The Information Commissioner of Canada is an independent
ombudsman
An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...
and an officer of
parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, ...
who reports directly to the
House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Commo ...
and the
Senate of Canada
The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The Senate is modelled after the ...
.
The commissioner's work is supported by the Office of the Information Commissioner, which was established in 1983 under the ''Access to Information Act'' (ATIA) – Canada's freedom of information legislation.
The office assists individuals and organizations who believe that federal institutions have not respected their rights under the ATIA. More specifically, the Office of the Information Commissioner:
* carries out investigations and dispute-resolution efforts to resolve complaints
* monitors federal institutions’ performances under the ATIA
* represents the commissioner in court cases, and provides legal advice on investigations and legislative matters
The information commissioner provides arms-length oversight of the federal government's access to information practices. The commissioner encourages and assists federal institutions to adopt approaches to information-sharing that meet the objectives of the ATIA, and advocates for greater access to information in Canada.
Whenever possible, the commissioner relies on persuasion to solve disputes, asking for a federal court review only if an individual has been improperly denied access and a negotiated solution has proved impossible.
Caroline Maynard is the current information commissioner, appointed, for a seven-year term, on March 1, 2018.
Information commissioners of Canada
There have been six information commissioners since the office was established in 1983. They hold office for seven-year terms (''Access to Information Act'', s. 54).
*
Caroline Maynard (March 2018 – present)
*
Suzanne Legault (2010 – February 2018)
*Suzanne Legault (2009-2010 – acting)
*
Robert Marleau
Robert Marleau , is a former Canadian federal public servant and former Information Commissioner of Canada. Beginning in 1970, Marleau served 31 years in the Parliament of Canada, 13 of which were as the Clerk of the House of Commons from July 19 ...
(2007-2009 – retired)
*
John Mercer Reid (1998 – 2006)
*
John W. Grace (1990 – 1998)
*
Inger Hansen (1983 – 1990)
See also
*
Coordination of Access to Information Requests System
References
External links
Office of the Information Commissioner of CanadaDecisions database
Federal departments and agencies of Canada
Government agencies established in 1983
Commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
Officers of the Parliament of Canada
*Information Commissioner
Canada, Information Commissioner
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