Site MenuAdministration of the Access to Information Act – Annual Report on the Access to Information Act for the period ending March 31, 2020
2.1. Education and training
Training under the Act consists of educating the agency on how to assist individuals who request records under the organization's control. In 2019–2020, Elections Canada delivered 6 formal ATIP training and awareness sessions for 56 employees of various levels. All of the sessions provided an overview of the ATIP process, legislation, roles and responsibilities. The ATIP Office also routinely provided Elections Canada with informal briefings and advice on the processing of ATIP requests.
2.2. Institutional access to information policies and procedures
Towards the end of the reporting period, Elections Canada adjusted its ATIP request procedures for Offices of Primary Interest (OPI) to allow for the electronic sign-off by executive committee members of OPI responses to ATIP requests. The ATIP Office also started to send out responses to requesters electronically, whenever possible, instead of by regular mail. These changes were implemented because of the situation with COVID-19 and the transition to remote work.
Elections Canada is continuing to review its access to information tools and procedures, and update them as required.
2.3. Institutional monitoring of access to information requests
The ATIP Office uses its case management software to monitor the status of each request being processed, including the number of days remaining before the statutory deadline. Weekly status reports of all open and recently closed files are provided to senior officials, including the Chief Electoral Officer and the Executive Committee.