Language selection

OPC Logo Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

Search

Investigations into federal institutions

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) conducts investigations into the personal information handling practices of federal government institutions subject to the Privacy Act.

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada is subject to strict confidentiality obligations and can only make findings from investigations under the Privacy Act public in limited circumstances, such as through annual reports or special reports to Parliament.

On this page, you will find a selection of reports and summaries of investigations that have been made public. They demonstrate how the Act applies to the way the federal government collects, uses or discloses personal information.

For each case, the Office indicates the outcome using a set of defined terms for findings and dispositions.

Note: Complainants' names have been removed in the summaries and reports.

Commissioner's Findings: Privacy Act

Investigation into the treatment by a government institution of the personal information of two employees with the same name

Commissioner's Findings 2023-2024 under the Privacy Act

Date of findings:
Commissioner's Findings: Privacy Act

Investigation into the steps the Canada Revenue Agency took to ensure the accuracy of a taxpayer’s personal information that it used to make an administrative decision about them

Commissioner's Findings 2023-2024 under the Privacy Act

Date of findings:
Commissioner's Findings: Privacy Act

Investigation of the Department of National Defence’s refusal to disclose personal information of a deceased individual

Commissioner's Findings 2023-2024 under the Privacy Act

Date of findings:
Commissioner's Findings: Privacy Act

Investigation of IRCC disclosure of personal information to the CBSA

Commissioner's Findings 2023-2024 under the Privacy Act

Date of findings:
Commissioner's Findings: Privacy Act

Investigation into IRCC’s search for records using modified wording

Commissioner's Findings 2023-2024 under the Privacy Act

Date of findings:
Commissioner's Findings: Privacy Act

Investigation into a privacy breach at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Commissioner's Findings 2023-2024 under the Privacy Act

Date of findings:
Special Report to Parliament - Commissioner's Findings: Privacy Act

Investigation of unauthorized disclosures and modifications of personal information held by Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada resulting from cyber attacks

Special Report to Parliament - Commissioner's Findings: Privacy Act

Investigation of the RCMP’s collection of open-source information under Project Wide Awake

Commissioner's Findings: Privacy Act

IRCC email breach creates risk of harm to individuals seeking Afghan emergency assistance

Commissioner's Findings 2022-2023 under the Privacy Act

Date of findings:
Commissioner's Findings: Privacy Act

TBS email breach illustrates the importance of considering context when assessing impact of a breach

Commissioner's Findings 2022-2023 under the Privacy Act

Date of findings:

Showing items 1 through 10 of 91.

Filter these results

Search by key word or choose from the filter options below to narrow the results.

Dispositions

Complaint Types

Topics

Date of Findings
Date modified: