Site MenuAnnual Report on the Privacy Act for the Period Ending March 31, 2015
2. Administration of the Privacy Act
2.1 Education and Training
Privacy training at Elections Canada typically involves educating staff on the principles of the Act; how to securely manage privacy requests and protect personal information. In the 2014–2015 fiscal year, Elections Canada did not conduct any new formal training sessions. As a result, most training was conducted on an informal, one-on-one basis. For instance, the ATIP Office provided Elections Canada with informal advice and consultations on the processing of privacy requests and also started developing new ATIP training material. During the reporting period, the Office continued to work on the implementation of the privacy training program initiated in the last year to prepare returning officers for the next general election. The ATIP Office also raised awareness of privacy issues throughout the agency through Elections Canada's intranet site and regular contributions to its quarterly internal newsletter.
2.2 Institutional Privacy Policies and Procedures
No new institution-specific policies or procedures related to privacy were implemented in this fiscal year. Elections Canada is in the process of developing a new internal privacy framework and policy as well as reviewing its tools in order to improve the management of personal information at the agency.
2.3 Institutional Monitoring of Privacy 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. A weekly progress report of all open and recently closed files is regularly provided to senior officials, including the Chief Electoral Officer and the Executive Committee.
2.4 Material Privacy Breaches
A material privacy breach is any unauthorized collection, use, disclosure, retention or disposal of sensitive personal information that could reasonably be expected to cause injury or harm to the individual. No material privacy breaches occurred at Elections Canada during the reporting period.
2.5 Privacy Impact Assessments
The ATIP Office consistently conducts PIAs to address privacy risks in new or existing departmental programs, initiatives or projects that manage personal information.
In 2014–2015, the ATIP Office advised on different internal programs to determine whether a PIA was warranted. No PIAs were completed during this reporting period. Four PIAs were initiated in 2014–2015 and are to be completed in the next fiscal year.