McHaffie concluded the serial numbers were not personal information under the law.
“The evidence does not establish a serious possibility of either occurring.” “To use the serial numbers to identify an individual would require either access to restricted government databases that already contain personal information, or a successful effort to trick either the government or the manufacturer into releasing personal information,” he wrote.
In his ruling, McHaffie said there was no serious possibility that release of the serial numbers to the requester would allow people associated with the relevant guns to be identified. The RCMP also contended the numbers could be matched up with personal information held by private businesses, such as gun manufacturers or shooting clubs. The information commissioner sided with the requester and recommended release of the serial numbers, but the RCMP refused to budge, prompting the commissioner to take the matter to Federal Court.ĭuring the court proceedings, the Mounties cited three other federal databases containing personal information to which the serial numbers could be linked. The requester complained to the federal information commissioner, an ombudsman for users of the information law.ĭuring the commissioner’s investigation of the complaint, the RCMP pointed out that 85 per cent of the 468 serial numbers in the chart were linked to an individual in the Canadian Firearms Information System, with data including their name, date of birth and address. The RCMP did subsequently release the serial number of this gun, but maintained that the other numbers could not be disclosed. The requester, whose identity is protected, advised the Mounties the serial number of his own firearm had been redacted from the response.
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