Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) report

Why it matters

The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act gives Canadian citizens a right of access to records held by public agencies. FIPPA creates a set of rules by which public bodies must abide when responding to a request for records. Those rules include timelines within which public bodies must respond to an access request and the circumstances in which public bodies may withhold information. FIPPA also restricts the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by public bodies.

The general purposes of the Act is to provide a right of access to information under the control of institutions in accordance with the principles that: information should be available to the public, necessary exemptions from the right of access should be limited and specific, and decisions on the disclosure of government information should be reviewed independently of government. The Act also aims to protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by institutions and to provide individuals with a right of access to that information.