The Government of Canada and Health Canada are committed to providing websites that respect the privacy of visitors. This privacy notice summarizes the privacy practices for Health Canada's online activities.
All personal information collected by this institution is governed by the Privacy Act. This means that you will be informed of the purpose for which your personal information is being collected and how to exercise your right of access to that information.
The nature of the Internet is such that web servers automatically collect certain information about a visit to a website, including the visitor's Internet Protocol (IP) address. IP addresses are unique numbers assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISP) to all devices used to access the Internet. Web servers automatically log the IP addresses of visitors to their sites. The IP address, on its own, does not identify an individual. However, in certain circumstances, such as with the co-operation of an ISP for example, it could be used to identify an individual using the site. For this reason, the Government of Canada considers the IP address to be personal information, particularly when combined with other data automatically collected when visitor requests a web page such as the page or pages visited, date and time of the visit.
Unless otherwise noted, Health Canada does not automatically gather any specific information from you, such as your name, telephone number or email address. Health Canada would obtain this type of information only if you supply it to us, for example, by email or by filling in a contact form. In such cases, how your personal information is handled will be provided in a Personal Information Collection Statement.
In cases where services are provided by organizations outside of the Government of Canada, such as social media platforms or mobile applications, IP addresses may be recorded by the web server of the third-party service provider.
If you choose to send Health Canada an email or complete a feedback form online, your personal information is used by Health Canada in order to respond to your inquiry. The information you provide will only be shared with another government institution if your inquiry relates to that institution. Health Canada does not use the information to create individual profiles nor does it disclose the information to anyone other than to those in the federal government who need to provide you with a response. Any disclosure of your personal information is in accordance with the Privacy Act.
Emails and other electronic methods used to communicate with the Government of Canada are not secure unless it is specifically stated on a web page. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not send sensitive personal information, such as your Social Insurance Number or your date of birth, through non-secure electronic means.
Personal information from emails or completed feedback forms is collected pursuant to the Department of Health Act and statutes for which the Minister of Health is responsible. Such information may be used for statistical, evaluation and reporting purposes and is included in Personal Information Bank Public Communications (PSU 914).
Health Canada's use of social media serves as an extension of its presence on the Web. Social media accounts are public and are not hosted on Government of Canada servers. Users who choose to interact with us via social media should read the terms of service and privacy policies of these third-party service providers and those of any applications you use to access them. Health Canada uses Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.
Personal information that you provide to Health Canada via social media accounts is collected under the authority of the Department of Health Act and statutes for which the Minister of Health is responsible. This information is collected to capture conversations (e.g. questions and answers, comments, "likes", retweets) between you and Health Canada. It may be used to respond to inquiries, or for statistical, evaluation and reporting purposes. Comments posted that violate Canadian law will be deleted and disclosed to law enforcement authorities. Comments that violate our rules of engagement will also be deleted. The personal information is included in Personal Information Bank Public Communications (PSU 914).
A digital marker is a resource created by the visitors' browser in order to remember certain pieces of information for the Web server to reference during the same or subsequent visit to the website. Examples of digital markers are "cookies" or HTML5 web storage. Some examples of what digital markers do are as follows:
Health Canada uses sessional and persistent digital markers on some portions of its website. During your on-line visit, your browser exchanges data with the Health Canada's Web server. The digital markers used do not allow Health Canada to identify individuals.
You may adjust your browser settings to reject digital markers, including cookies, if you so choose. However, it may affect your ability to interact with the Health Canada's website.
Web analytics is the collection, analysis, measurement, and reporting of data about Web traffic and visits for purposes of understanding and optimizing Web usage. Information in digital markers may be used for the purpose of web analytics to remember your online interactions with Health Canada's website.
Health Canada uses Webtrends and Google Analytics to improve its website. When your computer requests a Health Canada Web page, our institution collects the following types of information for Web analytics:
Health Canada uses Webtrends internally and retains information collected for Web analytics for a maximum period of 18 months. After this period, the information must be disposed of in accordance with the Standard on Privacy and Web Analytics and as authorized by the Librarian and Archivist of Canada. The information is not disclosed to an external third party service provider.
Health Canada also uses Google Analytics and the information collected is disclosed to Google, an external third party service provider. Your IP address is anonymized prior to being stored on the service provider's servers in order to help safeguard your privacy. The information collected is de-personalized by activating the anonymization feature in Google Analytics.
Data collected for Web analytics purposes goes outside of Canada to the United States of America and may be subject to the governing legislation of that country, such as the USA Patriot Act.
Information used for the purpose of Web analytics is collected pursuant to the Department of Health Act and statutes for which the Minister of Health is responsible. Such data may be used for communications and information technology statistical purposes, audit, evaluation, research, planning and reporting. For more information on how your privacy is safeguarded in relation to web analytics, see the Standard on Privacy and Web Analytics.
Health 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 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.
This information is collected pursuant to section 161 of the Financial Administration Act. The information may be shared with appropriate law enforcement authorities if suspected criminal activities are detected. Such information may be used for network security related statistical purposes, audit, evaluation, research, planning and reporting and is included in Personal Information Bank Security Incidents (PSU 939).
Any questions, comments, concerns or complaints you may have regarding the administration of the Privacy Act and privacy policies regarding Health Canada's Web presence may be directed to our Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator by:
Email: atip-aiprp@hc-sc.gc.ca
Telephone: 613-954-9165
Mail: Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
Health Canada
Holland Cross - Tower B
1600 Scott Street, 7th Floor, Suite 700
Postal Locator: 3107A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9
If you are not satisfied with Health Canada's response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by telephone at 1-800-282-1376.
To improve the functionality of Government of Canada websites, certain files (such as open source libraries, images and scripts) may be delivered automatically to your browser via a trusted third-party server or content delivery network. The delivery of these files is intended to provide a seamless user experience by speeding response times and avoiding the need for each visitor to download these files. Where applicable, specific privacy statements covering these files are included in our Privacy Notice.
The material provided on the Health Canada website is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Health Canada is not engaged in rendering medical service or advice and the information provided is not a substitute for a professional medical opinion. If you have a medical problem, please contact a qualified health professional.
This section has been designed to provide general information about drugs and medical devices that have been recalled from the Canadian market by manufacturers, importers, distributors among others. The information contained herein is a compilation from different sources and, as such, Health Canada's Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate makes no representations and disclaims all express and implied warranties and conditions of any kind, including, representations, warranties or conditions regarding accuracy, timeliness and completeness.
The material is compiled from different sources and is provided for informational purposes only. As such, Health Canada cannot guarantee the accuracy, timeliness and completeness of this information. More complete information about this disclaimer and the limits of the information provided in this section is available through this link.
The Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate made and will continue to make efforts to provide accurate and up to date information. Although the content has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, this website could include technical or other inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically added to the information herein; these changes will be incorporated in new editions of the publication. Health Canada's Health Products and Food Branch may make improvements and/or changes at any time without notice.
Health Canada is committed to posting recall information with respect to drugs and medical devices on the Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate's website as a service to the public, the medical community and other stakeholders.
Inquiries regarding the details of a particular recall should be directed to the manufacturer or local supplier.
The Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB) posts on the Health Canada website safety alerts, public health advisories, press releases and other notices as a service to health professionals, consumers, and other interested parties.
These advisories may be prepared with Directorates in the HPFB which includes pre-market and post-market areas as well as market authorization holders and other stakeholders.
Although the HPFB grants market authorizations or licenses for therapeutic products, we do not endorse either the product or the company. Any questions regarding product information should be discussed with your health professional.
The Official Languages Act, the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations and Treasury Board policy requirements establish when we use both English and French to provide services to or communicate with members of the public. When there is no obligation to provide information in both official languages, content may be available in one official language only. Information provided by organizations not subject to the Official Languages Act is in the language(s) provided. Information provided in a language other than English or French is only for the convenience of our visitors.
Links to websites not under the control of the Government of Canada, including those to our social media accounts, are provided solely for the convenience of our website visitors. We are not responsible for the accuracy, currency or reliability of the content of such websites. The Government of Canada 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 this website links is not subject to the Privacy Act or the Official Languages Act and may not be accessible to persons with disabilities. The information offered may be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question. With respect to privacy, visitors should research the privacy policies of these non-government websites before providing personal information.
Health Canada's websites are aimed at delivering information and services to users that are relevant and applicable to its mandate and that of the Government of Canada. To this end, the following criteria will be used by Health Canada to determine the suitability of links to and from its Web sites.
This criteria applies to all of Health Canada's websites.
If you would like to request that Health Canada provide a link to your site from our websites, please review the criteria that follows before submitting your request. In general, Health Canada does not link to websites of organizations that are not affiliates of Health Canada, are not partnering or have not partnered with Health Canada.
Decisions to post links on this site will also be subject to this criteria:
In addition, please note that:
Generally, Government of Canada institutions encourage third parties to link to the Government of Canada. Sites wishing to link to Health Canada's website, therefore, do not need to request permission to do so. We do, however, ask that you follow these linking practices.
Materials on this website were produced and/or compiled by Health Canada for the purpose of providing Canadians with access to information about the programs and services offered by the Government of Canada. You may use and reproduce the materials as follows:
Unless otherwise specified you may reproduce the materials in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes, and in any format, without charge or further permission, provided you do the following:
Unless otherwise specified, you may not reproduce materials on this site, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution without prior written permission from the Government of Canada's copyright administrator, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). To obtain permission to reproduce Government of Canada materials on this site for commercial purposes, Apply for Crown Copyright Clearance or write to:
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Publishing and Depository Services
350 Albert Street, 4th Floor
Ottawa, ON
Canada
K1A 0S5
copyright.droitdauteur@pwgsc.gc.ca
Some of the content on this site may be subject to the copyright of another party. Where information has been produced or copyright is not held by Government of Canada, the materials are protected under the Copyright Act, and international agreements. Details concerning copyright ownership are indicated on the relevant page(s). To obtain additional information concerning copyright ownership and restrictions, please contact Health Canada's Copyright Coordinator by email at pubsadmin@hc-sc.gc.ca or by sending a detailed fax to 613-948-8092.
This is an agreement between you and Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada as represented by Health Canada (the "Licensor").
IMPORTANT: by downloading or printing these database files, you acknowledge that you have read and understood and agree to be legally bound by the terms and conditions set out below. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, you may not download, print or otherwise use these database files.
The Canadian Nutrient File (CNF) provides information about the nutrient content of certain foods. It is intended as a reference tool only and not as medical advice.
In no event shall the licensor be liable to you or any third party for any direct, indirect, special or consequential damages or personal injury as a result of the use or reliance on the information in the CNF.
You hereby acknowledge that you have read this license, understand it and agree to be bound by its terms and conditions.
Drug Product Database. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. All rights reserved. No part of the Drug Product Database may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for any purpose, without prior written permission from the Government of Canada's copyright administrator, Communication Canada. To obtain permission to reproduce the DPD please contact:
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Publishing and Depository Services
350 Albert Street, 4th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0S5
e-mail: copyright.droitdauteur@pwgsc.gc.ca
Copyright Guidelines for Non-Commercial and Commercial Reproduction of Canada's Food Guide
Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide may be reproduced for non-commercial use as is, and in its entirety without further permission. The front cover of Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide may be reproduced as is, without further permission. The front cover of Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide: A Resource for Educators and Communicators may also be reproduced as is, without further permission.
We ask that:
Adaptations, modifications, translations and/or commercial use of Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide and Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide: A Resource for Educators and Communicators are strictly prohibited, without prior permission.
To obtain copyright permission, please complete our online Application for Copyright Clearance on Health Canada Works or contact:
Publishing & Copyright Officer
Distribution Centre
Marketing and Creative Services
Health Canada
70 Colombine Driveway
Basement Floor - Room 0120C
Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9
Telephone: 613-960-0625
Facsimile: 613-941-5366
E-Mail: Pubsadmin@hc-sc.gc.ca
For more information on Crown Copyright
For more information on the Use of Food Guide Content in Labelling and Advertising
Licensed Natural Health Product Database. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. All rights reserved. No part of the LNHPD may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for any purpose, without prior written permission from the Government of Canada's copyright administrator, Communication Canada. To obtain permission to reproduce the LNHPD please contact:
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Publishing and Depository Services
350 Albert Street, 4th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0S5
E-mail: copyright.droitdauteur@pwgsc.gc.ca
Notice of Compliance Online Database. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. All rights reserved. No part of the NOC online may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for any purpose, without prior written permission from the Government of Canada's copyright administrator, Communication Canada. To obtain permission to reproduce the NOC online please contact:
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Publishing and Depository Services
350 Albert Street, 4th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0S5
e-mail: copyright.droitdauteur@pwgsc.gc.ca
This database gives you access to information concerning suspected adverse effects to Canadian marketed pesticides as reported to Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA).
In order to access the database, please carefully read the following information.
Health Canada's PMRA is responsible for the collection and assessment of incident reports for Canadian marketed pesticides. Health professionals and laypersons can report pesticide related incidents to Health Canada either via the manufacturer, who, as of April 2007, is required by law to report them to Health Canada, or directly to Health Canada by using the form for the public available on the PMRA website.
Incidents are classified into six major categories:
Incidents are further classified by severity. In the case of humans for instance, incidents are classified as minor, moderate, major or death depending on the type of symptoms reported.
Health Canada uses incident reports to help identify any potential risks to humans or the environment from the 'real-life' use of pesticides. Potential risks are identified by searching the information provided in incident reports for trends, such as repeated effects or multiple incidents for a particular pesticide, or serious effects. The identification of a trend is not, by itself, proof of the association of a pesticide with a health or environmental risk but it triggers the need to further investigate a potential association. If a trend is identified, Health Canada will evaluate the information in conjunction with scientific literature. If evaluation of this information identifies a safety issue, appropriate action will be taken. Such action could range from a minor label change to discontinuation of the product.
The incident reporting database is the computerized database that houses all incident reports for Canadian marketed pesticides that have been submitted to Health Canada. The database contains reports of incidents that have occurred in Canada and, in some cases, the United States. The database is used as a tool to store and retrieve essential information from incident reports. It cannot be used on its own for the evaluation of pesticide safety. Health Canada receives incident reports daily, including new reports and additional information for reports previously submitted. As such, the information contained within the database is constantly changing and being updated.
The information stored in the incident reporting database is available to the public with the exception of personal information, as defined by the Privacy Act, confidential test data and confidential business information. This information is provided with the understanding that the data will be appropriately referenced and used in conjunction with the caveat statement below.
Please note that the information provided in the incident reporting database originates with an organization not subject to the Official Languages Act and is available on this site in the language in which it was provided. To use the incident reporting database you must first read and confirm your understanding of the following information.
Caveat:
I have read the disclaimer. Proceed to incident reports.
Site Licence Holder and Foreign Site Reference Number information. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. All rights reserved. No part of the site licence information may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for any purpose, without prior written permission from the Government of Canada's copyright administrator, Communication Canada. To obtain permission to reproduce site licence information or foreign site reference number information, please contact:
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Publishing and Depository Services
350 Albert Street, 4th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0S5
E-mail: copyright.droitdauteur@pwgsc.gc.ca
The official symbols of the Government of Canada, including the Canada Wordmark, the Arms of Canada, and the flag symbol may not be reproduced, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes, without prior written authorization.
Other than the Official symbols of the Government of Canada, the banners, photos and images on this site may be used only with prior permission from Health Canada, to promote healthy lifestyles and for non-commercial purposes. Health Canada must be credited when an image is used.
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Health (2013).
To obtain permission to use a graphical image, complete our online Application for Copyright Clearance on Health Canada Works.
The Government of Canada is committed to achieving a high standard of accessibility as defined in the Standard on Web Accessibility and the Standard on Optimizing Websites and Applications for Mobile Devices. In the event of difficulty using our Web pages, applications or device-based mobile applications, please contact us for assistance or to obtain alternative formats such as regular print, Braille or another appropriate format.
This notice has been written to explain how Health Canada interacts with the public on social media platforms.
We use our social media accounts as an alternative method of sharing the content posted on our website and interacting with our stakeholders. By following our social media accounts (by "following," "liking" or "subscribing"), you can expect to see information about the programs and services we provide.
We understand that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. You should expect to see new content posted Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST/EDT.
Because the servers of social media platforms are managed by a third party, our social media accounts are subject to downtime that may be out of our control. As such, we accept no responsibility for platforms becoming unresponsive or unavailable.
Our social media accounts may post or display links or ads for websites that are not under our control. These links are provided solely for the convenience of users. The Government of Canada is not responsible for the information found through these links or ads, nor does it endorse the sites or their content.
Our decision to "follow," "favourite" or "subscribe" to another social media account does not imply an endorsement of that account, channel, page or site, and neither does sharing (re-tweeting, reposting or linking to) content from another user.
We will read comments and participate in discussions when appropriate. We ask that your comments be relevant and respectful. We reserve the right to delete comments that violate this notice, and the user may be blocked and reported to prevent further inappropriate comments.
We cannot engage in issues of party politics or answer questions that break the rules of this notice.
We reserve the right to edit or remove comments that:
In short, please be respectful and make sure that your comments are relevant to where they are posted. The views of users commenting on our social media accounts do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada or the Government of Canada.
Social media platforms are third-party service providers and are not bound by Government of Canada standards for Web accessibility.
If you have difficulty accessing content on our social media accounts, please contact us and we will try to solve the problem or provide you with the information in a different format.
Information that we post is subject to the Copyright Act.
Our social media accounts are not Government of Canada websites and represent only our presence on third-party service providers.
For more information, please refer to our Privacy Notice regarding third-party social media.
Many social media platforms have multiple language options and provide instructions on how to set your preferences. The Government of Canada respects the Official Languages Act and is committed to ensuring that our information of is available in both French and English and that both versions are equal quality.
We reply to comments in the official language in which they are posted. If we think the response is a question of general public interest, we may respond in both official languages.
We may share links that direct users to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the Official Languages Act and available only in the language(s) in which they are written. When content is available in only one language, we make an effort to provide similar content in the other official language.
Reporters are asked to send questions to the Health Canada Media Relations Unit:
Telephone: 613-957-2983
Fax: 613-952-7747
Health Canada - Media Relations Unit
Public Affairs, Consultation and Communications Branch
Brooke Claxton Building
70 Colombine Driveway, Tunney's Pasture
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9