Duty to assist
The Federal Accountability Act and Treasury Board Secretariat directives apply to both the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, and require that all government institutions "make every reasonable effort to assist" individuals making a request for records, regardless of who the requester is.
The Correctional Service of Canada is committed to ensuring that we
- process your request without regard to your identity
- offer reasonable assistance throughout the request process
- provide information on the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act, including information on the processing of your request and your right to complain to either the Information Commissioner or Privacy Commissioner of Canada
- inform you as appropriate and without undue delay when your request needs to be clarified
- explain why we are unable to complete your request within 30 calendar days, if applicable
- make every reasonable effort to locate and retrieve the requested records under our purview
- apply limited and specific exemptions to the requested records
- provide accurate and complete responses
- provide timely access to the requested information
- provide records in the format and official language requested, as appropriate
- provide an appropriate location within the government institution to examine the requested information
When applicable, requesters will be given the option of having their request processed informally. However, the requester should know that only formal requests are subject to the provisions of the acts, including the right to complain.
For additional information, please refer to the Treasury Board Secretariat's