Global Affairs Canada, Access to Information and Privacy
Request: the security and defence dialogue of Canada and Mexico.
The letter ·
Access to Information request with fee waiver — the Canada-Mexico security and defence dialogue
Hello,
I make this request under section 6 of the Access to Information Act. I am a Canadian resident and I request access to the following records held by Global Affairs Canada.
1. The Canada-Mexico Action Plan 2025-2028 in full, with every annex, and all records that set out the commitments under its security pillar, the institution of each government responsible for each commitment, and the date by which each commitment is to be met.
2. All records of the Canada-Mexico High-Level Strategic Dialogue, of the Canada-Mexico security dialogue at the level of deputy ministers or above, and of every meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the United Mexican States, including agendas, briefing notes and records of discussion, dated between 1 January 2025 and the date this request is processed.
3. All reports of the Embassy of Canada in Mexico that assess the position of the Government of the United Mexican States on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Canada, or on the statements of the President of the United States that Canada should become a state of the United States, in the same period.
4. All records that assess whether the United Mexican States would support Canada, politically, economically or militarily, in the case of coercion or armed attack by the United States against Canada, including any assessment of the doctrine of non-intervention of the United Mexican States, in the same period.
5. All records that assess the role of the United Mexican States in the defence of North America, including its participation in the North American Defence Ministerial and its relationship with the United States Northern Command, in the same period.
Produce the records in electronic format.
Fees. I am without income and I am unable to pay the application fee. Waive the fee under subsection 11(6) of the Access to Information Act. The records concern the allies of Canada in the face of pressure from a foreign state, and the public benefit of their release is direct. If the waiver is refused, I require written notice of the refusal, the reason for it, and the method of payment.
I require registration of this request on the date of its receipt. Where the Department holds no record answering any numbered item above, I require a written statement to that effect for that item.
The name and title of an officer or employee of a government institution on a document prepared by that person in the course of employment is not personal information under paragraph 3(j) of the Privacy Act. I require that such names and titles be released and not severed.
A refusal to register this request until a fee is paid, an absence of a file number, or an absence of a decision on the waiver request will be placed before the Information Commissioner of Canada.
This exchange goes into the public record at https://dzyuban.com/legal/record/requests/
Respectfully,
Danilo Dzyuban
The answer ·
Good afternoon Mr. Dzyuban,
This further to your access request received by Global Affairs Canada on October 6, 2026, concerning records relating to Canada-Mexico relations and related matters.
You have asked that the $5.00 application fee be waived under subsection 11(6) of the Access to Information Act. Please note that the authority to waive or refund fees is now set out in subsection 11(2) of the Act, which provides that the head of a government institution may waive the requirement to pay a fee or part of a fee.
Your request for a waiver has been considered in accordance with that provision and the applicable Treasury Board policy guidance. In assessing a waiver request, consideration may be given to factors including whether the information is normally available without charge, the degree of general public benefit that would result from release, and the circumstances and facts surrounding the request.
After careful consideration of the information provided in support of your request, Global Affairs Canada has decided not to waive the $5.00 application fee. While the subject matter of your request may be of public interest the circumstances of this request do not warrant a waiver of the prescribed application fee.
If you wish to proceed with your request, please submit payment of $5.00, payable to the Receiver General for Canada. Payment may be made by cheque or money order mailed to our ATIP office, or by credit or debit card through the Government of Canada’s online payment service – Make an access to information or personal information request - Canada.ca<https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/access-information-privacy/access-information/request-information.html>;
With respect to your request that Global Affairs Canada confirm whether it holds responsive records for each numbered item, the scope of records and any relevant responses will be addressed in our formal response to your request, following receipt of the application fee and completion of the required searches.
If you disagree with this fee-waiver decision, you may ask the Information Commissioner of Canada to investigate the matter.