Important Notices

Disclaimer

Some of the information and services found on this Web site have been provided by external sources. The Department is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information or services provided by external sources. Users wishing to rely upon this information or services should consult directly with the appropriate source.

Government of Canada Privacy Notice

The Government of Canada and the Department are committed to providing visitors with Web sites that respect their privacy. This Privacy Notice summarizes the privacy policy and practices on The Department Web sites.

The Department’s Web sites do not automatically gather any specific personal information from you, such as your name, phone number or e-mail address. We would only obtain this type of information if you supply it by sending us an e-mail, or by registering in a secure portion of the site.

All personal information created, held or collected by the Department is protected under the federal Privacy Act and other applicable federal legislation governing the protection of information.  This means that at any point of collection you will be asked for consent to collect your information, or advised of the authority for such collection. You will be informed of the purpose for which it is being collected and how to exercise your right of access to, and correction of, that information.

The Department employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. This software receives and records the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer that has contacted our Web site, the date and time of the visit and the pages visited. We make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our site unless an attempt to damage the site has been detected.

The Department occasionally uses "cookies" to track how our visitors use this site or to determine sites previously visited. The cookies we use do not allow us to identify individuals. They are compiled into statistical information on traffic patterns and are used to assess site efficiency. The system will notify you before any cookies are used so that you may refuse them, and the refusal of cookies will not affect the site performance or restrict your ability to access information from this site. (A "cookie" is a file that may be placed on your hard drive without your knowledge by a Web site to allow it to monitor your use of the site.)

Information on individual visitors is used by the Department’s employees who need to know the information in order to respond to your request or to ensure the security of this system. We will only share information you give to us with another government department, if your inquiry relates to that department. We do not use the information to create individual profiles, nor do we disclose this information to anyone outside the federal government.  Visitor information is not disclosed to anyone except Government of Canada personnel who need the information to carry out responsibilities of their job. Any use or disclosure of the personal information you give us will be in accordance with the federal Privacy Act and any other applicable federal legislation governing the protection of personal information.

Questions or comments regarding this policy, or the administration of the Privacy Act in The Department may be directed to:

Access to Information and Privacy, Privacy Policy and Human Rights Division, Service Canada (HRSDC)
85 de la Savane, 3^rd floor, mailstop #42
Gatineau, QC
Canada
K1A 0J9
(819) 934-8903

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by e-mail at: info@privcom.gc.ca, by telephone at 1 800 282-1376 or visit their Web site at: http://www.privcom.gc.ca.

For a description of the records held by Human Resources Development Canada (now Human Resources and Skills Development Canada) please visit the Sources of Federal Government Information on Info Source.

For a description of standard personal information banks held by federal institutions, please visit the Standard Bank Descriptions on Info Source.

Visit the Federal Privacy Commissioner's Web site for a summary of your rights under the Privacy Act.

Visit the Office of the Information Commissioner's Web site for information on your rights under the Access to Information Act.

Official Languages Notice

The Department respects the Official Languages Act and the relevant Treasury Board policies, and is committed to ensuring all information and services on this site are available in both English and French (or in one language only if a unilingual office). However, users should be aware that some information from external sources that are not subject to the Official Languages Act is only provided as a convenience and is available only in the language in which it was provided.

Hyperlinking Notice

Links to Web sites not under the control of the Government of Canada (GoC) are provided solely for the convenience of users. The GoC is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content. The GoC does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse the sites and their contents.

Users should be aware that information offered by non-GoC sites that are not subject to the Official Languages Act and to which The Department links, may be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question.

Copyright / Permission to Reproduce

Materials on this Web site were produced and/or compiled by the Department for the purpose of providing Canadians with direct access to information about the programs and services offered by the Government of Canada.

The material on this site is covered by the provisions of the Copyright Act, by Canadian laws, policies, regulations and international agreements. Such provisions serve to identify the information source and, in specific instances, to prohibit reproduction of materials without written permission.

Non-commercial Reproduction

Information on this site has been posted with the intent that it be readily available for personal and public non-commercial use and may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from The Department. We ask only that:

Users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;

The Department be identified as the source department; and,

The reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made, in affiliation with or with the endorsement of The Department.

Commercial Reproduction

Reproduction of multiple copies of materials on this site, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution is prohibited except with written permission from the Government of Canada's copyright administrator, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). Through the permission-granting process, PWGSC helps to ensure that individuals / organizations wishing to reproduce Government of Canada materials for commercial purposes have access to the most accurate, up-to-date versions. To obtain permission to reproduce materials on this site for commercial purposes, please go to PWGSC's "Applying for Copyright Clearance on Government of Canada Works" page.

Public Works and Government Services Canada
Publishing and Depository Services
350 Albert Street, 4th Floor
Ottawa, ON
Canada
K1A 0S5
or
copyright.droitdauteur@pwgsc.gc.ca

Third-party Materials

Some of the materials and graphical elements found on Government of Canada Web sites are subject to copyrights held by other organizations. This is particularly true of sites that are jointly operated by a Government of Canada institution and an external organization as part of a collaborative arrangement. In such cases, some restrictions on the reproduction of materials or graphical elements may apply and it may be necessary to seek permission from the rights holder prior to reproducing the material.

To obtain information concerning copyright ownership and restrictions on reproduction on this site, please contact:

Public Works and Government Services Canada
Publishing and Depository Services
350 Albert Street, 5th Floor
Ottawa, ON
Canada
K1A 0S5
or
Copyright.Droitdauteur@pwgsc.gc.ca

External Service Providers

In order to effectively operate its Web sites, the Department occasionally uses external service providers to the Department. Such service providers are bound by a contract with the Department to treat any personal information they may receive in a manner that is consistent with the provisions of the Privacy Act.