Debates of June 1, 2006 (day 3)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight met on May 2, 2006, to review the 2004-2005 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner. The committee would like to thank the Commissioner, Ms. Elaine Keenan-Bengts, for her report and for her appearance before the committee.

The NWT’s Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (ATIPP) came into force on December 31, 1996. The purpose of the act is to make public bodies more accountable and to protect personal privacy by giving the public a right of access, with limited exceptions, to records held by the GNWT and related public bodies, and by preventing the unauthorized collection, use or disclosure of personal information by the GNWT and related public bodies. The act also gives individuals the rights to see and make corrections to information about themselves.

The Information and Privacy Commissioner is an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly. Her primary role is to review and make recommendations on public bodies’ decisions under the act. Reviews can be requested by people who have been refused access to information, third parties who have an interest in information someone else is requesting, and people who have concerns about how their personal information has been handled. The Commissioner’s mandate also includes: research into matters affecting the carrying out of the purposes of the act; receiving representations about the operation of the act; and offering comment on the implications for privacy protection of proposed legislative schemes or government programs.