Industry Canada

Classes of Personal Information

Behavioural Research

This class contains reports, studies, field trial evaluations, surveys, and interviews involving individual reactions, views and opinions related to the intellectual, creative and productive capabilities of human beings in information communication and related processes, especially human perceptual and cognitive processes, human behaviour and the interaction between people and communications technology. The reports themselves, published or unpublished, reflect collective human behaviour and not personal information about an individual. Personal information may be obtained in the process of preparing a report, to establish the identity and credibility of the source. This information is not used for administrative purposes and is not arranged or retrievable by personal identifiers. This form of personal information is normally retrievable only if specifics are provided concerning the report involved. The retention of information depends on the length of time that is needed for related research. It is active for the fiscal years in which the project is active; otherwise, it is active for the current fiscal year; thereafter it is inactive but retrievable for the next two years, after which it is transferred to the National Archives of Canada.

Complaints, Investigations and Inquiries Class (Competition Bureau)

This class contains personal information relating to the administration and enforcement of the Combines Investigation Act, the Competition Act, Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, Textile Labelling Act, and Precious Metals Marking Act. The material may relate to the legislation in general, or to any category of product or service. Most filing is done according to standard industrial classification coding; the key reference for retrieval purposes is the industry or company involved. There is limited cross-referencing to and recording of incoming correspondence that may contain personal information. (Such correspondence includes complaints and requests for information as well as information obtained from the Canadian Police Information Centre, U.S. Department of Justice and from OECD anti-trust authorities.) Personal information held by the Bureau may be provided to federal or provincial departments and agencies to ensure a proper level of service to the person identified.

Enterprise/Industrial Development and Assistance

The department and its predecessor departments have administered a number of enterprise/industrial development and assistance programs. These programs have been aimed at encouraging enterprise and industrial development in a wide variety of ways. Personal information may be collected in the course of these departmental activities. Programs and activities that may have involved the storage of personal information include the Program for Export Market Development, the Defence Industry Productivity Program, the Microelectronics and Systems Development Program, the Technology Outreach Program, the Sector Campaigns, including the Prosperity Initiative, the St. Lawrence River Environmental Technology Development Program, the Advance Manufacturing Technology Application Program, the Strategic Technologies Program, the Science Culture Program, the Pharmaceutical Industrial Development Assistance Program, the Credit Reinsurance Program, the Shipbuilding Industry Assistance Program, the Advanced Technology Program-Waterloo Centre for Process Development, the Small Business Investments Grants, the Government Procurement Projects, the Industry Energy Research and Development Program, the Major Crown Projects, Aboriginal Business Canada and its earlier programming, the Western Transportation Industrial Development Program, the FEDNOR Core Industrial Program, the Rural Small Business Program - FedNor, the FedNor Loan Insurance Program, the FedNor Tourism Program, and Grants and Contributions to non-profit organizations to promote economic cooperation and development.

Personal information may include particulars such as the name, addresses, social insurance numbers, financial interests, management capabilities, employment history, remuneration, age, health, marital status and educational background of individuals. Such personal information is stored as part of the general subject files where records are not normally retrieved by name of individual or other personal identifier. This form of personal information is normally retrievable only if specifics are provided such as the program area, the corporate/project name, the location of a facility and the approximate date of submission/award.

Inquiries (Consumer Affairs)

This class contains inquiries concerning the following Acts, which are administered in whole or in part by the department: Canada Agricultural Products Standards Act; Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act; Electricity and Gas Inspection Act; Food and Drugs Act; National Trade-Mark and True Labelling Act; Precious Metals Marking Act; Textile Labelling Act; and the Weights and Measures Act. This class contains records on establishments that have been inspected with respect to the requirements or the legislation listed above. It contains inspection and incident reports, complaints, warning letters and other correspondence, and reports of prosecution. The names of individuals who are sole owners of companies appear in the files. These files are kept for several years in order to plan inspection visits and monitor the compliance level in relation to the regulatory requirements of the legislation administered by the department.

Mailing Lists (Bureau of Corporate Policy and Strategic Planning)

This class of personal information contains the names and addresses of individuals who are on a mailing list to receive specific information or publications on departmental programs and activities. The lists are used by all bureaus to distribute departmental information and to respond to requests by individuals. The lists are updated on a continuing basis. The lists are maintained for a minimum of two years.

Ministerial Correspondence

This class of information contains correspondence addressed to the Minister, the Minister of State, the Deputy Minister and/or the Associate Deputy Minister from external organizations and individuals in the form of requests for information, complaints, opinions and other submissions related to a broad range of policy issues pertaining to Industry Canada's activities, wherein some unsolicited personal information has been provided by the correspondent. This form of information would be retrievable only if specifics of name, date of communication and subject were to be provided; it is not arranged or retrievable by personal identifiers. The retention periods of these classes of personal information are controlled by the record schedules of the general subject files in which they are stored.

Public Opinion Research

This is a class of records generated by departmental officials who conducted public opinion research on a vast spectrum of topics related to the mandate and mission of Industry Canada. Retrievable records consist of data gathering instruments, such as, but not exclusively, questionnaires that may contain personal information that reveals the identification of the research subject. Data contained in this class of records are not used for administrative purposes. Individuals seeking access to these records must provide the title of the research project in which they participated, the location and the date of the research, and any other data that may help to identify and locate the personal information they are seeking.

Technological Information Services Requests (Intellectual Property Directorate)
This class includes the names, addresses and telephone numbers of individual inventors and entrepreneurs who have submitted requests for technological information. Also included is background information relating to the requests, the purposes of the requests and the specific areas of interest. The purpose of this service is to provide a technology search to assist in the development of new or improved products and processes and to avoid duplication of research and development. Requests are received via intermediary agencies (such as provincial research councils), and files are maintained by agency, not by name of individual. Requests are retained for a minimum of two years.