Page content follows.

Privacy notice

Statistics Canada is committed to respecting the privacy of individuals—whether you are respondents to one of our surveys 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

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.

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 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 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.

Your privacy is protected

Your personal information is protected by the Privacy Act and will only be disclosed as permitted by that Act.

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: 613-951-9348
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.