The Commission d'accès à l'information (Commission) is responsible for overseeing the application of the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information (Access Act) and the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (Private Sector Act).

To this end, the Commission may, following receipt of a complaint deemed admissible, conduct an investigation. The Commission will then be able to determine whether a public body or a company complies with its obligations set out in the Act respecting access or in the Act respecting the private sector. The Commission can also determine that an investigation is not required and choose another means to intervene, if necessary, for example by raising awareness or issuing a compliance reminder.

As part of an investigation, the Commission may contact you only if additional information is needed. You will therefore not be notified of all the stages of the investigation. However, at the end of the process, the Commission will inform you in writing of the results of its intervention.

If a public body or a company does not meet its obligations, the Commission may recommend or order it to take the necessary measures to comply with the requirements of the laws.

The laws do not give the Commission the power to award financial compensation to a party. Similarly, the Commission cannot order an organization or company to apologize to a complainant.

NB: This form is not intended to submit a request for access or rectification nor to request a review of the decision of a public organization or a company concerning such a request. Other forms for this type of request are available on the Commission's website.