Program directory · Offices of the Information and Privacy Commissioners of Canada
Protection Program
- Program code
- BRG02 (IPC)
- Core responsibility
- Protection and Promotion of Privacy Rights
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · Missing from some plans
What it does
This program contributes to the protection of privacy rights through the enforcement of federal privacy obligations to ensure compliance by federal government institutions and private-sector organizations. Under this program, privacy-related complaints are investigated, privacy breaches are reviewed and organizations’ compliance with requirements set out in the two federal privacy laws is assessed. These compliance activities are supported by specialized legal and technological expertise.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protection Program | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $80.6M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of investigations closed as Well-founded | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Indicators added: Percentage of formal OPC recommendations accepted by departments and organizations | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of investigations resolved using Early Resolution; Percentage of material privacy breaches reviewed by the OPC where the organization took appropriate measures to OPC satisfaction | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Renamed from “Compliance Program” to “Protection Program”. | GC InfoBase program names by year |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Percentage of complaints accepted active more than 12 months
Expected result: Complaints and systemic privacy issues are addressed by the OPC in an effective and timely manner
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≤ 25% | 2020 | 28% Our Office continues its ongoing efforts to reduce the proportion of files active than 12 months. In the last year, those efforts yielded overall reduction of the backlog by 50% as planned. In fact, while concurrently working on improving service standards, 60% of all complaints closed were backlogged files. Noting this a proportion rather than aggregate figure, the difference from 2018-19 to 201… | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≤ 2% | 2022 | 15% Between April 2019 and March 2021, we successfully leveraged a temporary budget increase and enhanced efficiencies to reduce our investigation files older than 12 months by more than 90%. However, with the expiration of the temporary funding this fiscal year, we have seen our backlog cases climb to 102 at the end of March 2022, representing 15% of all ongoing investigations that are under the Pri… | Not met |
| 2022-23 | ≤ 2% | 2023 | 24% With the end of the temporary funding that we received in Budget 2019, our office has faced some capacity and resource challenges. Over the past year, our overall backlog of privacy complaints older than 12 months has increased despite our various efforts to improve the efficiency of our compliance processes. | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≤ 2% | 2024 | 20% Temporary funding that was received in the 2023 federal budget allowed the OPC to hire additional resources and reduce its backlog of complaints. Although the OPC did not meet its target for this indicator, in 2023-24, the OPC reduced the proportion of investigations older than 12 months by 4%, going from 24% to 20%. At the end of March 2024, 20% (152) of all ongoing OPC investigations were older… | Not met |
| 2024-25 | ≤ 10% | 2025 | 9% The OPC leveraged temporary funding received for 2024–25 to adequately respond to privacy breaches reported by public and private sector organizations; and to investigate privacy complaints from the public in a timely manner. It also made significant progress at reducing its ongoing overall investigative backlog from 24% to 9% over two years. | Met |
Percentage of investigations resolved using Early Resolution
Expected result: Canadians’ complaints are resolved
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 45% | 2019 | 37% Early resolution continues to be an efficient mechanism to resolve straightforward privacy matters. This past year, the OPC closed 1,648 complaint files, including 611 through early resolution. When reviewing this result, it is important to note, however, that approximately 47% of the complaints closed by our Office relate to Time Limits investigations, which are subject to different processes th… | Not met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 45% | 2020 | 34% Early resolution continues to be an efficient mechanism to resolve straightforward privacy matters. This past year, the OPC closed 1,635 complaint files, including 551 through early resolution. When reviewing this result, it is important to note, however, that more than half (53%) of the complaints closed by our Office relate to Time Limits investigations, which are subject to different processes… | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 45% | 2021 | 57% The Compliance, Intake and Resolution Directorate of which the early resolution and intake team is a part, is responsible for ensuring that straightforward complaints are resolved as efficiently and effectively as possible. Early resolutions apply to situations in which an issue is resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant early in the investigation process and our office does not issue a f… | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 45% | 2022 | 54% Early resolution continues to be a crucial part of our operations. While we surpassed our target, we noted a 3% decrease in complaints resolved through this process compared to the previous year. | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 45% | 2023 | 56% Early resolution continues to be a critical part of our operations. We have exceeded our target and have seen a modest improvement of 2% in the number of complaints resolved through this process compared to the previous year. | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 45% | 2024 | 60% Early resolution is an integral investigative tool used by the OPC to resolve low-complexity, non-systemic complaints quickly and efficiently. The OPC uses approaches such as engagement and negotiation to provide the best outcome for the parties involved. In these cases, the OPC does not issue a formal finding. In 2023-24 the OPC exceeded its target by 15% and surpassed the number of complaints r… | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 55% | 2025 | 61% Early resolution continues to be an important investigative tool used by the OPC to resolve low-complexity and non-systemic formal complaints in an efficient and timely manner. This approach uses engagement and negotiation to reach the best outcomes to the parties involved. Consistent with the previous year, in 2024–25, while the OPC notes an increase in the number of complaints accepted (11% inc… | Met |
Percentage of material privacy breaches reviewed by the OPC where the organization took appropriate measures to OPC satisfaction
Expected result: Increased Compliance with federal privacy legislation
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | — | 2020 | 66% In 2/3 of combined public and private sector breaches reported to our Office, we concluded that the organization had taken appropriate actions, in line with their obligations, following the breach. This constitutes a noticeable improvement from 2018-19, which is likely attributable to increased awareness around reporting obligations under PIPEDA for the private sector, and the Treasury Board Secr… | No result reported |
| 2020-21 | 90% – 90% | 2021 | 88% The result for this year is 88%, an increase from our result of 66% in 2019-20. While this may suggest on its face that compliance with breach reporting obligations is improving across institutions and business, we attribute this increase largely to an adjustment in the OPC’s risk tolerance. Specifically, we have lowered the threshold for what it considers to be “appropriate measures” for breache… | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 90% | 2022 | 96% As previously reported the OPC has made an adjustment to its risk tolerance and has lowered the threshold for what it considers to be “appropriate measures” for breaches reported in the private sector that appear to present a lower risk. Consequently, last year's and this year's results are higher than previous years. | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 90% | 2023 | 89% The result is slightly below our target of 90% and lower compared to the result for the previous year (96%). Compliance with breach reporting obligations remains a challenge for federal institutions and businesses. | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 90% | 2024 | 94% It should be noted that this result applies only to privacy breaches that our office is made aware of. The OPC remains concerned that, too often, breaches are going undetected or are being mis-assessed, leading to under-reporting of privacy breaches in the public and private sectors. | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 90% | 2025 | 87% The OPC recently launched the Privacy Breach Risk Self-Assessment Tool to help businesses and federal government institutions determine whether a privacy breach creates a real risk of significant harm (RROSH) to an individual, and therefore must be reported to the OPC and affected individuals notified. It is anticipated that the tool will not only guide businesses and government institutions in t… | Not met |
Percentage of investigations closed as Well-founded
Expected result: Increased Compliance with federal privacy legislation
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | — | 2020 | 81% This indicator measures the percentage of complaints that were the subject of a formal investigation by our Office, where the issues under investigation were deemed to be well founded. As such, it is important to note that the result does not include certain types of complaints, such as those resolved through early resolution or those complaints that were not fully investigated by our Office (e.g… | No result reported |
| 2020-21 | — | 2021 | 78% This indicator measures the percentage of complaints that were the subject of a formal investigation by our Office, where the issues under investigation were deemed to be well founded. As such, it is important to note that the result does not include certain types of complaints, such as those resolved through early resolution or those complaints that were not fully investigated by our Office (e.g… | No result reported |
| 2021-22 | ≤ 20% | 2022 | 80% This indicator measures the percentage of complaints that were the subject of a formal investigation by our Office, where the issues under investigation were deemed to be well founded. A considerable proportion of this result involves time limit investigations related to the public sector, which is an indication that government institutions continue to face challenges in responding to access to p… | Not met |
| 2022-23 | ≤ 20% | 2023 | — This indicator is discontinued and will be replaced during the next review of the Departmental Results Framework. | No result reported |
| 2023-24 | ≤ 20% | 2024 | — This indicator has been discontinued. | No result reported |
| 2024-25 | This indicator is discontinued, it will be reviewed and updated in the coming year. | 2025 | This indicator has been discontinued. | No result reported |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Percentage of complaints accepted active more than 12 months
Expected result: Complaints and systemic privacy issues are addressed by the OPC in an effective and timely manner
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | To be established for 2027-28 | 2027 | — | Planned |
Percentage of formal OPC recommendations accepted by departments and organizations
Expected result: Non-compliant organizations’ practices are modified to be more compliant with federal privacy laws
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 85% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $8.7M | $10M |
| 2019-20 | $8.6M | $10M |
| 2020-21 | $10M | $11.2M |
| 2021-22 | $10.8M | $11.3M |
| 2022-23 | $10M | $11.2M |
| 2023-24 | $10.5M | $12.9M |
| 2024-25 | $12.9M | $13.9M |
| 2026-27 | $12.5M | — |
| 2027-28 | $12M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $11.9M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 68 | 57 |
| 2019-20 | 68 | 72 |
| 2020-21 | 78 | 79 |
| 2021-22 | 79 | 82 |
| 2022-23 | 74 | 76 |
| 2023-24 | 74 | 75 |
| 2024-25 | 90 | 91 |
| 2025-26 | 94 | — |
| 2026-27 | 81 | — |
| 2027-28 | 79* | — |
| 2028-29 | 78* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $8,671,288 | $8,671,288 | $8,671,288 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $8,641,213 | $8,641,213 | $8,641,213 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $9,955,192 | $9,668,828 | $9,498,277 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $10,796,933 | $9,945,921 | $9,945,921 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $9,998,096 | $9,998,096 | $9,998,096 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $10,460,742 | $10,460,742 | $10,460,742 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $12,871,157 | $11,240,643 | $11,250,115 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $12,461,024 | $12,043,557 | $11,864,319 | ||||||||
| Actual | $10,046,844 | $10,003,783 | $11,231,058 | $11,336,954 | $11,242,623 | $12,871,271 | $13,854,697 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
