Terms and conditions

Privacy notice

The Government of Canada and the Prime Minister's Awards (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) are committed to providing websites that respect the privacy of visitors. This privacy notice summarizes the privacy practices for the Prime Minister's Awards online activities.

All personal information collected by the Prime Minister's Awards 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.

Your privacy and the Internet

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 cooperation 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 a visitor requests a web page, such as the page or pages visited, date and time of the visit.

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. The Prime Minister's Awards does not automatically gather any specific information from you, such as your name, telephone number or email address. The Prime Minister's Awards 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.

Communicating with the Government of Canada

If you choose to send the Prime Minister's Awards an email or complete a feedback form online, your personal information is used by the Prime Minister's Awards to respond to your inquiry. The information you provide will only be shared with another government institution if your inquiry relates to that institution. The Prime Minister's Awards 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.

Improving your experience on Government of Canada websites

Digital markers (including cookies)

A digital marker is a resource created by the visitor's browser in order to remember certain pieces of information for the web server to reference during the same or subsequent visits to the website. Examples of digital markers are "cookies" or HTML5 web storage. Some examples of what digital markers do are as follows:

  • they allow a website to recognize a previous visit each time the visitor accesses the site;
  • they track what information is viewed on a site, which helps website administrators ensure visitors find what they are looking for.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada uses sessional and/or persistent digital markers on some portions of its website. During your online visit, your browser exchanges data with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's web server. The digital markers used do not allow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to identify individuals.

The provision of personal information for communications and information technology web analytics purposes is optional. You may refuse the installation of or delete the digital markers used by our web analytics tools from your device through the settings of your web browser. This will not affect the website's performance or restrict your ability to access information from our website.

Web analytics

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 Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's websites.

The Prime Minister's Awards uses Webtrends to improve its website. When your computer requests a Prime Minister's Awards web page, the following types of information for web analytics is collected:

  • the originating IP address
  • the date and time of the request
  • the type of browser used
  • the page(s) visited

The Prime Minister's Awards 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.

Information used for the purpose of web analytics is collected pursuant to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's enabling statutes. 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.

Protecting the security of Government of Canada websites

Innovation, Science and Economic Development 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. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada makes no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting the 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 PSU 914—Public Communications.

Privacy inquiry

Any questions, comments, concerns or complaints you may have regarding the administration of the Privacy Act and privacy policies related to the Prime Minister's Awards' web presence may be directed to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's Privacy Coordinator by email, by telephone or in writing to:

Information and Privacy Rights Administration
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
2nd Floor, West Tower
C.D. Howe Building
235 Queen Street
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0H5

Telephone: 343-291-2788
Fax: 343-291-1893
Email: Kimberly Eadie

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by email at info@priv.gc.ca or by telephone at 1-800-282-1376.


Providing content in our official languages

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 these 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.


Linking to non-Government of Canada Websites

Links to websites not under the control of the Prime Minister's Awards are provided solely for the convenience of our website visitors. The Prime Minister's Awards is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or reliability of the content. The Prime Minister's Awards 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 websites 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 of Canada websites before providing personal information.


Ownership and usage of content provided on this site

Materials on this website were produced and/or compiled by the Prime Minister's Awards 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:

Non-commercial reproduction

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:

  • exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;
  • indicate both the complete title of the materials reproduced as well as the author (where available); and
  • indicate that the reproduction is a copy of the version available at [URL where original document is available].

Commercial reproduction

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 Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

To obtain permission to reproduce Government of Canada materials on this site for commercial purposes, Apply for Crown Copyright Clearance or write to:

Communications and Marketing Branch
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
C.D. Howe Building
235 Queen Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H5
Email: ic.info-info.ic@canada.ca

You may also contact us to obtain additional information concerning copyright ownership and restrictions, as 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).


Reproduction of government symbols

The official symbols of the Government of Canada, including the Canada Wordmark, the Arms of Canada and the flag symbol, as well as the Prime Minister's Awards program graphic identifiers, may not be reproduced, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes, without prior written authorization. Request to use official Government of Canada symbols must be sent to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat:

Federal Identity Program
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
300 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R5
Email: information@fip-pcim.gc.ca

Requests to use the Prime Minister's Awards graphic identifier must be sent to:

Prime Minister's Awards
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
300 Slater Street, 20th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C8
Email: ic.pmaece-ppmepe.ic@canada.ca


Our commitment to accessibility

The Government of Canada is committed to achieving a high standard of accessibility as defined in the Standard on Web Accessibility. In the event of difficulty using our web pages, applications or device-based mobile applications, please contact the Prime Minister's Awards program for assistance or to obtain alternate formats, such as regular print, Braille or another appropriate format.


Questions and media requests

For general enquiries, please visit our Contact us page.

Media inquiries

Reporters are asked to send questions to:

Telephone: 343-291-1777
Email: ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca
Business hours (Eastern Time): 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.