Question Period Note: Access to Information & Information Management

What is being done to improve transparency through access to information?

• The government is committed to transparency.
• This is why we are undertaking a review of the Access to Information Act and inviting input from the public.
• We look forward to hearing from Canadians as we identify ways to improve the ATIP program.
If pressed on limiting access to emails and other documents:
• Our goal is to increase transparency through an effective and efficient ATIP program.
• We want to make it easier and faster for requestors to receive official government records.
• We look forward to receiving feedback from Canadians and will carefully consider all input received.

If pressed on the review of the ATIA:
• We are also reviewing the Access to Information Act to make sure that Canadians can access government information quickly and easily.
• TBS published potential policy approaches that focus on greater transparency, improved access, historical declassification, modernized information management, protection of Indigenous information, and strengthened oversight.
• I look forward to hearing from a wide range of stakeholders on this important issue.

The Government of Canada is committed to the core principles of transparency, accountability and participation, which are integral to a healthy, functioning democracy, and to maintaining public trust.

In line with the government’s commitment to transparency, the 2024 federal budget proposed $84M in funding for TBS and LAC to maintain the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) regime (including conducting the 2025 review of the Act) and expedite requests. Some funding for Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and Library and Archives Canada (LAC) will be devoted specifically to advance the work on declassification and disclosure and support other key actions.
Information Management
Information management practices, including retention and deletion, are established and implemented by each department based on its operational needs and legal obligations.
Under the Treasury Board Directive on Service and Digital, each institution’s Chief Information Officer is responsible for establishing, implementing and maintain retention periods for all information and data, as appropriate, according to the format.
Departments are responsible for ensuring that records with business value are preserved and that information relevant to Access to Information, Privacy, or litigation matters is not deleted. Some departments have legislated program-specific retention requirements.
Transitory records, which are needed only briefly to complete routine tasks and do not document decisions, operations, or government activities, may be destroyed once no longer needed; examples include insignificant working drafts, reference copies, outdated data, and casual communications.
Treasury Board policy contains limited enterprise-wide requirements related specifically to the deletion or auto-deletion of electronic records. These are set out in sections 1.5 and 1.6 of the Email Management Services Configuration Requirements under Appendix G of the Directive on Service and Digital. These provisions require that dormant or deactivated email accounts be managed appropriately, including the transfer of information of business value to designated repositories prior to disposition, and that emails in the deleted items folder be permanently disposed of within 60 days.
Departments covered by the Library and Archives of Canada Act must only delete information as authorized in writing by the Librarian and Archivist of Canada. Library and Archives Canada offers recommendations on retention but does not define or approve retention specifications for other departments. Ultimately, departments remain responsible for determining retention periods for information under their control and the timing and manner of its disposal.
Review of the Access to Information Act
The 2025 review of the Access to Information Act (ATIA) was launched on June 20, 2025. On March 5, 2026, the President of the Treasury Board (the President) announced the start of formal engagement activities with government institutions, members of the public, and Indigenous partners in support of the review. This included the publication of a policy paper targeting broad systemic challenges impacting the overall performance and operations of the ATI regime.
The review gives the Government of Canada the opportunity to explore ways to continue strengthening the ATI regime and address conclusions from the 2020 review that would require legislative change. This includes areas of the ATIA identified by Indigenous partners as requiring alignment to meet the obligations under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDA). Under the UNDA, the Government must, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples, “take all measures necessary to ensure that the laws of Canada are consistent with the Declaration.”
The President met with the Information Commissioner of Canada (IC) on February 27, 2026, to discuss the review. At this meeting, the IC shared feedback on an embargoed copy of the policy paper, noting that it did not address all her concerns and recommendations. The President and TBS officials assured the IC that they will have an opportunity to share their views on the potential policy approaches and what they believe is missing from the paper.
On March 26, 2026, three interested parties (Dean Beeby, Matt Malone, and Ken Rubin) wrote an open letter to the chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) flagging concerns with the policy approaches published for consultation with stakeholders and Indigenous partners. The letter calls on ETHI to conduct its own review and develop model legislation. Under the ATIA, there is a requirement for a review to be conducted by a Committee of the House of Commons or the Senate every five years, ensuring that elected officials are fully engaged in examining the legislation. ETHI is the designated committee for this purpose and could initiate such a review at any time.
In parallel to the review, in Budget 2025 the government proposed to amend the ATIA to protect against the disclosure of confidential information collected and produced under the Retail Payment Activities Act as well as the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act.

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