Privacy notice

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. You may request access to your personal information by contacting the Statistics Canada Privacy Coordinator.

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.

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 policy in place but practices a well-defined review and approval process for all record linkages.

More information: When you give information in a Statistics Canada survey

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

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.

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.

E-commerce provider

Statistics Canada has contracted Teranet, an e-commerce provider, to process credit card payments made online. Teranet uses encryption technology to ensure that your order is processed in a secure environment. Teranet does not provide your credit card number to Statistics Canada. Teranet is bound by its contract with Statistics Canada to treat any personal information it receives in relation to this website as though it is covered by the provisions of the Privacy Act. Any questions, concerns or complaints you may have about how Teranet is handling personal information from this site should be directed to the Statistics Canada Privacy Coordinator as listed below.

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:

Privacy Coordinator
Statistics Canada
R.H. Coats Building, 25^th floor
100 Tunney’s Pasture Driveway
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6
Telephone: 613-951-2891
E-mail: Philip.Giles@statcan.gc.ca

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.