Are access to information laws available to everyone in Canada?

There is now a variety of access to information laws in Canada, and each piece of legislation has to be studied to determine if the information you are concerned with is covered.

• All Canadians can use the federal government's Privacy Act to access government information in the control of the federal government.
• Every province and territory in Canada has passed its own access to information law governing access to information in the possession of the provincial governments. Each piece of legislation must be studied to determine how far the law applies to other public bodies, such as educational or health bodies in the province.
• In January 2001, the federal government passed the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), which has been fully in force since January 2004. It sets out the rules for the management of personal information in certain private sector organizations such as banks, airlines, and those involving telecommunications, retail, publishing, and manufacturing.
• Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec now have their own version of PIPEDA which means that the provincial law applies in those provinces. In those provinces, the federal PIPEDA legislation will still apply to any private sector organizations which come under federal management (such as telecommunications), and to interprovincial and international transactions. In provinces without their own version of PIPEDA, the federal law applies.
• Some provinces have also passed laws concerning access to health information specifically, and to municipal or local government information. In addition to access to information laws, there are also provisions in other federal and provincial statutes dealing with matters such as consumer and credit information.

Additional information about access to information and privacy in Canada can be found on the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada website.

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WARNING: The contents of these FAQs are intended as general legal information only.
If you have a personal problem, please consult a lawyer.