Privacy Notice

The Canadian Consumer Handbook was created and is updated by the joint federal/provincial/territorial Consumer Measures Committee. The Office of Consumer Affairs at Industry Canada, as Secretariat for the Consumer Measures Committee, is responsible for maintaining the Canadian Consumer Handbook.

Industry Canada is committed to providing visitors with websites that respect their privacy. If you choose not to use the Internet to provide personal information you can contact Industry Canada by telephone, fax, email or by mail.

Office of Consumer Affairs
Industry Canada
235 Queen Street
6th Floor West
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0H5
Tel: (613) 946-2576
Fax: (613) 952-6927
Email: [email protected]

Information we collect about you on this site

This section summarizes how the information collected on this site will be treated:

My Handbook

The My Handbook feature uses cookies to allow you to customize certain options. This small amount of information does NOT contain any private information stored on your computer. You may set your web browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, or to disable cookies altogether. We do not use cookies to track your content choices.

Send to a friend

Email addresses shared on this site, including those submitted for the “Share This” feature, will only be used the specific reason for which it was provided to us. This information will not be stored, shared or used for any other purposes.

Contact Us

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about our privacy practices.

Industry Canada Privacy Policies

This section summarizes the privacy policy and practices on Industry Canada websites:

  • Industry Canada websites do 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 by registering in a secure portion of the site.
  • All personal information created, held or collected by Industry Canada is protected under the federal Privacy Act. This means that, whenever the collection of your information begins, you will be asked for your consent and you will be informed of the purpose for which it is being collected and how to exercise your right of access to that information.
  • Industry 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 website, 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.
  • A “cookie” is a computer (text) file that is sent to a visitor’s web browser, by a web server, in order to remember certain pieces of information. “Per-session cookies” are used on some portions of Industry Canada’s website to store information within a session. During your visit to our site, your browser exchanges information with our web server. Per-session cookies facilitate this exchange by reminding the server which computer is making the request. Please visit Industry Canda’s information page about persistent and per-session cookies.
  • Information on individual visitors is used by Industry Canada employees who need to know the information in order to respond to a visitor’s 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 individual profiles, nor do we disclose this information to anyone outside the Government of Canada.
  • Industry Canada is a participant in the Government of Canada Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), which gives you the opportunity to communicate with the Department in a confidential manner. For additional information on PKI, visit its website.
  • Questions or comments regarding this policy or the administration of the Privacy Act in Industry Canada may be directed to the Privacy Co-ordinator:

    Information and Privacy Rights Administration
    Industry Canada
    C.D. Howe Building
    5th Floor, West Tower
    235 Queen Street
    Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0H5
    Telephone: 613-954-2754
    Fax: 613-941-3085
    Email: [email protected]

    If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

Official Languages

Industry Canada 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. However, visitors 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 websites not under the control of the Government of Canada are provided solely for the convenience of visitors. The government is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content. The government 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 content.

Visitors should also be aware that information offered by non-Government of Canada sites to which Industry Canada links is not subject to the Privacy Act and the Official Languages Act and may be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question. Visitors should research the privacy policies of these sites before providing personal information. However, the Government of Canada information hosted by these sites is identified as such and complies with the Official Languages Act and with obligations to be accessible to persons with disabilities.

Copyright / Permission to Reproduce

Materials on this website were produced and/or compiled by the federal/provincial/territorial Consumer Measures Committee for the purpose of providing Canadians with timely and relevant consumer information in the Canadian marketplace.

The material on this website 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, other than government symbols, 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 Consumer Measures Committee. We ask only that:

  • Users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;
  • The Consumer Measures Committee be identified as the source of information, 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 Industry Canada or the Consumer Measures Committee.

Reproduction of Government Symbols

The official government symbols, including wordmarks, the Coats of Arms and the flag symbols may not be reproduced, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes, without written authorization. To request authorization,  please contact us.

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 Consumer Measures Committee. Through the permission-granting process, the Consumer Measures Committee helps to ensure that individuals/organizations wishing to reproduce the committee’s 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 contact us.

Third-Party Materials

Some of the materials and graphical elements found on the Canadian Consumer Handbook site are subject to copyrights held by other organizations. 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 element.

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

Disclaimer

Some of the information in this website has been provided by external sources. The Consumer Measures Canada and Industry Canada are not responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information provided by external sources. Users wishing to rely on this information should consult directly with the source of the information.

Accessibility Notice

The Government of Canada and provinces and territories make every effort to meet the needs of Canadians by providing websites that are accessible and that offer content equally in both official languages. In the event that you are having difficulty accessing or interpreting any of our web pages, please contact us.