Aboriginal Affairs seeks sensitive document left by microwave

Radio-Canada has obtained email correspondencethat suggests copies of a three-page document containing "sensitive notes and information about human resources" were lefton an office microwavelast Tuesday in a Gatineau, Que.officeof the Aboriginal Affairs department.

The email exchange, dated last Friday,includes a message from a departmental manager who writes thatleavingthe document behind and subsequently distributingthe copies to other employeesrepresentsa"breachunder the Privacy Act."

Twenty employees were sent the email message, which told them not to read document, but either immediately return or confirm they had destroyed their copy.

If recipients didn't receive it, they were asked toconfirm that in writing.

The manager also warned employees not to "share this information with anyone, either by sharing the document or by sharing the content by any other means (verbally, notes, etc.)."

The department did not respond to Radio-Canada's requests for an interview about the apparent confidentiality breach, but a spokesperson wrote that the matter was "treated in accordance with departmental guidelines." However, the department did not confirm that all the copies of the document, dated Jan. 9, 2013, had been located.

The spokesperson saidthat because the department sees the issue as an internal human resources matter it would be inappropriate to comment further.The spokesperson also saidpolicies and practiceswould be reviewed to prevent this from happening again.

Last Thursday, officials fromHuman Resouces and Skills Development Canada apologizedat aCommons committee for the loss of a hard drive and USB key containing the personal information of some half-million Canadians who had government student loans.

Former Aboriginal Affairs minister John Duncan resignedlate Friday afternoon after admitting he wrote to a tax court judge to provide a character reference for a constituent in June, 2011. Heritage Minister James Moore is now in charge of the department until a new permanent minister is named.