Privy Council Office, Access to Information and Privacy
Request: correspondence with the King and the Royal Household on the independence of Canada, and any request for a statement.
The letter ·
Request under the Access to Information Act — what the Government of Canada asked of the King and the Royal Household after the calls of the United States for Canada to become its 51st state — with a request for a fee waiver under subsection 11(2)
Hello,
I make this request under section 6 of the Access to Information Act. I am a person present in Canada. Subsection 4(1) of the Act, as extended by the Access to Information Act Extension Order, No. 1, entitles me to make it.
CONTEXT.
The material of the Department of Canadian Heritage for the appearance of its Minister before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on 5 May 2026 states that "Royal Tours and Visits are initiated at the request of the Prime Minister". The Privy Council Office is the department of the Prime Minister.
RECORDS REQUESTED.
Period: 7 January 2025 to the date this request is received.
1. Records of communications between the Government of Canada, including the Canadian Secretary to the King, and the King, his Private Secretary or the Royal Household, concerning statements by officials of the United States that Canada should become a state of the United States, or concerning the sovereignty of Canada.
2. Records of any request by the Government of Canada that the King or the Governor General make a public statement concerning the sovereignty of Canada, and records of every reply.
3. Records of any consultation of the Government of Canada on the remarks of the King concerning Canada at the White House on 28 April 2026.
4. Records concerning Canada prepared for or after the state visit of the President of the United States to the United Kingdom of 16 to 18 September 2025.
5. The request of the Prime Minister for the royal visit of May 2025, and briefing notes to the Prime Minister on the role of the King in the response of Canada to the statements in item 1.
6. Where no record exists for an item, a statement to that effect for that item, naming the officer who conducted the search. The duty to assist in subsection 4(2.1) of the Act requires it.
WITHHELD RECORDS.
For every record withheld in whole, state its date, its author, its recipient and the provision relied on. Paragraph 10(1)(b) and section 25 of the Act apply.
FEE.
Waive the application fee under subsection 11(2). The records concern what the Government of Canada asked of the King of Canada while the United States called for Canada to become one of its states. Every record released will be published in full at https://dzyuban.com/reformation/. If the fee is not waived, give the decision under subsection 11(2) in writing, with reasons and the name and title of the officer who made it.
DELIVERY.
By email, to this address. Confirm receipt with the file number and the date of receipt under section 7.
Respectfully,
Danilo Dzyuban
The answer ·
Hi Danilo Dzyuban,
We are pleased to confirm that your request has been created and assigned an initial received date of September 29, 2026. Your file number is A-2026-00655.
We have reviewed your request for a fee waiver. At this time, the fee waiver request has not been approved. The delegated authority under the Access to Information Act who denied the fee waiver request is David Neilson, Executive Director, Access to Information and Privacy and Executive Correspondence Services.
Please note, however, that the request is not considered complete until the prescribed $5 application fee has been received. As a result, processing of the request cannot begin, and the statutory timeline will not commence, until payment has been received.
You may submit the $5 application fee by cheque or cash. Cheques should be made payable to the Receiver General for Canada and mailed to:
David Neilson
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
11 Metcalfe Street
Ottawa, Ontario [postal code]Alternatively, you may choose to submit your request through the Access to Information and Privacy Online Request Service (AORS), which allows the application fee to be paid electronically through the portal.
Once the application fee has been received, we will proceed with processing your request.
Thank you for your understanding. Should you have any questions regarding payment options, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Warmly,
JonathanJonathan Lemieux
Deputy Director, Access to Information and Privacy
Privy Council Office / Government of CanadaDirecteur adjoint, Accès à l'information et protection des renseignements personnels