Privacy Act - Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization Annual Report to Parliament - April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023
1.0 Introduction
Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization (CASDO) is pleased to present to Parliament its annual report on the administration of the Privacy Act for the fiscal year commencing April 1, 2022 and ending March 31, 2023.
1.1 About the Privacy Act
The purpose of the Act is to protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about them held by a government institution, and to provide individuals with a right of access to that information and the right to request the correction of that information. This report is prepared in accordance with Section 72 of the Privacy Act.
Section 72 of the Act requires that the head of every federal government institution submit an annual report to Parliament on the administration of the Act during the fiscal year. This report outlines CASDO’s accomplishments in carrying out its privacy responsibilities and obligations during the 2022 to 2023 reporting period.
1.2 About Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization
Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization is a departmental corporation under Schedule II and IV of the Financial Administration Act, created following the Royal assent of the Accessible Canada Act June 2019, to contribute to the realization of a Canada without barriers. CASDO is governed by a Board of Directors and a Chief Executive Officer, and is accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion of Canada. CASDO’s applied title is Accessibility Standards Canada. CASDO is subject to the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act (ATIP).
The purpose of the Accessible Canada Act is to benefit all persons, especially persons with disabilities, through the realization, within the purview of matters coming within the legislative authority of Parliament, of a Canada without barriers, particularly by the identification and removal of barriers, and the prevention of new barriers, in the areas of:
- employment;
- the built environment;
- information and communication technologies;
- communications, other than ICT
- the procurement of goods, services and facilities;
- the design and delivery of programs and services;
- transportation; and
- areas designated under regulations.
CASDO’s mandate is to contribute to the realization of a Canada without barriers, on or before January 1, 2040, through, among other things:
- the development and revision of accessibility standards;
- the recommendation of accessibility standards to the Minister;
- the provision of information, products and services in relation to the accessibility standards that it has developed or revised;
- the promotion, support and conduct of research into the identification and removal of barriers and the prevention of new barriers; and
- the dissemination of information, including information about best practices, in relation to the identification and removal of barriers and the prevention of new barriers.
2.0 Privacy management at CASDO
Being a small organization, CASDO requested to take advantage of Employment and Social Development Canada’s expertise and efficiency in administering the ATIA and PA through a Memorandum of Understanding. The Corporate Secretariat of ESDC is responsible for the development, coordination and implementation of effective policies, guidelines, systems and procedures to ensure CASDO’s responsibilities under the Act are met, and to enable appropriate processing and proper disclosure of information. ESDC is also responsible for related policies, systems and procedures emanating from the Act.
The activities of ESDC for Privacy are:
- Provide privacy request handling, co-ordinating and processing services in collaboration with CASDO, for records held under CASDO’s control including consultations with Other Government Departments and resolution of investigations received by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner trigged by complaints from requesters.
- Provide best practices, advice and guidance to CASDO to support the drafting and tabling of an Annual Report on the administration of the PA
- Provide statistical information for reporting purposes.
- Provide CASDO with advice and guidance on establishing an ATIP Liaison function.
- Act as a liaison with the office of the Privacy Commissioner for CASDO-related matters.
- In collaboration with CASDO, identify potential privacy related issues based on on-going analysis and review of CASDO business and functions.
- Provide advice and guidance to CASDO on privacy related matters, including but not limited to:
- Privacy impact assessments;
- nformation sharing agreements;
- Contracting;
- Publishing of information about institutions and information holdings (formerly known as Info Source)
- Permissible disclosures
- Policy analysis, Research, Evaluation (PARE) projects
- Privacy Notice Statements and consents.
- Provide advice and guidance to CASDO on how to handle security incidents.
- Provide guidance to assist CASDO in their responsibilities under the PA, including provision of training decks, access to online training sessions and privacy management awareness training to CASDO employees.
Under Section 73 of the Privacy Act, institutions within the same ministerial portfolio can work together to process requests. A service agreement is in place between CASDO and ESDC related to access to information during the reporting period.
Additional copies of this report may be obtained from:
Accessibility Standards Canada
320 Saint-Joseph Blvd., Suite 246
Gatineau QC, K1A 0H3
3.0 Access to Information Delegation Order
Section 73 of the Privacy Act empowers the head of the institution to delegate any of the powers, duties or functions assigned to them to employees of the institution.
A signed and dated copy of the Delegation Order can be found in Annex A.
4.0 Summary of Key Data
No data to report.
4.1 Requests Received and Completed Under the Privacy Act
During the 2022 to 2023 reporting period, CASDO did not receive any new requests pursuant to the Privacy Act. Therefore, there was no impact on the department’s ability to fulfill its responsibilities pursuant to the Privacy Act and no mitigation measures were implemented.
4.2 Exemptions and Exclusions
Canadians have a right of access to their personal information, but the Privacy Act identifies specific exemptions for which the need for confidentiality of certain information is recognized. An exemption is a provision under the Act that authorizes the head of the government institution to not disclose personal information in response to a privacy request.
5.0 Training and Awareness Activities
CASDO is a medium-sized department and receives limited requests under the Act each year. Therefore, no formal training has been given to staff.
6.0 Policies, Guidelines and Procedures
CASDO follows the policies, guidelines or procedures of Employment and Social Development Canada.
7.0 Complaints and Investigations
CASDO did not receive any complaints during this reporting period.
8.0 Monitoring Compliance
ESDC use a formal or automated tracking system to record completion time. Should there be a need to request an extension, CASDO’s Chief Executive Officer would be notified.
9.0 Material Privacy Breaches
CASDO follows the policies, guidelines or procedures of Employment and Social Development Canada.
10.0 Privacy Impact Assessments
In 2002, Treasury Board issued a policy that requires federal government institutions subject to the Privacy Act to conduct Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA) before establishing new programs, systems or policies or before making any substantial modifications to an existing program, system or policy.
During this reporting period, CASDO did not initiate any Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA) and, therefore, no assessments were forwarded to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
11.0 Public Interest Disclosure
Personal information collected by CASDO in the course of its programs and activities is being disclosed only for the purpose for which it was collected in accordance with paragraph 8(2)(a) of the Privacy Act. During 2022-2023, CASDO did not disclose personal information for any other purposes as outlined in paragraphs 8(2)(b) through (m) inclusively.