My comments will be very brief, Mr. Chairman.
Good afternoon, my name is Denis Kratchanov. I am Director of the Information Law and Privacy Section at the Department of Justice.
On behalf of the department, I would first like to thank you for this opportunity to discuss the operation of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, as well as the department's role with regard to them.
The Minister of Justice serves, as you know, as the legal adviser to all government departments. Counsel within the Department of Justice provides legal advice on the interpretation of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The role of the information law and privacy section within the Department of Justice is to serve as a centre of expertise in this area to help ensure that the legal advice provided by the Department of Justice to all its clients is consistent and delivered as efficiently as possible.
In addition, the section offers formal and informal training sessions to justice lawyers on matters related to the interpretation and the application of both acts. This section works in close collaboration with officials of the Treasury Board Secretariat responsible for access to information and privacy policies. As such, the section's legal advice is often sought by these officials when they have to respond to a situation that requires them to inform and educate the ATIP coordinators about their role, responsibilities, and best practices. This section also participates in training sessions offered to ATIP coordinators across the government.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my remarks. I will be pleased to answer your questions.