacy Commissioner. A training and awareness session was scheduled in response.
P3-2014-00483 – A passport was lost by a courier company while in transit between the Embassy in Ouagadougou and the Honorary Consulate in Benin. Reported to the Privacy Commissioner.
P3-2014-00712 – Pursuant to an access to information request, a working copy of the relevant records was accidentally sent to a requester instead of the proper release package. A working copy is an internal document in which the redacted portions are indicated, but not protected. The specific report contained short explanations of when diplomatic personnel in Canada, their family members and domestic servants attract attention to, or incidents are reported by, the department, police, child protection agencies and other events. Incidents with respect of 85 diplomatic personnel and/or members of their family, as well as domestic workers were accidentally disclosed. Reported to the Privacy Commissioner. Internal controls were improved to prevent this occurrence in the future.
P3-2014-01058 – A passport was lost by courier while in transit between the Mission in Detroit and the client. Reported to the Privacy Commissioner.
P3-2014-01354 – A passport went missing in transit from the Mission in Bogota, Colombia to a client by local courier service; however all items were recovered, intact, by courier. Not reported to the Privacy Commissioner, as it does not constitute a material breach.
P3-2014-01474 – Two temporary passports, which had already been cancelled, went missing from the Mission in Hong Kong. Reported to the Privacy Commissioner.
P3-2014-01536 – A coding error made in reporting for the 2014 Public Accounts Report indicates that an MP was paid $5,428.00 for “damages to the crown”, reimbursement of costs incurred by a public office holder in compliance with the conflict of interest code. The type of payment would normally be coded as “Agent Fees” and as such should not be disclosed. Reported to the Privacy Commissioner. A training and awareness session was scheduled in response.
P3-2014-02006 – A consular officer disclosed information without consent or authority regarding the best interests of the individual concerning a Canadian citizen in Mexico who was reported to be living in inhumane conditions. Disclosure was approved to specific individuals (family members in Canada who could be in a position to help). However the officer also released the information to the local police. Not reported to the Privacy Commissioner as it does not constitute a material breach.
P3-2014-02664 - One passport went missing from the Mission in Islamabad. A package of passports was sent from Ottawa to the Mission, however one passport listed on the manifest was not confirmed as “received” in the computer system. Mission cannot confirm they received the passport, but all other passports were confirmed. The passport was reported as missing in February. Reported to the Privacy Commissioner. Mission was searched in response.
No PIAs were completed in 2014-15.
Subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act provides that “personal information under the control of a government institution may be disclosed” without consent under certain specific circumstances.
Subsection 8(2)(m):
Personal information may be disclosed “for any purpose where, in the opinion of the head of the institution,
disclosure would clearly benefit the individual to whom the information relates."
All notifications to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada occurred after the disclosures were made. There were 33 disclosures pursuant to subsection 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act, as follows:
PM-2014-00579 – Subject had made several threats to Head of Mission and staff at Mission. Personal information was shared with Diplomatic Security Services.
PM-2014-00699 – Subject with severe mental health issues was living in a shelter abroad. Personal information was shared with subject’s brother.
PM-2014-00740 – Subject was in a forced marriage in Somalia and unable to communicate freely or safely, and sought the aid of the Mission to return to Canada. Personal information was shared with UNICEF who acted as intervener.
PM-2014-00757 – Subject was detained in Laos with no access to basic necessities (food, health care, etc.). Personal information was shared with family and friends.
PM-2014-00806 – Multiple subjects; Canadians who were affected by July 2014 crisis in Gaza. Personal information was shared with Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the United Nations.
PM-2014-00869 – Subject was in custody dispute with father of child. Both child and father were overseas. The department was informed that a court decision on custody was imminent. The department was not in contact with the subject, but were informed that Children’s Aid Services (CAS) was involved. Personal information was shared with CAS.
PM-2014-00870 – Subject was hospitalized in serious condition in the Ivory Coast. Personal information was shared with subject’s family and friends.
PM-2014-00969 – Subject had medical issues while in Liberia and was treated at various hospitals that were known to treat Ebola patients. Personal information was shared with the Public Health Agency of Canada and Canada Borders Services Agency.
PM-2014-00997 – Subject was hospitalized in Athens with severe dementia. Personal information was shared with subject’s family.
PM-2014-01034 – Subject was in the Dominican Republic, and requested financial aid from the department in order to return to Canada. The department was aware that the individual had been charged with sexual assault in Canada. Personal information was shared with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canada Border Services Agency.
PM-2014-01035 – The Ivory Coast was receiving ongoing assistance from the British Embassy in Liberia in the event that a Canadian was infected with Ebola and required consular assistance. To ensure aid for all individuals, the ROCA list (Registration of Canadians Abroad) was shared with the British Embassy.
PM-2014-01057 – Subject was hospitalized in Singapore. Subject was unable to provide consent and required assistance travelling back to Canada. Personal information was shared with subject’s family.
PM-2014-01391 – Subject was working near the border of Nigeria and refused to leave despite being in an unstable region and with potential kidnapping by Boko Haram. Personal information was shared with the subject’s superiors.
PM-2014-01408 – Subject was possibly exposed to the Ebola virus while in Sierra Leone. Personal information was shared with the Public Health Agency of Canada and Canada Borders Services Agency.
PM-2014-01475 – Subject was forcibly hospitalized in Italy after making threats. Personal information was disclosed to the hospital in Quebec which had previously treated her.
PM-2014-01661 – Subject was suffering from dementia while living in Hungary. Personal information was shared with subject’s family members in Canada.
PM-2014-01675 – Subject is imprisoned in China. Subject has made repeated threats regarding the Chinese Ambassador in Canada, stating that he would act upon his return to Canada. Personal information was shared with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
PM-2014-01679 – Subject had to undergo emergency surgery in Nepal. Personal information was shared with subject’s family.
PM-2014-01680 – Subject suffered from extreme alcohol withdrawal and mental health issues in Sri Lanka. Personal information was shared with subject’s daughter.
PM-2014-01695 – Subject was hospitalized in Italy for carbon monoxide poisoning and drug overdose. Personal information was shared with subject’s son.
PM-2014-01743 – Subject was attempting to join a mercenary fighting force in Syria. Personal information was shared with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada Border Services Agency and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
PM-2014-01744 – Subject was detained in Mexico for robbery; was released and re-detained a few days later for erratic behaviour and a violent state. Personal information was shared with subject’s mother.
PM-2014-01745 – Subject was living in Mexico in critical humanitarian conditions. Personal information was shared with subject’s family.
PM-2014-01746 – Subject died in Mexico and had no family in Canada. Subject had been born in Germany, and an attempt was made to locate family members there. Personal information was shared with the Embassy of Canada in Berlin as well as the Office of Vital Statistics in Berlin.
PM-2014-01747 – Department informed that passport applicant was in breach of parole in Canada. Personal information shared with Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
PM-2014-01963 – Subject hospitalized in France. Personal information was shared with subject’s family.
PM-2014-02168 – Subject was detained in Mexico for assault, and was wanted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in connection to the disappearance of a man in British Columbia several years ago. Personal information was shared with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
PM-2014-02228 – Subject and 3 children were detained in Afghanistan for smuggling drugs. Personal information was shared with the Children’s Aid Society.
PM-2014-02386 – Subject was convicted of a sexual crime against a minor in Cambodia. Personal information was shared with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
PM-2014-02401 – Subject made threats to the staff at the Mission in Sudan. Personal information was shared with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
PM-2014-02402 – Subject was in Peru and sent a suicide note to her parents via an email. Personal information was shared with the local authorities in Peru.
PM-2014-02403 – Subject suffers from severe mental health issues and her daughter has Power of Attorney for her. Subject traveled to New Zealand and was evading her daughter. Personal information was shared with subject’s daughter.
PM-2014-02404 – Subject was hospitalized in Spain for mental health issues. Personal information was shared with subject’s family.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, pursuant to section 73 of the Privacy Act, hereby designates the persons holding the positions set out in the schedule hereto, or the persons acting in those positions, to exercise the powers and perform the duties and functions of the Minister of Foreign Affairs as the head of a Government institution under the sections of the Act set out opposite each position in the schedule. This designation replaces the designation dated March 11, 1998.
Position: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Section(s) of Privacy Act: All sections
Position: Deputy Minister for International Trade
Position: Director General Corporate Secretariat
Position: Director, Access to Information and Privacy Protection Division
Position: Deputy Director, Access to Information and Privacy Protection Division
Position: Heads of diplomatic/consular missions
Section(s) of Privacy Act: Paragraph 8(2)(m)
Ottawa, October 02, 2009
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, pursuant to section 73 of the Privacy Act, hereby designates the persons holding the positions in the Canadian International Development Agency set out in the schedule hereto, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers and perform the duties and functions of the Minister of Foreign Affairs as the head of a government institution under the Act. This designation replaces the designation dated August 11, 1993.
Position: Coordinator, ATIP
Position: Senior ATIP Advisor
Section(s) of Privacy Act: 14, 15, 33(2)
Annex B: Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada 2014-15 Statistical Report
Table 2: Requests under the Privacy Act
Received during reporting period 114
Closed during reporting period 113
Carried over to next reporting period 25
Table 3: Disposition and completion time
All disclosed 1 8 1 0 0 0 0 10
Disclosed in part 1 10 16 13 5 4 1 50
All exempted 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2
No records exist 6 18 1 0 0 0 0 25
Request abandoned 16 7 1 0 0 1 1 26
Table 4: Exemptions
Table 5: Exclusions
Table 6: Format of information released
All disclosed 9 1 0
Disclosed in part 22 28 0
Table 7: Relevant pages processed and disclosed
All disclosed 334 334 10
Disclosed in part 19165 15748 50
All exempted 6 0 2
Request abandoned 1178 0 26
Table 8: Relevant pages processed and disclosed by size of requests
All disclosed 9 198 1 136 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 18 679 21 3792 8 4747 2 2547 1 3983
Request Abandoned 24 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Table 9: Other complexities
All disclosed 0 0 2 0 2
Disclosed in part 9 1 9 0 19
All exempted 2 1 0 0 3
Request Abandoned 1 19 8 0 28
Table 10: Reasons for not meeting statutory deadline
Table 11: Number of days past deadline
1 to 15 days 4 2 6
31 to 60 days 4 5 9
61 to 120 days 0 5 5
More than 365 days 1 1 2
Table 12: Requests for translation
Table 13: Disclosures under subsection 8(2) and 8(5)
Table 14: Requests for correction of personal information and notations
Table 15: Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests
Disclosed in part 19 0 12 0
Request abandoned 1 0 1 0
Table 16: Length of extensions
16 to 30 days 20 0 14 0
Table 17: Consultations received from other government institutions and organizations
Received during the reporting period 24 817 0 0
Outstanding from the previous reporting period 2 92 0 0
Closed during the reporting period 20 418 0 0
Pending at the end of the reporting period 6 491 0 0
Table 18: Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other government institutions
Disclose entirely 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 5
Disclose in part 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 4
Consult other institution 5 2 1 0 1 0 0 9
Table 19: Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations
Table 20: Requests with Legal Services
Table 21: Requests with Privy Council Office
Table 22: Complaints and Investigations Notices Received
Table 23: Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs)
Table 24: Costs
Salaries $370,913
Overtime $516
Goods and Services $172,034
Professional services contracts $154,260
Other $17,774
Table 25: Human Resources
Full-time employees 4.43
Part-time and casual employees 1.55
Consultants and agency personnel 0.72
Students 0.52