Annual Report on the Access to Information Act 2024–25

Date of Publishing:
November 6, 2025

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Introduction

The Access to Information Act (ATIA) gives Canadian citizens and permanent residents, as well as any person or corporation present in Canada, the right of access to information under the control of a government institution, subject to certain specific and limited exemptions and exclusions.

Section 94 of the ATIA requires the head of each government institution to prepare an annual report on the administration of the ATIA within the institution that is to be tabled in both Houses of Parliament.

This report to Parliament, which is prepared and tabled in accordance with section 94 of the ATIA, describes the activities of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Secretariat (the Secretariat) in administering the ATIA during the period of April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025 (the reporting period).

If you require more information or wish to make a request under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act, please direct your inquiries to the following:

Access to Information and Privacy Office
National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Secretariat
P.O. Box 2430, Station "D"
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5W5
Canada

Phone : 1-833-890-0293
Email : ATIP@nsira-ossnr.gc.ca

Who we are

Established in July 2019, the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) is an independent agency that reports to Parliament and conducts investigations and reviews of the federal government’s national security and intelligence activities.

The Secretariat assists NSIRA in fulfilling its mandate. It is the Secretariat, headed by an Executive Director, that is the government institution for the purposes of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Mandate

NSIRA has a dual mandate to conduct reviews and investigations in relation to Canada’s national security or intelligence activities.

Reviews

NSIRA’s review mandate is broad, as outlined in subsection 8(1) of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Act (NSIRA Act). This mandate includes reviewing the activities of both the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), as well as the national security- or intelligence-related activities of any other federal department or agency. This includes, but is not limited to, the national security or intelligence activities of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), and the Department of Justice. Further, NSIRA may review any national security or intelligence matters that a minister of the Crown refers to NSIRA.

NSIRA reviews assess whether Canada’s national security and intelligence activities comply with relevant laws, policies, and ministerial directions, and whether they are reasonable and necessary. In conducting its reviews, NSIRA can make any findings or recommendations it considers appropriate.

Investigations

NSIRA is responsible for investigating national security or intelligence-related complaints from members of the public. As outlined in paragraph 8(1)(d) of the NSIRA Act, NSIRA has the mandate to investigate complaints about:

• any activity of CSIS or of CSE;
• decisions to deny or revoke certain federal government security clearances;
• any complaint referred under subsection 45.53(4.1) or 45.67(2.1) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act;
• reports made under section 19 of the Citizenship Act; and
• matters referred under section 45 of the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Organizational Structure

The Secretariat’s ATIP Office is accountable for the development and implementation of effective policies, guidelines, and procedures to ensure that the Secretariat meets its responsibilities under the ATIA and the Privacy Act. Since the last reporting period, the ATIP Office added and reclassified new personnel to assist with the significant increase of access requests during the reporting period as well as develop and subsequently implement new policy tools to comply with statutory requirements under the ATIA and the Privacy Act.

For the reporting period, the Secretariat’s ATIP Office consisted of:

• One (1) full-time Director, in addition to fulfilling normal duties as Director of Communications and Administrative Services for the Secretariat and NSIRA Members;
• One (1) full-time ATIP Senior Advisor;
• One (1) full-time ATIP Coordinator;
• One (1) part-time ATIP Student;
• two (2) part-time ATIP Consultants; and
• When required, the ATIP Office was supported by one (1) full-time Senior Counsel, Internal Services.

The Secretariat’s ATIP Office is responsible for the following:

• monitoring compliance with ATIP legislation and relevant procedures and policies;
• processing requests under both the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act;
• developing and maintaining policies, procedures, and guidelines to ensure that the Secretariat respected the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act;
• maintaining Personal Information Banks and conducting privacy impact assessments;
• preparing annual reports to Parliament and other statutory reports, as well as other material that might be required by central agencies; and
• representing the Secretariat in dealings with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the information and privacy commissioners, and other government departments and agencies in matters pertaining to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

During the reporting period, the Secretariat was party to a service agreement under section 96 of the ATIA in which the Secretariat received administrative support from the Privy Council Office related to the tabling of this annual report to Parliament. The Secretariat was also party to a service agreement under section 92 of the ATIA, in which the Secretariat received ATIP Online services from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Part 2: Proactive Publications

The Secretariat ensured that the following proactive publication legislative requirements were met during the reporting period with the assistance of its Finance team:

• Travel expenses;
• Hospitality expenses; and
• Contracts over $10,000.

To assist the Secretariat’s ATIP Office in meeting its overall legislative obligations, the Secretariat relied on a collaborative internal group of subject matter experts from all divisions.

Delegation Order

As the Head of the Secretariat, the Executive Director is responsible for the administration of the ATIA within the institution. Pursuant to section 95 of the ATIA, the Executive Director has delegated the ATIP Director, the ATIP Senior Advisor, the ATIP Coordinator, as well as individuals acting in these positions to perform certain and specific powers, duties, and functions for the administration of the Act. These positions have limited delegation of authority under the ATIA and the Privacy Act in accordance with the delegation of authority instrument approved by the Executive Director in October 2024. A copy of the Delegation Order can be found in Annex A.

Performance under Part 1 of the ATIA, 2024-2025

Performance in Processing Access Requests

During the reporting period from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, the Secretariat received 93 formal access to information requests, in addition to 6 requests carried over from previous reporting periods, for a total of 99 requests. Of these, the ATIP Office closed 36 requests and processed approximately 2,055 pages. Sixty-three (63) requests were carried over into the next reporting period, 6 of which remained within the legislated timelines.

The number of formal requests received during this reporting period represented a significant increase compared to previous years. For context, only 16 formal requests were received in the prior reporting period.

Statistical Reports for 2024-2025

The Secretariat’s 2024-2025 Statistical Report on the ATIA and Supplemental ATIP Statistical Report for 2024-2025 were both validated by the Treasury Board Secretariat in July 2025.

Extensions

During the reporting period, while processing 16 requests, the Secretariat’s ATIP Office invoked extensions as follows: three (3) under paragraph 9(1)(a), 13 under 9(1)(b), and zero (0) under 9(1)(c):

• Two (2) extensions of 30 days or less;
• Four (4) extensions of 31 to 60 days;
• Nine (9) extensions of 61 to 120 days;
• Zero (0) extensions 121 to 180 days;
• Zero (0) extensions of 181 to 365 days; and
• One (1) extension of over 365 days.

The responses to many requests required an intensive review of complex records, including extensive internal and external consultations due to a significant portion of the Secretariat’s information holdings consisting of sensitive and classified records created or originally received by other government institutions owing to NSIRA’s mandate.

Completion Time of Completed Requests

Of the 36 requests completed during the reporting period:

• 26 requests, or 72.2% of the requests completed, were disclosed in part. 5 requests were completed within 0 to 15 days, 6 requests were completed within 16 to 30 days, 1 request was completed within 31 to 60 days, 8 requests were completed within 61 to 120 days, 4 requests were completed within 121 to 180 days, 1 request was completed within 181 to 365 days, and 1 request was completed after 365 days;
• 8 requests, 22.2% of the requests completed, resulted in no records. 2 requests were completed within 16 to 30 days, 3 requests were completed within 31 to 60 days, and 3 requests were completed within 61 to 120 days;
• 1 request, or 2.7% of the requests completed, were abandoned and completed within 121 to 180 days; and
• 1 request, 2.7% of the requests completed, was neither confirmed nor denied and completed within 16 to 30 days.

Trends in Information Requests

The Secretariat reinforced NSIRA’s commitment to transparency by informing the public that its reports are accessible under the Access to Information Act. As a result, 89% of the 93 requests received were for a NSIRA report, while the remaining 11% pertained to other information under the Secretariat’s control, such as former Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC) reports. In total, 83 of the requests received were specifically for NSIRA reports.

During the reporting period, the Secretariat’s on-time response rate increased to 47.2% from 18.7% from the 2023-2024 reporting period.

Consultations

During the reporting period, the Secretariat’s ATIP Office received 18 consultation requests from other government institutions, consisting of 656 pages. 6 requests were completed within 0 to 15 days, 8 requests were completed within 16 to 30 days, 1 request was completed within 61 to 120 days, and 3 requests were carried over into the following reporting period.

Out of the 18 consultation requests received, ten (10) consultation requests consisted of records contained within a NSIRA report, and the remaining eight (8) consultation requests consisted of records of considerable interest to the Secretariat.

Requests Treated Informally

In addition to 13 informal requests that were outstanding from the previous reporting period, the Secretariat’s ATIP Office received 69 informal requests, bringing the total number of informal requests to 82. During the reporting period, 71 informal requests were closed consisting of 6,879 pages, and 11 informal requests were carried over into the following reporting period.

Complaints and Investigations of Access Requests

Subsection 30(1) of the ATIA describes how the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) receives and investigates complaints from individuals regarding the processing of requests under the ATIA. The Secretariat’s ATIP Office was the subject of 4 access complaints during the reporting period. The Office of the Information Commissioner made a determination in favour of the Secretariat’s ATIP Office for 3 of these complaints during the reporting period, while 1 complaint remained under investigation on March 31, 2025.

Training and Awareness

The Secretariat continued to adopt a tailored approach to training subject matter experts on their legislative obligations, roles, and responsibilities under the Access to Information Act (ATIA). Employees were encouraged to complete ATIP training courses offered by the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS). In March 2025, the ATIP Office delivered an interactive training session to all staff, focusing on the interpretation and application of specific ATIA exemptions, including section 15 (International Affairs and Defence). The ATIP Office also regularly engaged with subject matter experts to assess the potential injury of disclosing limited and specific information within NSIRA reports subject to access requests.

New employees were required to complete the online training course Fundamentals of Access to Information and Privacy within six months of joining the Secretariat. Additionally, during onboarding sessions, the ATIP Office provided a brief overview of our roles and responsibilities within the Secretariat.

Policies, Guidelines, and Procedures

During the reporting period, the ATIP Office continued to improve efficiency-enhancing measures to assist with the increase of requests as well as respond to outstanding requests. The NSIRA Secretariat also updated the Delegation Order during the reporting period.

The Secretariat continued to engage with Library and Archives Canada on obtaining institution-specific disposition authorities.

Initiatives and Projects to Improve Access to Information

During the reporting period, the Secretariat’s Information Technology Division continued to enhance the ATIP Office’s software tools on both the unclassified and classified networks. In addition, the Secretariat proactively published NSIRA reports that were requested under the Access to Information Act on its website, further promoting transparency and enabling public access to information without the need for formal or informal requests.

Summary of Key Issues and Actions Taken on Complaints

During the reporting period, the ATIP Office received four (4) Notices of Intention to Investigate from the OIC pursuant to section 32 of the ATIA. The OIC issued three (3) section 37 Final Reports, all of which concluded the complaints were not well founded. One (1) section 32 notice was carried over into the following reporting period.

Proactive Publication under Part 2 of the ATIA

In accordance with subsection 81(b) of the ATIA, the Secretariat is listed as a government entity subject to the following proactive publication requirements:

• Travel expenses (section 82);
• Hospitality expenses (section 83);
• Reports tabled in Parliament (section 84);
• Contracts over $10,000.00 (section 86);
• Grants and Contributions over $25,000.00 (section 87); and
• Briefing materials prepared for the Executive Director (section 88)

Monitoring Compliance

Legislative deadlines for access to information requests were closely monitored through the use of multiple Microsoft Lists trackers. In collaboration with the ATIP Senior Advisor, the ATIP Director organized any required meetings to review request-related activities, set deadlines, and ensure that all relevant personnel within the ATIP Office and, when applicable, across the Secretariat were informed of the status of requests. Additionally, the ATIP Office held weekly meetings to strategize on meeting upcoming deadlines and to ensure accurate administration of statutory requirements and policy instruments. Compliance with legislative and policy obligations was also regularly raised and discussed by the ATIP Director during bi-weekly team meetings with the Secretariat’s Executive Director (Deputy Head) and the Senior Counsel, Internal Services.

Annex A: Delegation Order

Access to Information Act Designation Order

The Executive Director of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Secretariat, pursuant to section 95 of the Access to Information Act, hereby delegates the persons holding the positions or acting in the positions set out in the schedule hereto to exercise the powers and perform the duties and functions of the Executive Director of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Secretariat as the head of a government institution under the provision of the Access to Information Act or the Access to Information Regulations set out in the schedule opposite each position.

Annex B: Statistical Report on the ATIA

Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act

Name of institution: National Security and Intelligence Review Agency

Reporting period: 2024-04-01 – 2025-03-31

Section 1: Request 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

* I.A.: International Affairs
* Def.: Defence of Canada
* S.A.: Subversive Activities

4.3 Exclusions

4.4 Format of information released

4.5 Complexity

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

4.5.2 Relevant pages processed per request disposition for paper and e-record 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.

Appendix C: Supplemental Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act

Section 1: Requests Carried Over and Active Complaints Under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Requests carried over to next reporting period, broken down by reporting period received

Row 11, Col. 3 of Section 1.1 must equal Row 7, Col. 1 of Section 1.1 of the 2024-25 Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act.

1.2 Active complaints with the Information Commissioner of Canada, broken down by reporting period received

Section 2: Requests Carried Over and Active Complaints Under the Privacy Act

2.1 Requests carried over to the next reporting period, broken down by reporting period received

Row 11, Col. 3 of Section 1.1 must equal Row 7, Col. 1 of Section 1.1 of the 2024-25 Statistical Report on the Privacy Act.

2.2 Enter the number of open complaints with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods

Section 3: Social Insurance Number

Section 4: Universal Access under the Privacy Act