Information and Records Management

During the term of a Parliament, each Member collects numerous documents, including financial records, constituency case files, employee records, and documents related to their parliamentary and constituency duties.

Information Management

The Information Technology Department (ITD) can advise Members, constituency offices, and caucuses on the day-to-day management of information and is available to support Members and staff in developing effective practices when creating, receiving, managing, safeguarding, and destroying electronic and physical records. The department also supports policy development and training in related areas.

Financial Records

Constituency financial records have a requirement to be retained for a period of 6 years from the end of the fiscal year to which they relate.

Financial Services will maintain the accounting records and scanned copies of all invoices and receipts for a period of 6 years from the end of the last fiscal year to which they relate. Records related to ongoing and active contractual or legal matters are maintained in accordance with applicable laws and policies and are disposed of once they are no longer required for legal or business purposes. Original documents pertaining to the current fiscal year (April 1 to March 31) must be retained for audit purposes until confirmation of completion of the financial audit for that fiscal year is received from Financial Services. It is recommended that these original documents be filed by the month in which they were submitted to Financial Services via the Payables Portal to facilitate any retrieval requests made by internal or external auditors. Once notification has been received from Financial Services, destruction of such documents should be done in a secure and timely manner.

Some documents, such as invoices and receipts required for warranty purposes, should be retained in original form and not be destroyed.

Other financial records (those not submitted via the Payables Portal), such as contracts and agreements, should be retained by the constituency office for at least 6 years from the end of the last fiscal year to which they relate.

Financial Records – Prior to July 18, 2025

Copies of invoices and reimbursements submitted in DocuWare prior to July 18, 2025 are viewable in a read-only version of DocuWare.

Financial Records – Prior to April 1, 2018 

The Legislative Assembly adopted a centralized payment and accounting model in 2018. Some constituency offices will have a mixture of financial records from the pre- and post-centralization periods. Any financial records pertaining to the period prior to April 1, 2018, should be maintained by the constituency office for at least 6 years from the end of the last fiscal year to which they relate and provided to Financial Services at the end of a Parliament or upon closing of a constituency office.

Financial records include: a full print out of the general ledger from the date the constituency office opened until it was closed; all bank statements; cancelled cheques; bank reconciliations; supplier invoices; expense claim forms for in-constituency travel; and contracts and agreements.

The Legislative Assembly will assist Members in determining the retention requirements for their various files.

Protection and Security of Information

Members, constituency staff, and caucus staff are provided with personalized Legislative Assembly access rights (e.g., user accounts for email, file storage, apps and software) and devices (e.g., laptop, phone) to conduct their work. Members and their staff must use these information technology resources provided by the Legislative Assembly, rather than personal devices or accounts, to ensure their information is secure and protected.

Should a Member or their staff wish to use a personal device, they must use multi-factor authentication and security technology provided by the Information Technology Department. The Information Technology Department may limit, remediate, or isolate the personal device’s access to Legislative Assembly information if the device poses a risk to the operation, integrity, or security of Legislative Assembly information. More information is available in Policy 7410 – Appropriate Use of IT Resources for Members and Employees of a Member or Caucus.

When conducting business as part of, or on behalf of, the Executive Council, Members must be aware of their responsibilities under Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and should use their accounts issued by the Government of British Columbia. The Act provides British Columbians with a legal right of access to records, with limited exceptions, in order to make public bodies more open and accountable to the public they serve and protects the privacy of personal information held by public bodies. Although the Act does not directly apply to the Legislative Assembly, its Members, or officers, records that are shared with public bodies, including ministries and the offices of Ministers and the Premier, are subject to the Act. The Act may also apply to a Member’s work as a Member of the Executive Council working in their capacity as a Minister, or a Member acting as a member of a committee or task force reporting to a Minister, or attending an event or carrying out a function on behalf of a Minister.

Members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with good practices to protect the privacy and security of personal information.

Release of Personal Information

Members meet regularly with constituents and help those who have questions or concerns about provincial government programs, policies, and benefits. In order to assist constituents with these matters, personal information may need to be provided to a Member or constituency office staff by a public body. A Member can request the release of personal information on behalf of an individual constituent who has directly requested their assistance by using a Certificate of Authority. Should a constituent request a Member’s assistance on behalf of a third party (e.g., a parent requesting information on behalf of their child or an adult requesting support on behalf of their elderly parent), Members can request the release of personal information by using a Third Party Consent form. Additional information on this process is available online or from: