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General Information Privacy Confidentiality Filling in the Census Questionnaire Canadians Outside Canada The Census Questions in Many Formats Contractors

The Statistics Act ensures that all Statistics Canada employees who see individual information are sworn to secrecy. Penalties for employees who breach the Act include both fines and imprisonment. Strict security measures are enforced throughout the collection process to protect your information. No other person or organization is permitted to see the answers on census questionnaires.

Why do you need persons' names as well as an address and telephone number on the questionnaire?

We need names and addresses to make sure that we don't miss anyone in the census and that no one is counted more than once.

We need telephone numbers to contact households quickly and easily if we find questions that were overlooked on the questionnaire.

Names, street addresses and telephone numbers are not included when the data from the questionnaire are tabulated and disseminated.

What happens to my questionnaire after I complete it?

Completed questionnaires are mailed back to a centralized office where they are scanned and verified for completeness by a computer. If there is missing information, you will be contacted by phone to resolve the issue. Information provided using the online questionnaire is entered directly into the census database.

Who has access to my questionnaire?

Absolutely no one except authorized census staff has access to individual questionnaires. Only employees who have a need to examine individual census forms have access to completed questionnaires. The Statistics Act contains penalties in the form of a fine, jail term or both if an employee releases personal census information.

Will the enumerator see my personal information?

In normal circumstances, no; the enumerator will only drop off the census questionnaire. You may complete and return your questionnaire over the phone by calling the Census Help Line at 1 877 594-2006. The enumerator will only visit your home again if your questionnaire is not returned to Statistics Canada.

Is my information protected if I answer my questionnaire online?

Yes. Statistics Canada takes the protection of confidential information provided online very seriously. To protect the security of your information online, the following safeguards have been incorporated:

Encryption — the scrambling of data into a code that is unreadable to anyone who does not have the key to decipher the information. The multiple encryption technologies used by Statistics Canada offer one of the highest levels of encryption security available anywhere. These encryption methods include:
- bi-directional encryption technologies that ensure end-to-end security of data passing between your PC and our Web server
- encryption methods based on Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and on a public-key infrastructure (PKI)
Once your information arrives at Statistics Canada, it is electronically isolated using firewalls and independent verification, and is inaccessible from any outside link, personnel or organization.

Does Statistics Canada sell confidential census data?

No. Under the Statistics Act information about individuals and businesses must be protected and kept confidential. Identifiable or personal information is never sold or otherwise made available to anyone outside Statistics Canada.

How does Statistics Canada ensure that confidentiality is maintained in published data?

Statistics Canada is bound by law to protect the identity of individuals in all published data. As a result, the Agency has established careful procedures to ensure that confidentiality is protected. For example, no information is published for areas with populations below a certain size. In the case of income, no information is published for areas with populations below 250. Census information available to the public cannot be related to any individual, any family or any single household.

Can personally identifiable information be accessed?

Statistics Canada does not release the personal information it collects from Canadians. Under the Statistics Act, information that would identify individuals or families must be kept confidential.

How can someone access survey information?

Data from surveys are available through the media, the public library depository program and Statistics Canada's toll-free order line at 1 800 267-6677. When an organization requests custom information through special tabulations, Statistics Canada charges for this service. No information that could identify an individual or organization can be accessed or released.


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2006 Census About the 2006 Census Census in many languages Census and... Interactive Zone For Teachers Genealogy corner FAQs Census of Agriculture Census data 2001 Census 1996 Census Statistics Canada	Search in 2006 Census In this section General Information Privacy Confidentiality Filling in the Census Questionnaire Canadians Outside Canada The Census Questions in Many Formats Contractors Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Confidentiality How do I know that the information I provide on my questionnaire will be kept confidential? The Statistics Act ensures that all Statistics Canada employees who see individual information are sworn to secrecy. Penalties for employees who breach the Act include both fines and imprisonment. Strict security measures are enforced throughout the collection process to protect your information. No other person or organization is permitted to see the answers on census questionnaires. Why do you need persons' names as well as an address and telephone number on the questionnaire? We need names and addresses to make sure that we don't miss anyone in the census and that no one is counted more than once. We need telephone numbers to contact households quickly and easily if we find questions that were overlooked on the questionnaire. Names, street addresses and telephone numbers are not included when the data from the questionnaire are tabulated and disseminated. What happens to my questionnaire after I complete it? Completed questionnaires are mailed back to a centralized office where they are scanned and verified for completeness by a computer. If there is missing information, you will be contacted by phone to resolve the issue. Information provided using the online questionnaire is entered directly into the census database. Who has access to my questionnaire? Absolutely no one except authorized census staff has access to individual questionnaires. Only employees who have a need to examine individual census forms have access to completed questionnaires. The Statistics Act contains penalties in the form of a fine, jail term or both if an employee releases personal census information. Will the enumerator see my personal information? In normal circumstances, no; the enumerator will only drop off the census questionnaire. You may complete and return your questionnaire over the phone by calling the Census Help Line at 1 877 594-2006. The enumerator will only visit your home again if your questionnaire is not returned to Statistics Canada. Is my information protected if I answer my questionnaire online? Yes. Statistics Canada takes the protection of confidential information provided online very seriously. To protect the security of your information online, the following safeguards have been incorporated: Encryption — the scrambling of data into a code that is unreadable to anyone who does not have the key to decipher the information. The multiple encryption technologies used by Statistics Canada offer one of the highest levels of encryption security available anywhere. These encryption methods include: bi-directional encryption technologies that ensure end-to-end security of data passing between your PC and our Web server encryption methods based on Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and on a public-key infrastructure (PKI) Once your information arrives at Statistics Canada, it is electronically isolated using firewalls and independent verification, and is inaccessible from any outside link, personnel or organization. Does Statistics Canada sell confidential census data? No. Under the Statistics Act information about individuals and businesses must be protected and kept confidential. Identifiable or personal information is never sold or otherwise made available to anyone outside Statistics Canada. How does Statistics Canada ensure that confidentiality is maintained in published data? Statistics Canada is bound by law to protect the identity of individuals in all published data. As a result, the Agency has established careful procedures to ensure that confidentiality is protected. For example, no information is published for areas with populations below a certain size. In the case of income, no information is published for areas with populations below 250. Census information available to the public cannot be related to any individual, any family or any single household. Can personally identifiable information be accessed? Statistics Canada does not release the personal information it collects from Canadians. Under the Statistics Act, information that would identify individuals or families must be kept confidential. How can someone access survey information? Data from surveys are available through the media, the public library depository program and Statistics Canada's toll-free order line at 1 800 267-6677. When an organization requests custom information through special tabulations, Statistics Canada charges for this service. No information that could identify an individual or organization can be accessed or released.
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	Date modified: 2006-08-31			Important Notices