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Retention Guidelines for Common Administrative Records of the Government of Canada

Overview

The following guidelines provide advice to all institutions subject to the Library and Archives of Canada Act, on the establishment of minimum retention periods for records that support the five common administrative functions of the Government of Canada, namely General Administration, Real Property Management, Materiel Management, Comptrollership, and Human Resources Management. It replaces the Retention Guidelines for Common Administrative Records issued by Library and Archives in June, 2000, as well as the Schedules of the General Records Disposal Schedules (GRDS) Fourth Edition, 1986, PAC 86/001.

The guide is divided into 3 parts to offer users various methodologies in how they wish to access the retention guidelines. Section 1 has been organized by function and sub-function rather than subject and its arrangement is based on Library and Archives Canada's Multi-Institutional Disposition Authorities (MIDAs) for Common Administrative Records. Section 2 is arranged alphabetically by subject heading/activity within each function. Section 3 offers users an enhanced index linking alpha-arranged sub-functions, activities and subjects to the retention guidelines in sections 1 and 2.

The guidelines apply to records under the control of institutions subject to the Library and Archives Canada Act when those records are collected, created or received to support the common administrative functions of those institutions. The guidelines do not apply, however, to records that are collected, created or received by an institution that directly supports the operational functions of federal institutions, or to records of Offices of Primary Interest (OPIs) that are responsible for the administration of the Government of Canada, or to records of Offices of Collateral Interest (OCIs) that are implicated in or associated with the performance, management or delivery of a function, program or service for the Government of Canada.

The formal consent, by the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, to dispose of common administrative records of the government of Canada is contained in Multi-Institutional Disposition Authorities issued to all federal institution subject to the Library and Archives of Canada Act.

The five Multi-Institutional Disposition Authorities for common administrative records give federal institutions the authority and consent from the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, to dispose of their common administrative records. Together, these retention guidelines give direction to federal institutions on the retention periods for their common administrative records and the MIDAs provide the authority to dispose of those records when their retention periods have expired.

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