The complainant alleged that Health Canada did not respond to an access request within the 30-day period set out in section 7 of the Access to Information Act. The request was for internal and external records referenced in a Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement for the Regulations Amending the Tobacco Products Regulations. The allegation falls under paragraph 30(1)(a) of the Act.

During the investigation, the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) was advised that 20,250 pages of responsive records were received. The OIC noted that information management deficiencies had resulted in a significant delay in the processing of the request. In addition, consultations within Health Canada, with other government departments, as well as with a number of third parties, would be required.

Heath Canada committed to responding to the request by July 17, 2030.

Considering the amount of time that had already passed without significant progress in processing this request and the overly long approval timeline, the proposed response date was found to be unreasonable. The Information Commissioner ordered the Minister of Health to provide a complete response to the access request no later than April 7, 2026.

Health Canada gave notice to the Commissioner that it would implement the order.

The complaint is well founded.