Access to Information and Privacy

The Access to Information Act gives every Canadian citizen, permanent resident and individual or corporation present in Canada the right to access records—in any format—that are held under the control of a government institution subject to certain specific and limited exceptions.

Requests for records under the control of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada should be submitted under the Access to Information Act.

The Privacy Act protects the privacy of all Canadian citizens and permanent residents regarding personal information held by a government institution. However, it gives these individuals, including those in Canada who are not permanent residents or citizens, the right to access their own personal information.

Requests to access your personal information under the control of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada should be submitted under the Privacy Act.

Both types of requests should be submitted by mail to the following address:

Access to Information and Privacy Unit
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
30 Victoria Street
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 1H3

OPC is committed to ensuring that clients with disabilities have equal access to, and can benefit from, all our public-facing services. If you require accommodation for a disability to help you submit an Access to Information and/or Privacy request to our Office, please contact the Access to Information and Privacy Unit on our toll-free line at 1-800-282-1376 or by email at atip-aiprp@priv.gc.ca.