Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and honourable members of the committee. My name is Anne Bank. I'm the executive director of access to information and privacy at the Department of National Defence.
I am responsible for the implementation of the Access to Information and Privacy Acts within the defence team, which includes the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces.
My responsibilities include overseeing the teams that coordinate, review and release responses to ATIP requests, as well as providing advice, guidance and training to the defence team in the application of the acts. I am also responsible for the team that establishes policies and processes related to privacy management and privacy compliance within National Defence.
National Defence is committed to openness, transparency and respect for the rights granted under the Access to Information and Privacy Acts.
As a result of reviews and investigations in recent years, we have made changes to our practices to streamline processes and promote transparency, and to stress the importance of our legislated obligations. Additionally, there is a close collaboration with the defence chief information officer and the defence chief data officer to ensure that both transparency and the protection of personal information are considered in the implementation of the defence data strategy.
I am happy to provide any evidence the committee may require and am eager to see the results of your study to further help us better serve Canadians.
I look forward to your questions.
Thank you.