Annual report to Parliament on the administration of the Access to Information Act 2024-2025

Table of contents

• Introduction
  • Purpose of the Access to Information Act
  • Mandate of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Organizational structure
  • Departmental organization
  • Access to Information and Privacy Secretariat
• Delegation Order
• Performance 2024-25
  • Overview of 2024-25 requests under the Access to Information Act
    • Deemed refusals
    • Sources of requests
    • Completion times
    • Active requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods
    • Active complaints that are outstanding from previous reporting periods
    • Extensions
    • Consultations
    • Overview of information released
    • Disposition
    • Exemptions and exclusions
  • Informal requests
• Training and awareness
  • Mandatory departmental training for all employees
  • Informal and ongoing awareness activities
• Policies, guidelines, and procedures
  • Publication of completed access to information request summaries
  • Proactive publication procedures
• Proactive publication under Part 2 of the ATIA
• Initiatives and projects to improve access to information
  • Digital strategy
  • Facilitating access for Indigenous requesters
• Summary of key issues and actions taken on complaints
• Monitoring compliance
  • Compliance reporting
  • Ensuring public access to information through contracts and agreements
  • Compliance for proactive disclosures
• Appendix A: Delegation Order
• Appendix B: 2024-25 Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act

Introduction

Purpose of the Access to Information Act

The Access to Information Act (Act or ATIA) came into effect on July 1, 1983. The purpose of this Act is to enhance the accountability and transparency of federal institutions in order to promote an open and democratic society and to enable public debate on the conduct of those institutions. Part 1 of the Act gives the public a right of access to information contained in government records, subject to certain specific and limited exceptions, while Part 2 of the Act sets out requirements for the proactive publication of information.

Section 94(1) of the Access to Information Act requires that the head of every government institution prepare and submit an annual report to Parliament, which details the administration of the Act within the institution each fiscal year.

This annual report describes how Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) administered the Access to Information Act from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025.

The report is tabled in both the House of Commons and the Senate on any of the first 15 sitting days on which the house is sitting after September 1, 2025.

Mandate of Fisheries and Oceans Canada

DFO is responsible for safeguarding Canadian waters and managing Canada's fisheries and oceans resources. DFO helps to ensure healthy and sustainable aquatic ecosystems through habitat protection and sound science. DFO supports economic growth in the marine and fisheries sectors, and innovation in areas such as aquaculture and biotechnology. DFO is committed to working with fishers, coastal, and Indigenous communities to enable their continued prosperity from fish and seafood.

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) is a special operating agency of DFO that works to ensure the safety of mariners in Canadian waters and protect Canada's marine environment. It supports Canada's economic growth through the safe and efficient movement of maritime trade. CCG helps to ensure our country's sovereignty and security through its presence in Canadian waters. The CCG also supports other government organizations by providing a civilian fleet and a broadly distributed shore-based infrastructure.

Organizational structure

Departmental organization

DFO has a presence across Canada, with the majority of employees working outside the national headquarters in one of the seven DFO regions or four CCG operational regions. National objectives, policies, procedures, and standards for DFO and CCG are established at the national headquarters in Ottawa. Regions are responsible for delivering programs and activities according to national and regional priorities and within national performance parameters.

Access to Information and Privacy Secretariat

The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Director reports to the Director General, Public Affairs Branch.

The ATIP Director is accountable for the development, coordination and implementation of effective ATIP-related policies, guidelines, systems and procedures. This accountability ensures that DFO's responsibilities under the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act (Acts) are met and enables appropriate processing and proper disclosure of information.

The ATIP Secretariat is divided along two business lines according to their main functions and the business lines are managed by Deputy Directors.

The Operations Division is responsible for the following activities:

• Processing requests under the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act;
• Responding to consultation requests from other governments or other federal institutions;
• Supporting DFO's legislative compliance obligations under the Acts by providing advice and guidance to senior management and staff of DFO on ATIP legislation;
• Representing DFO in ATIP communities of practitioners, such as at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) ATIP Community meetings;
• Drafting and implementing internal ATIP procedures, guidance documents and working aids on the administration of the Acts.

The Operations Division is supported by:

• An Intake Unit, which oversees all incoming requests and liaises with requesters, programs, and regions;
• An Administrative Support Group, which handles scanning/uploading records, file management and quality control;
• A team of analysts responsible for the overall processing of requests including the review of records.

The Policy and Privacy Division (PPD) serves as the centre of expertise for policy and governance related to access to information and privacy at DFO. The Division is responsible for a broad range of functions that support the effective administration of the Acts. Specifically, the Division:

• Provides advice to departmental officials on access to information and privacy matters;
• Oversees proactive publication and reporting requirements, which includes updating DFO's Info Source chapter, and producing statistical reports and annual reports on the administration of the Acts;
• Investigates and responds to suspected privacy breach incidents;
• Supports DFO programs in completing Privacy Impact Assessments, Personal Information Banks, and Privacy Notice Statements in compliance with TBS requirements;
• Advises senior management on changes related to the Acts and relevant TBS policies;
• Liaises with the wider ATIP community;
• Supports the ATIP Program with staffing processes and hiring contracted resources;
• Maintains its case management tools, including leading strategic projects to improve the overall delivery of the ATIP program;
• Tracks departmental performance and coordinates access to information training to ensure the ongoing sound application of the Acts.

The ATIP Secretariat works with a network of ATIP contacts from each Office of Primary Interest (OPI) within the Department who act as liaisons for their respective region, sector, or program.

In total, throughout the course of this reporting period, the ATIP Secretariat employed approximately 29.339 full-time equivalents (FTEs) devoted to Access to Information Act activities. This included:

• 25.248 full-time employees
• 1.177 part-time and casual employees
• 2 consultants
• 0.914 students

For the purpose of Part 2 of the ATIA, the responsibility for meeting proactive publication requirements falls to three sectors within DFO:

• Strategic Policy
• the Chief Financial Officer
• People and Culture

A detailed breakdown of the groups and/or positions responsible for each applicable proactive publication requirement under Part 2 of the ATIA can be found in the section titled Proactive Publication under Part 2 of the ATIA below.

During this reporting period, DFO was not party to any service agreements under section 96 of the Access to Information Act.

Delegation Order

Responsibility for the administration of the Access to Information Act at DFO is delegated from the Minister to the Director and Deputy Directors of the ATIP Secretariat. A copy of the Delegation Order is included as Appendix A.

Performance 2024-25

The Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act is prepared by government institutions to assist TBS in analyzing trends and exercising oversight.

DFO's complete 2024-25 Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act is included as Appendix B. Reports from previous years are included as appendices within each year's Annual Report on the Access to Information Act, available on the DFO Corporate Reporting web page.

Overview of 2024-25 Requests under the Access to Information Act

The analysis in this section compares data from DFO's 2024-25 Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act with data from the 2022-23 fiscal year to produce a three-year trend analysis.

In 2024-25, DFO received 630 requests under the Access to Information Act. DFO also continued to process 216 outstanding requests carried over from previous reporting periods. Of the 846 total requests processed, 619 were completed, while 227 were carried forward into the next reporting period. This reflects a 9.9% increase in completed requests compared to 2023-24.

Compliance for responding to requests within legislated deadlines remained excellent for 2024-25. Of the 619 requests completed, 578 were closed within the statutory deadline.

As shown in Table 1 below, this corresponds to an on-time compliance rate of 93.4% for 2024-25, illustrating that even with the rise in requests since 2022-23, performance has remained consistently high over the last three years.

Deemed refusals

When a government institution fails to respond to a request or give access to a record (in whole or in part) within the time limits set out in the Act (30 calendar days or the length of time taken under an extension), the institution is deemed to have refused access. This situation is commonly referred to as a deemed refusal.

During the 2024-25 reporting period, the ATIP Secretariat closed 41 requests (6.6%) past the legislated timeline.

The principal reason for delay in the requests closed past the statutory deadline is related to interference with operations/workload.

Sources of requests

Of the 630 requests DFO received during the reporting period, the top three categories of requesters who self-identified were:

• members of the general public with 188 requests (30%)
• followed by the media with 164 requests (26%)
• private sector businesses with 95 requests (15%).

The remaining 29% of requests originated from:

• individuals who declined to self-identify
• organizations
• academia

Completion times

Section 7 of the Act requires institutions to provide a response to a requester within 30 days of receipt of their request, or to notify the requester that an extension is required. Of the 619 requests completed during the reporting period:

• 270 requests (44%) were completed in 30 days or less
• 114 requests (18%) were completed in 31 to 60 days
• 108 requests (17%) completed in 61 to 120 days
• 49 requests (8%) were completed in 121 to 180 days
• 50 requests (8%) were completed in 181 to 365 days
• 28 requests (5%) required more than 365 days to process

Active requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods

As shown in Table 2, DFO carried over a total of 227 active requests to the next reporting period. The table provides an overview of these requests according to the reporting period in which they were received. As of March 31, 2025, 176 active requests (77.5%) carried forward into the next reporting period were within their legislative timelines.Additionally, the majority of active requests (74.9%) carried forward into 2025-26 were received during the 2024-25 reporting period, with 166 of these requests (97.6%) remaining within legislated timelines.

Active complaints that are outstanding from previous reporting periods

Requesters who are not satisfied with the processing of their request under the Access to Information Act may submit a complaint to the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC).

As shown in Table 3, DFO had 23 active complaints with the OIC as of the last day of the reporting period. The table provides an overview of these complaints carried over to the next reporting period, according to the reporting period in which they were received.

Extensions

Section 9 of the Act provides for extensions to statutory time limits where consultations are necessary, and for requests for a large volume of records when processing the request within the original time limit would unreasonably interfere with the Department's operations.

Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests

During the reporting period, extensions were taken for 331 requests for reasons relating to subsections 9(1)(a), 9(1)(b) and 9(1)(c) of the Act. When taking an extension, multiple reasons may be cited. Combined, there were 539 instances where extensions were cited for the following reasons:

• 223 extensions taken cited paragraph 9(1)(a), due to a large volume of records where processing them within the original time limit would have unreasonably interfered with departmental operations;
• 204 extensions taken cited paragraph 9(1)(b) in order to consult with other institutions or organizations. Of these, 180 involved consultations with other government departments and 24 were to consult with DFO's Legal Services Unit on the application of section 69 for Cabinet Confidences;
• 112 extensions taken cited paragraph 9(1)(c) in order to consult with third parties.

Length of extensions

The length of an extension depends on the reason for the extension. For example, consultations on Cabinet Confidences often take 120 days, whereas third party notification processes take 60 days.

As shown in Table 4, there were 539 instances where extensions were cited by DFO during the reporting period. These extensions were taken for 331 requests. The table presents a breakdown of the Department's cited extension references, categorized by their duration.

Completion time of consultations on Cabinet Confidences

The ATIP Secretariat consults with DFO's Legal Services Unit regarding the application of all section 69 (Cabinet Confidence) exclusions. On occasion, Legal Services will forward the consultation to the Privy Council Office (PCO) for additional advice. For the purposes of the Statistical Report, when a consultation is forwarded in this manner, it is recorded as a PCO consultation instead of a Legal Services consultation.

The ATIP Secretariat received responses directly from Legal Services for 65 consultations in 2024-25.

• 4 responses were received within 30 days
• 11 responses were received between 31 and 60 days
• 16 were received between 61 and 120 days
• 7 were received between 121 and 180 days
• 21 were received between 181 and 365 days
• 6 were received in more than 365 days

No consultation on Cabinet Confidences was forwarded to PCO during the 2024-25 reporting period.

Consultations

When other institutions and organizations retrieve information for access to information requests concerning or originating from DFO, they may consult the DFO ATIP Secretariat for recommendations on release. Other institutions are defined as federal institutions subject to the Access to Information Act. Organizations include the governments of Canadian provinces, territories, and municipalities as well as governments of foreign states and international bodies of states.

Consultations processed

In 2024-25, DFO received 151 consultation requests and an additional nine remained outstanding from the previous reporting period, for a total of 160 requests processed. Of the 160, DFO completed 152 requests and carried forward eight into the next reporting period.

Recommendations and completion time

During the reporting period, 101 of the consultation requests completed by DFO were received from other Government of Canada institutions. Of these requests, 69 (68%) were completed within 30 days and 32 (32%) took more than 30 days to complete.

With respect to the recommendations provided:

• 73 requests (72%) resulted in a recommendation to fully disclose the information;
• 25 requests (25%) led to a recommendation for partial disclosure;
• For the remaining 3 requests (3%), DFO issued recommendations that did not fall under the standard categories of full disclosure, partial disclosure, full exemption, partial exemption, or referral to another institution.

For 73 requests (72%), DFO recommended that the consulting institution disclose the information in its entirety, and for 25 requests (25%) DFO recommended a partial disclosure. For the remaining three requests (3%), DFO provided a recommendation other than disclose entirely, disclose in part, exempt entirely, exempt in part, or consult other institution.

DFO also completed 51 consultation requests from organizations outside the Government of Canada in 2024-25. In total, 43 of these requests (84%) were completed within 30 days and eight requests (16%) took more than 30 days to complete. Of these 51 requests, DFO recommended that the consulting organization disclose 32 requests (63%) entirely, and that 19 requests (37%) be disclosed in part.

Overview of information released

In 2024-25, the ATIP Secretariat processed a total of 630,151 relevant pages under the Access to Information Act. This number represents a 6.7% increase compared to the 590,583 pages processed in 2023-24. Of the 630,151 pages processed during the reporting period, 240,356 pages (38%) were disclosed in whole or in part.

When requests are complete, requesters may receive the information in paper or electronic formats, or they may view the records at a DFO office. Among the requests for information completed during the reporting period, responses included the following formats:

• paper format (in 3 responses)
• e-record format (in 405 responses)
• data set format (in 86 responses)
• video format (in 8 responses)
• audio format (in 10 responses)

Disposition

Table 5 shows a breakdown by disposition of the 619 requests completed by DFO in 2024-25, including the percentage of requests by dispositions. This table also includes data from the two previous reporting periods.

During the reporting period, no request was treated for which the disposition was neither confirmed nor denied, nor did DFO decline to act on any requests with the approval of the OIC.

Consistent with previous reporting periods, the 3 most common dispositions for 2024-25 were:

• disclosed in part with 347 requests (56%)
• no records exist with 111 requests (18%)
• all disclosed with 101 requests (16%)

When a request is disclosed in part, this means that while records were provided, certain information was withheld under applicable exemptions or exclusions. In 2024-25, DFO provided responsive records to requesters for 448 requests (72%). This represents a 17.0% increase compared to the previous fiscal year, where response records were provided for 383 requests (68.0%). As shown in Table 5, the proportion of requests resulting in full or partial disclosures has gradually increased since 2022-23, reflecting DFO's ongoing commitment to transparency and the principles of open government.

Exemptions and exclusions

The Access to Information Act gives the public a right of access to information contained in federal records under the control of government institutions, subject to limited and specific exceptions. These exceptions are referred to as exemptions and exclusions.

Exemptions are provisions of the Act that allow or require the heads of federal government institutions to withhold information requested under the legislation.

Exclusions are provisions of the Act that remove certain records from the application of the legislation. Records excluded from the requirements of the Act include published material and confidences of the Queen's Privy Council (Cabinet Confidences).

Table 6 shows the three most frequently invoked exceptions by DFO in 2024-25, which have not changed when compared to the previous reporting period.

See Appendix B for further information on the exemptions and exclusions invoked by DFO in 2024-25, presented by section, subsection and paragraph of the Act. For the purposes of this report, each exemption or exclusion is counted only once per request, regardless of the number of times it was applied within that request.

Informal requests

Informal access requests are defined as requests for information made to the ATIP Secretariat, but not processed under the Act. The TBS Directive on Access Information Requests requires departments to publish summaries of their completed access to information requests online so that the public can request copies informally.

During the 2024-25 reporting period, DFO processed 797 informal access requests for previously released documents. This represents a 15.5% increase compared to the 690 informal requests processed in 2023-24. Of the 797 requests processed, DFO closed 755 and released a total of 299,947 pages. The remaining 42 requests were carried forward to the next reporting period.

Training and awareness

During the 2024-25 reporting period, DFO undertook various initiatives to ensure that employees were aware of their responsibilities under the Access to Information Act, and that those with functional and delegated responsibilities received the required training.

Mandatory departmental training for all employees

As per the requirements of the DFO Privacy Policy, employees and managers at all levels must take privacy training at least once every five years. In support of this policy, DFO promotes awareness of federal access to information and privacy legislation and the corresponding responsibilities of DFO employees through ongoing training delivery, informative articles and awareness events.

Formal departmental training sessions

The ATIP Secretariat maintained a consistent 12-month training schedule, established in 2021-22, offering sessions to employees and managers in English, French, or bilingually. Training materials were updated to reflect changes to TBS instruments, as detailed in the Policies, Guidelines, and Procedures section. Upon conclusion of each session, participants were invited to complete evaluations to support the continuous enhancement of the training program.

Virtual training continued to allow DFO to address the learning needs of various employees across the Department, including regional offices. During the 2024-25 reporting period, a total of 905 participants received ATIP training, and 10 of these participants were Executives. These sessions covered processing ATIP requestsand protecting and managing personal information, while executive training focussed on legal obligations under both Acts, leadership accountability, and recent policy updates.

Table 7 highlights the number of formal ATIP training sessions held by DFO during the reporting period and the corresponding number of participants.

Informal and ongoing awareness activities

In addition to formal training, the ATIP Secretariat shared internal articles and resources consistent with updates to policy instruments. This included the publication of articles to promote training and awareness about privacy protection principles as well as about ATIP request processes and best practices, and to ensure all employees have completed mandatory training and are aware of policies, procedures and legal responsibilities under both Acts.

The ATIP Secretariat equally remained available to deliver ad-hoc training sessions, tailored to programs' needs and offered upon request. Training was also provided proactively to employees in response to ongoing files or emerging trends in Access to Information or Privacy, addressing specific subject areas as needed.

Canada School of Public Service courses

During the reporting period, the ATIP Secretariat also made additional efforts to promote courses offered by the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) to DFO employees, including:

• Access to Information and Privacy Fundamentals (COR502);
• Access to Information in the Government of Canada (COR503);
• Privacy in the Government of Canada (COR504).

During this reporting period, 427 participants completed CSPS ATIP-related training courses.

Table 8 highlights CSPS ATIP-related courses promoted by DFO during the reporting period and the corresponding number of departmental participants.

ATIP contact meetings

The ATIP Secretariat additionally continued to engage ATIP contacts across the Department through regular monthly meetings. These meetings serve as an additional forum to share new information and guidance to ATIP contacts about a variety of topics, such as the records retrieval process, meeting proactive publication requirements, the Privacy Impact Assessment process, ATIP related responsibilities and expectations, and opportunities for improvements within the Department. These meetings also serve as a forum to provide training to OPI contacts on conducting effective record searches, thereby supporting the timely and efficient submission of responses to the ATIP Secretariat. This ongoing engagement is essential for consistent policy application, fostering collaboration, and strengthening transparency and compliance across the Department.

Right to Know Week

In September, the ATIP Secretariat observed Right To Know (RTK) Week, to raise awareness of the right of access to government information under the Access to Information Act, and to foster freedom of information as essential to both democracy and good governance. Events included a bilingual remote Speaker Panel featuring DFO ATIP professionals and collaborators from across the Department, who discussed various ATIP-related topics, including record retrieval processes, the impact of artificial intelligence on access to information and privacy, and best practice guidance for DFO employees when making recommendations on exemptions and exclusions under both Acts. RTK Week activities also featured an interactive magazine published on the departmental intranet page, along with a French and English interactive activity that enabled participants to test their knowledge on the Access to Information Act and its impact on the right to access government information.

Policies, guidelines, and procedures

Following the introduction of new and updated instruments by TBS during the reporting period, DFO's ATIP Secretariat communicated these changes internally, integrated them into departmental operations, and updated departmental training materials accordingly.

The ATIP policy suite of tools was developed to help DFO employees understand their responsibilities with regards to the protection of personal information. Included in the policy suite are the DFO:

• Privacy Policy
• Directive on Privacy Practices
• Standard on Privacy Breaches
• Standard on Permissible Disclosures of Personal Information
• Framework for Proactive Disclosures and related tools such as Guidelines for the Informal Release of Information
• various forms and templates to ensure departmental compliance to legal ATIP requirements

Publication of completed access to information request summaries

DFO ATIP continues to publish summaries of completed access to information requests every month in accordance with the Directive on Access to Information Requests. In 2024-25, DFO published a total of 475 Access to Information summaries. Published summaries do not include certain requests such as abandoned requests, requests that contain primarily personal information of the requester, or requests that are uniquely of interest to the requester. These publications are a step towards making DFO information available to Canadians without them needing to make a formal ATIA request.

Proactive publication procedures

Within DFO, proactive publications fall under the responsibility of three sectors:

• Strategic Policy
• Chief Financial Officer
• People and Culture

Each of the sectors responsible for proactive disclosures have established their own systems and procedures to effectively manage their obligations under Part 2 of the ATIA. These processes are described in greater detail in the following Proactive Publication under Part 2 of the ATIA section.

Proactive publication under Part 2 of the ATIA

DFO is subject to Part 2 of the Access to Information Act and the DFO-CCG Framework for Proactive Disclosure provides guidance to facilitate efficient proactive publication process through a sustained compliance effort and detailed understanding of the roles and responsibilities that are required for effective delivery of proactive publication requirements. The framework applies to employees and managers as well as students, term, and casual employees.

With specific regards to sections 74 to 78 and sections 82 to 88 of the Act, during the reporting period, ATIP continued its engagement with non-ATIP employees from across the Department to guide and inform them on meeting proactive publication requirements such as publishing the titles and tracking numbers of memoranda for the Minister and Deputy Minister, and publishing binders from Committee appearances to Parliament. ATIP also reviewed DFO's internal process for publishing the required information and, in this reporting period, shared best practices and lessons learned with employees who became involved in the coordination to meet publishing requirements.

Responsibility for proactive publications within DFO is shared among three sectors: Strategic Policy, the Chief Financial Officer, and People and Culture.

Strategic policy

Within DFO, responsibility for proactive publications under sections 74, 84, and 88 of the Access to Information Act rests with leads from the Public Affairs Branch (PAB) and Strategic Policy and Priorities (SPP), both of which fall under the Strategic Policy sector. The respective leads under this sector ensure the on-time publication of reports tabled in Parliament, titles and tracking numbers of memoranda, transition materials for new or incoming deputy heads or ministers, packages of briefing materials prepared for an appearance before a committee of Parliament, and question period notes.

Standard Operating Procedures are in place to ensure that proactively published information is retrieved in both official languages, in an accessible format, and published within legislative timelines. These procedures ensure that all information goes through a thorough review process before publication. First, the responsible OPI or content owner reviews the material for accuracy and completeness. The ATIP Secretariat then reviews the information (excluding reports tabled in Parliament), to ensure it does not contain information that is exempt or excluded under the Act. Finally, DFO's Digital and Creative Services team, under the PAB, web-codes the content, as required to ensure it is ready for publication within the legislated timeline.

Table 9 lists the sections of Part 2 of the ATIA for which Strategic Policy is responsible.

Chief Financial Officer

The DFO leads responsible for proactively publishing information on travel, hospitality, contracts exceeding $10,000 (including increases or decreases of $10,000 or more), and grants and contributions over $25,000 under sections 75-77, 82, 83, 86, and 87 of the Act are from the Procurement, Accounting, and Material (PAM) Branch, under the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The process for each proactive publication under CFO follows a comprehensive departmental procedure to ensure compliance, transparency, and data integrity.

To meet proactive disclosure requirements, the PAM Branch issues quarterly call letters to other Senior Departmental Managers. These call letters include pre-populated templates containing extracts from the Department's financial systems, details on business owner responsibilities, and a mandatory Senior Management Attestation form. The PAM Branch lead reviews and approves uploads monthly or quarterly, depending on the type of proactive publication.

Senior management is responsible for attesting to the completeness and accuracy of the information provided. This includes confirming that financial data is up to date in departmental systems and identifying any additional information required for publication that may not be captured in those systems.

Throughout the reviewal process, draft expenditures can be uploaded up to four times, depending on the proactive disclosure, to allow key stakeholders to review and approve the relevant figures. Upon receipt of the signed attestations, and before publication, the PAM Branch conducts further validation by cross-checking the attested information against the data in their respective systems. Once the review and validation process is complete, the approved information is published on the Open Government Registry.

The PAM Branch equally helps fulfil reporting requirements under section 78 of the Act, which covers Ministers' office expenses. Although this information is published by TBS, the Branch provides the underlying data, including both office and travel expenses, through the public accounts process within 60 days after the given fiscal year. DFO's Office Expenses published by TBS reflect the report submitted by the PAM Branch.

Table 10 lists the sections of Part 2 of the ATIA for which the Chief Financial Officer is responsible.

People and culture

The DFO lead responsible for the proactive publication of reclassification of positions under section 85 of the Act is part of Corporate Enterprise Management, within the People and Culture sector. Within Corporate Enterprise Management, the Organization and Classification Centre of Expertise (OCCOE) is responsible for implementing the classification of positions within the Department. Reclassification files are reviewed for compliance at the end of each month, with the OCCOE responsible for overseeing the proactive publication of these reclassifications on a quarterly basis.

Table 11 lists the sections of Part 2 of the ATIA for which People and Culture is responsible.

During the reporting period, DFO maintained a 100% on-time compliance rate on all proactive publications requirements, reflecting the Department's ongoing commitment to transparency and good governance through the timely disclosure of information under Part 2 of the Access to Information Act.

Initiatives and projects to improve access to information

Digital strategy

The ATIP Secretariat continued to expand upon its Digital Strategy that was initiated in the 2019-20 reporting period. The ATIP Secretariat's implementation of digital solutions over the years has resulted in the Department continuing to meet its legislative obligations to provide responsive records to requesters while reducing the departmental carbon footprint.

In 2024-25, the Department procured a new ATIP software solution which will replace its current ATIP Request Processing Software Solution (RPSS) and will serve both ATIA and Privacy Act requests once implemented. The new solution will leverage new technology and will result in more efficient processing of all requests. Implementation is currently underway, with full deployment anticipated in fiscal year 2025-26.

DFO additionally continues to use the Access Online Management Tool (AOMT) which is administered by TBS. As of last fiscal year, the latest version of AOMT allows federal institutions to send documents such as extension letters and release packages, and to engage in multiple exchanges with requesters, which continue to enhance communication, improves efficiency, and supports timely responses under the Acts.

Facilitating access for Indigenous requesters

In response to advancing Indigenous reconciliation and facilitating culturally appropriate access to information services for Indigenous requesters, DFO maintains a practice to waive the prescribed $5.00 application fee for Indigenous requesters in keeping with the TBS Access to Information Notice 2024-01: Advancing Indigenous Reconciliation: Waiver of $5 Application Fee.

Summary of key issues and actions taken on complaints

The OIC investigates complaints about federal institutions' handling of access requests. The Information Commissioner has broad investigative powers to assist in mediating between dissatisfied requesters and government institutions. The Information Commissioner has the power to order institutions to release records at the end of an investigation when a complaint is well-founded. The Commissioner can also issue such orders as appropriate when new complaints cannot be resolved by the OIC's informal resolution process. Additionally, the Information Commissioner publishes the results of investigations.

During the 2024-25 reporting period, DFO received complaints under the Access to Information Act. The most common issues raised included:

• Delays in responding to requests;
• Concerns about the application of exemptions;
• Allegations of incomplete disclosure of records.

For complaints determined to be well-founded or partially founded by the Office of the Information Commissioner, DFO took targeted corrective actions, including:

• Reducing or removing Conducting a comprehensive review of the records, resulting in the release of additional information following the complainant;
• Exemptions that were previously applied;
• Improving deadline tracking within the case management system to better identify files at risk of delay;
• Collaborating directly with investigators from the Commissioners' office through clarification calls and documented exchanges to help expedite complaint resolution.

In 2024-25, DFO received five letters from the OIC indicating an intent to order DFO to disclose records subject to Access to Information requests. All five letters resulted in formal orders. DFO has complied with two during the reporting period, with the remaining three scheduled for compliance in the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Table 12 shows the number of active complaints with the OIC as of the end of 2024-25.

Monitoring compliance

DFO makes every effort to meet statutory deadlines and actively monitors the time taken to process access to information requests. Monitoring begins as soon as a request is received by the DFO ATIP Secretariat, where it is entered into the case management system and assigned to an analyst. All requests, including requests for consultations or advice on ATIP related matters are entered into the case management system for tracking. This tracking of deadlines is essential as analysts work on numerous requests at any time, each with multiple actions with specific deadlines. Analysts meet with their respective team leaders on a weekly basis to identify issues with requests that might result in delays. Issues are raised with the ATIP management team, and if necessary, the Director and / or Deputy Directors of the ATIP Secretariat get involved in files where they can use their authority as the Minister’s delegates under the Acts to promote compliance with deadlines and deliverables.

Compliance reporting

To support oversight and continuous improvement, the ATIP Secretariat produces several compliance reports throughout the year.

• OPI Compliance Reports: Issued quarterly, these reports assess the performance of OPIs across DFO and CCG in responding to ATI and Privacy requests. Aggregated statistics are shared with program executives during training sessions to support oversight and accountability. They also provide the ATIP Secretariat with insight into program-specific performance and help identify areas where additional support may be required. Upon request, tailored compliance reports are also provided to OPIs to promote compliance.
• Weekly Progress Reports: These reports track year-to-date performance, including the number of requests received and closed, the percentage processed within legislated timelines, and comparisons with the previous fiscal year. They are reviewed by ATIP management to identify trends and areas requiring attention.

Ensuring public access to information through contracts and agreements

DFO remains committed to transparency and accountability in accordance with the Access to Information Act. The Department continues to take steps to ensure that the public's right of access to government information is upheld in all contractual and information sharing practices.

The Department aligns its practices with Government of Canada policies and TBS guidance to maintain compliance with evolving access and privacy directives. When internal programs request reviews of departmental contracts and information sharing agreements, the DFO ATIP team provides tailored advice, including recommendations for clauses that protect the public's right of access to information. By collaborating with programs, DFO reinforces its commitment to transparency and good governance.

Compliance for proactive disclosures

The Department also proactively discloses records to meet statutory requirements or in response to requests outside the formal ATIP process. Although proactive publication requirements are pursuant to Part 2 of the ATIA, the ATIP program reviews records before disclosures are made to ensure that information disclosed is in accordance with the Acts. A cornerstone to this success of meeting statutory proactive publication requirements can be attributed to the DFO-CCG Framework on Proactive Disclosures that was developed and implemented in 2019.

As outlined in the DFO-CCG Framework on Proactive Disclosures, DFO monitors the timeliness, accuracy, and completeness of proactively published information under Part 2 of the Access to Information Act through a comprehensive governance structure. The ATIP Secretariat plays a central role in overseeing proactive disclosures by monitoring deadlines and tracking compliance with the legislated 30-day publication requirements using a centralized case management system. This system records the timeliness of all proactive disclosure products and can generate performance reports.

Monitoring is ongoing, with performance data compiled and reviewed at least annually.

Appendix A: Delegation Order

Appendix B: 2024-25 Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act

Section 1: Requests under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Number of requests

1.2 Sources of requests

1.3 Channels of requests

Section 2: Informal requests

2.1 Number of informal requests

2.2 Channels of informal requests

2.3 Completion time of informal requests

2.4 Pages released informally

2.5 Pages re-released informally

Section 3: Applications to the Information Commissioner on declining to act on requests

Section 4: Requests closed during the reporting period

4.1 Disposition and completion time

4.2 Exemptions

4.3 Exclusions

4.4 Format of information released

4.5 Complexity

4.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed for paper, e-record and dataset formats

4.5.2 Relevant pages processed per request disposition for paper, e-record and dataset formats by size of requests

4.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats

4.5.4 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests

4.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats

4.5.6 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests

4.5.7 Other complexities

4.6 Closed requests

4.6.1 Requests closed within legislated timelines

4.7 Deemed refusals

4.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines

4.7.2 Requests closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)

4.8 Requests for translation

Section 5: Extensions

5.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests

5.2 Length of extensions

Section 6: Fees

Section 7: Consultations received from other institutions and organizations

7.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and other organizations

7.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions

7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations outside the Government of Canada

Section 8: Completion time of consultations on Cabinet confidences

8.1 Requests with legal services

8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office

Section 9: Investigations and reports of finding

9.1 Investigations

9.2 Investigations and reports of finding

Section 10: Court action

10.1 Court actions on complaints

10.2 Court actions on third party notifications under paragraph 28(1)(b)

Section 11: Resources related to the Access to Information Act

11.1 Allocated costs

11.2 Human resources

Note: Enter values to three decimal places.