The Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories enacted its first Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act on December 31, 1996. The stated intention of the act is to "promote, uphold and protect access to the information that government creates and receives and to protect the privacy rights of individuals."
The Information and Privacy Commissioner is an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly, but is required under section 68 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act to prepare and submit an annual report on the Commissioner's activities to the Legislative Assembly. Ms. Elaine Keenan-Bengts was re-appointed as the Northwest Territories' Information and Privacy Commissioner on July 1, 2000 and will serve a five-year term.
The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act provides the public with a means of accessing the information that government collects through its departments and various regulatory bodies. The legislation was also designed to place restrictions on the disbursal of certain information in order to protect the privacy rights of individuals. The act also gives individuals the right to see and make corrections to the information about themselves.