The Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (CFHSS) values the trust of those it represents and is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information it holds on behalf of its employees, governors, members, partners, and other stakeholders. We acknowledge that maintaining this trust requires us to be transparent and accountable in how we treat the information shared with us.
Defining personal information
Personal information is defined under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Document Act as any information that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual but does not include business contact information or publicly available information. Where home contact information is used as business contact information, CFHSS considers the information provided as business contact information that is not subject to protection under the Act.
Identifying purposes
CFHSS will collect only the limited personal information needed to deliver high quality services, manage the organization and its projects effectively and fulfill its obligations to its employees, governors, members, partners, stakeholders and to government. We will use this information only for purposes expressly identified, for keeping the research community informed of CFHSS activities, programs and services, and for other purposes which could be reasonably considered to be consistent with our mission. CFHSS does not sell, rent or trade contact information. You may remove your name from our lists at any time by contacting the Privacy Officer.
Consent
CFHSS will inform the individual of the purposes for the collection, use or disclosure of personal data and obtains the individual's consent before or at the time of collection, as well as when a new use is identified.
Privacy practices
The personal information collected is protected with appropriate physical, organizational and electronic safeguards to prevent its unauthorized use and will be retained only for as long as needed to achieve the purposes stated above. Staff and governors are authorized to access personal information based only on their need to deal with the information for the reasons for which it was obtained. Safeguards are in place to ensure that the information is not disclosed or shared more widely than is necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was gathered. We also take measures to ensure the integrity of this information is maintained and to prevent it being lost or destroyed.
Individual access
Upon application to the Privacy Officer individuals may access their personal information held by CFHSS unless the information contains references to other individuals or cannot be disclosed for legal or security reasons. CFHSS commits to promptly correcting any inaccuracies.
Electronic Commerce
We have sought the best outside expertise to ensure that we attain Internet standards for secure online transactions. We use industry standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption technology to ensure a safe environment for managing e-commerce transactions.
Accountability
CFHSS' Privacy Officer is responsible for monitoring information collected, data security, staff training, privacy inquiries, personal information access and responding to complaints. Complaints should be made in writing to the Privacy Officer who will immediately acknowledge receipt and will respond to the complaint within 30 days. Unresolved complaints may be taken to the federal Privacy Commissioner.
Contact our Privacy Officer at:
151 Slater Street, Suite 415
Ottawa ON
K1P 5H3
Email: fedcan@fedcan.ca
Telephone: (613) 238-6112, extension 305
