Statistics Canada is committed to respecting the privacy of individuals—whether you are respondents to one of our surveys, clients who are purchasing a product or service or users of our website.
All personal information created, held or collected by Statistics Canada is protected by the Privacy Act and by the Statistics Act in the case of respondents to our surveys. This means that you will be either asked for permission to collect your information or advised of the authority for such collection.
Survey respondents
Statistics Canada's commitment to keeping the confidentiality of the information obtained from the Canadian public is enshrined in the Statistics Act and the Agency's various policies and practices related to data collection, analysis and dissemination activities as well as the Privacy Act.
All information provided to Statistics Canada through surveys, the census or any other source is confidential. Statistics Canada does not release any information that identifies an individual or group without prior consent. Similarly, no other government institution has the right to see the answers given in confidence to Statistics Canada without this consent.
Because of its unique mandate as the national statistical agency in collecting personal information solely for statistical and research purposes, Statistics Canada has prepared privacy impact assessments that address privacy issues associated with its survey activities.
One aspect of the statistical work undertaken by the Agency could involve record linkage projects that bring together information about individual respondents for research purposes. This is a recognized source of valuable statistical information but must serve a public good. To address the potentially privacy-intrusive nature of this type of research, Statistics Canada not only has a directive in place but practices a well-defined review and approval process for all record linkages.
Collection of information on minors
From time to time, Statistics Canada collects information on minors, a practice that presents unique challenges in terms of striking a balance between individual privacy and public welfare. While the collection of information from children can be sensitive, this information fills an important public policy void: reliable data on younger demographics is crucial to the development of sound policy that supports the delivery of important services to vulnerable segments of the population.
As with information from other respondents, information on minors is protected by the Privacy Act and by the Statistics Act. Under the Privacy Act, a parent/guardian may request access to a minor's personal information, on his or her behalf. Statistics Canada, prior to collecting information from minors, determines which types of information could potentially cause harm to a child; this information is never released under any circumstance.
Clients
Statistics Canada is fully committed to protecting the confidentiality of the personal information provided by our clients who purchase products or services. This information is used only to support our relationship with you as a client of Statistics Canada.
More information: Protecting your privacy as a client
Third-Party Social Media
Statistics Canada is using social media to provide access to relevant, accurate and timely statistical information and to foster engagement, cooperation and information-sharing among people who use statistical information. Social media accounts are public and are not hosted on Government of Canada servers. Statistics Canada uses Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Users who choose to interact with Statistics Canada via those social media should read the terms of service and privacy policies of these third-party service providers and those of any applications you use to access them. You may have to change your language preference in order to see the information in English.
Personal information that you provide to the Government of Canada via social media accounts is subject to the provisions of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. This information is collected to capture conversations (e.g. questions and answers, comments, “likes”, retweets) between you and Statistics Canada. It may be used to respond to inquiries, or for statistical, evaluation and reporting purposes. Comments posted that violate Canadian law will be deleted and disclosed to law enforcement authorities. Comments that violate our Social media rules of engagement could also be deleted. The personal information is included in Personal Information Outreach Activities (PSU 938).
No endorsement of any social media products or services is expressed or implied. Please read our Social media rules of engagement and Terms of use for Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Visitors to the Statistics Canada website
The Government of Canada and Statistics Canada are committed to providing visitors with websites that respect their privacy. The following summarizes the privacy policy and practices on Statistics Canada websites.
Safeguarding your personal information
The Statistics Canada website does not automatically gather any specific personal information from you, such as your name, phone number or email address. We would only obtain this type of information if you supply it by sending us an email or registering in a secure portion of the site. The information that is received and stored is safeguarded to prevent unauthorized disclosure.
The nature of the Internet is such that Web servers automatically collect certain information about a visit to a website, including the visitor's Internet Protocol (IP) address. IP addresses are unique numbers assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISP) to all devices used to access the Internet. Web servers automatically log the IP addresses of visitors to their sites. The IP address, on its own, does not identify an individual. However, in certain circumstances, such as with the co-operation of an ISP for example, it could be used to identify an individual using the site. For this reason, the Government of Canada considers the IP address to be personal information, particularly when combined with other data automatically collected when visitor requests a Web page such as the page or pages visited, date and time of the visit.
How your information is used
Information on individual website visitors is used by Statistics Canada employees who need to know the information in order to respond to your request or to ensure the security of this system. We only share the information you give us with another government department if your inquiry relates to that department. We do not use the information to create individually identifiable profiles, nor do we disclose this information to anyone outside the federal government.
Electronic transmission of sensitive personal information
Unless specifically noted otherwise, neither electronic systems nor email are secure information transmission methods. It is not recommended that sensitive personal information be transmitted electronically.
Data encryption
The website is equipped with a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption to ensure a secure connection between the server and an SSL-compatible browser. SSL protocol provides a safe passage for transmitting and authenticating data by encrypting the information. Data cannot be compromised when SSL is in use. This is the most secure form of encryption commonly available in North America.
Network traffic monitoring
Statistics Canada employs software programs to monitor network traffic, and to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. These programs are also used to gather anonymous information such as statistics to improve the functionality of our site. These software programs receive and record the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer that has contacted our websites, 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 programs are never used to gather specific personal information such as your name, your phone number or your e-mail address.
Your privacy is protected
Your personal information is protected by the Privacy Act and will only be disclosed as permitted by that Act.
Cookies
Statistics Canada occasionally uses session cookies to track how our visitors use this site, determine sites previously visited or facilitate the use of secure portions of this site. Information from the cookies is compiled for statistical analysis on traffic patterns and is used to assess and improve the efficiency of the website. A cookie is a file that may be placed on your hard drive without your knowledge by a website to allow it to monitor your use of the site.
The cookies we use do not allow Statistics Canada to identify individuals. Our use of session cookies ensures your online privacy and security. Here's why:
- The contents of our session cookies are not linked, shared or associated in any way with personal information that you may have supplied to us or made available elsewhere.
- Our cookies can only be "read" by Statistics Canada servers, meaning that you cannot be tracked or profiled using our cookie when you surf across multiple sites on the Web.
Statistics Canada's website primarily uses session cookies, which automatically expire at the end of the user session. Occasionally we use persistent cookies to facilitate the use of secure portions of the website and to conduct on-line surveys to improve the website. Persistent cookies have pre-determined expiry dates.
Visiting our website with cookies disabled will have no significant impact on your browsing experience. You can set your browser to detect and reject cookies. Please consult your browser's Help Menu for instructions.
Questions/comments on privacy
Questions or comments on the privacy practices at Statistics Canada may be directed to:
Departmental Privacy Officer
Statistics Canada
R.H. Coats Building, 2nd floor
100 Tunney's Pasture Driveway
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6
Telephone: 613-951-0466
E-mail: Linda.Howatson-Leo@statcan.gc.ca
Principles for assisting requesters
You may request access to your personal information being held by Statistics Canada by contacting statcan.atip-aiprp.statcan@canada.ca or at 613-951-4967.
If you are not satisfied with Statistics Canada's 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 the Office of the Privacy Commissioner website.