Information Commissioner Issues Record 63 PCO Orders

Caroline Maynard's office says the Privy Council Office's compliance with access to information orders shows some improvement.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Government

Flat-color editorial illustration of a single grey archival cabinet alone in a pale stone chamber, lit by one shaft of cool light. — Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard issued a record 63 binding orders against the Privy Council Office in 2025-26, up from 12 four years earlier. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard issued a record 63 orders against the Privy Council Office in the 2025-26 fiscal year, up from 12 four years earlier. Maynard told the House of Commons ethics committee on November 2, 2026, that the PCO's compliance is showing some improvement.

Why it matters

The rising number of binding orders points to ongoing friction over how federal institutions handle access to information requests across Canada. Ottawa's central department is now the subject of the most enforcement actions, raising questions about its document-release approval process.

The Information Commissioner's office issued 63 binding orders against the PCO in 2025-26, a four-year climb from 12, and 23 more so far this fiscal year as of October. The office has not confirmed whether the Clerk of the Privy Council has responded to its request to review the PCO's approval process.

The players

Caroline Maynard

Maynard is Canada's Information Commissioner, an officer of Parliament responsible for overseeing compliance with the federal Access to Information Act.

Privy Council Office

The Privy Council Office is the central federal department that supports the Prime Minister and Cabinet and serves as the department of the Clerk of the Privy Council.

Department of National Defence

National Defence is the federal department responsible for the Canadian Armed Forces, which received the most access to information orders of any federal institution in 2025-26.

The details

Maynard said the PCO never told her office whether it would comply with an order in 10 cases, though it ultimately followed the orders. Her office received 5,839 complaints in 2025-26, with 1,939 deemed not admissible for investigation, and 78% of the PCO's active complaints came from three requesters.

February 2026: Maynard said the PCO was not getting better.
March 2026: A Treasury Board discussion paper questioned the commissioner's order-making power.
October 2026: The commissioner had issued 23 more orders against the PCO this fiscal year.
November 2, 2026: Maynard told the ethics committee the PCO is showing improvement.

Political Context

Critics of the government argue the commissioner's order-making power is needed because institutions have used exaggerated claims of harm to withhold documents, a concern the commissioner's office raised in a backgrounder. A March 2026 Treasury Board discussion paper, however, questioned whether that order-making power should remain as it is.

Canadians seeking federal records face delays and complaint backlogs, with the commissioner's office receiving 5,000 complaints so far this year. Requesters whose complaints are deemed inadmissible may have no path to a binding ruling on their file.

The takeaway

The sharp rise in binding orders against one department signals that access to information compliance remains a live issue in Canadian government. Whether the PCO's reported improvement holds will be visible in future order counts.

What happens next

Bill C-31, which would shield certain information collected by the Bank of Canada and the Finance Department under the Retail Payment Activities Act from access requests, is at report stage in the House of Commons.