Canadian Heritage, Access to Information and Privacy

The letter · 30 September 2026

Request under the Access to Information Act — the record behind the statement that the royal visit of May 2025 "served to reaffirm Canada's sovereignty" — 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.

On 5 May 2026 the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture appeared before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on the Main Estimates. The Department's material for that appearance, published on canada.ca, states that the royal visit of 26 and 27 May 2025 "served to reaffirm Canada's sovereignty and unique identity" and cost the Department $442,958.26 as of January 2026, with a finalized cost to follow the end of the fiscal year on 31 March 2026. The same material states that the Department "is responsible for the overall management of official Royal Visits and Royal Tours".

RECORDS REQUESTED.

Period: 7 January 2025 to the date this request is received.

1. Records setting out the objectives, themes or key messages of the royal visit of May 2025, including every reference to the United States or to the sovereignty of Canada.

2. Records that assess whether the royal visit of May 2025 reaffirmed the sovereignty of Canada, including every record on which the words "served to reaffirm Canada's sovereignty" in the material for the appearance of 5 May 2026 rest.

3. Records of communications between the Department and the Royal Household, the Canadian Secretary to the King or the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General concerning statements by officials of the United States that Canada should become a state of the United States.

4. The finalized cost of the royal visit of May 2025, by department and agency.

5. 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 a statement about the sovereignty of Canada in the material the Department prepared for the appearance of its Minister before a committee of the House of Commons. 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