Introduction

The National Contact Centre Telephone Recording Database Program will assist in ensuring that the officers working in the National Contact Centre at Statistics Canada meet the Agency’s Standards of Service to the Public by permitting the efficient monitoring of calls with clients who use the 1-800 line maintained by the Agency. With the information such as how agents interact with clients and how well they are able to answers their inquiries, this will lead to improvement in the quality of data dissemination services provided to clients.

Objectives

A privacy impact assessment for the National Contact Centre Telephone Recording Database Program was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues associated with the introduction of the system, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation. The scope of the assessment looks at privacy risk both in terms of clients and employees who work as agents in the National Call Centre.

Description

Prior to the development of this application, monitoring of client calls in the National Contact Centre for purposes of training and assessment of standards of service required supervisors listen to live incoming calls. This process was not only very time-consuming but there was a risk that personal, non-work calls received by an officer would be heard by the supervisor. To address these two issues, in particular privacy-related risk, the National Contact Centre developed a Telephone Recording Database Program. The system creates digital recordings in the form of “.wav” files of all incoming and outgoing calls from the ACD system (1-800 lines). To address the related privacy issues, measures have been put in place that clarify the use and retention of these recordings.

Conclusion

This assessment of the National Contact Centre Telephone Recording Database Program did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed by using new and existing safeguards and procedures.

Introduction

Since 1999, Statistics Canada's Long-term Health Outcomes Studies Program has been a fundamental part of the Health Information Roadmap, a collaborative effort among Statistics Canada, the Canadian Institute for Health Information and Health Canada. Its goal is to meet priority requirements for health information that serves to improve public health and the quality of Canada's health system.

The Long-term Health Outcomes Studies Program is carried out by the Occupational and Environmental Health Research Section of Statistics Canada's Health Statistics Division. The program oversees long-term health outcomes studies based on requests from outside clients such as Health Canada, Public Health Agency Canada, private sector employers, unions and university researchers through cost-recovery contracts.

The program uses databases created from information from Vital Statistics and the Canadian Cancer Registry programs. Occasionally, the Long-term Health Outcomes Studies Program uses additional variables obtained directly from the provinces and territories. It also uses cohort files such as records of individuals from employers and unions, health surveys, medical or clinical records or specific research groups. Finally it uses other Statistics Canada files for study and/or data quality purposes.

Most studies involve record linkages of databases and files in order to look at various health outcomes over extensive periods of time. These linkages require the approval of a senior management committee at Statistics Canada and are done on a case-by-case basis.

Objectives

A privacy impact assessment for Statistics Canada's Long-term Health Outcomes Studies Program was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues associated with the program, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.

Description

This privacy impact assessment examines the risks related to the use of information on the Canadian Birth, Stillbirth, Cancer and Mortality databases and the management of these databases; receipt of information directly from vital statistics registrars; receipt of cohort files from outside organizations/clients; the processing and linkage of cohort files to the databases; sending study or analysis files to clients either directly or indirectly; and the storage and retention of these files.

All database information and client cohort files are provided the same level of security afforded to all information obtained under the authority of the Statistics Act.

Conclusion

This assessment of the Long-term Health Outcomes Studies Program did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.

Introduction

The Longitudinal Health and Administrative Data (LHAD) Initiative is a joint research project between the provincial and territorial ministries responsible for health care and public health and Statistics Canada. The LHAD Initiative is the first collaborative project of its kind where personal health information from clinical databases routinely collected through the provincial and territorial health systems will be provided to Statistics Canada to be linked, on a study-by-study basis, with data already held by the Agency from national population health surveys, vital events (i.e., births and deaths) and cancer. The focus of the studies will be statistical in nature such as the analysis of the determinants of health of Canadians.

Objectives

A privacy impact assessment for the Longitudinal Health and Administrative Data Initiative was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues associated with the program, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.

Description

The LHAD Initiative addresses important health research that can only be undertaken by a central, national organization such as Statistics Canada. Priorities for research and an analytical plan will be established, on an annual basis, in the form of a LHAD Research Agenda. This Agenda will reflect the views of the majority of provincial/territorial LHAD Steering Committee members, who will review all research proposals and identify priorities for Canadian health statistics research to be undertaken by the LHAD Initiative.

Because LHAD research projects will involve the use of linked records, approval on a study-by-study basis will also be required from Statistics Canada's most senior management committee (Policy Committee) in accordance with the Statistics Canada Policy on Record Linkage.

Statistics Canada, as the operational arm of the LHAD Initiative, is responsible for securely storing and processing LHAD data sets and for the production of the analysis files needed to carry out the approved research studies.

An important step in the production of the analysis files will be the creation by Statistics Canada of a Key Registry, using information from the Population Registries to be provided by the provincial/territorial ministries. The Key Registry will generate and store a unique identification number for each person (the LHAD ID) which will then be attached to each record of all databases of the LHAD Initiative. As such, all records will have a LHAD ID, thus establishing the necessary infrastructure to support approved record linkages among any combination of LHAD databases. The use of the Key Registry will improve significantly the quality and efficiency of those linkages.

The use of a LHAD ID number for each person also eliminates the need to store sensitive personal information such as name and health number on the various LHAD Initiative databases. Further, by storing all sensitive personal information in a Key Registry, management of data security and access measures is much more simplified and easier to control.

Conclusion

This privacy impact assessment has not identified any outstanding issues relating to confidentiality or security. The transmittal of personal health information to Statistics Canada will be carried out by means of a secure medium of transmission to ensure the security and integrity of the data. Once received into the secure environment of Statistics Canada, confidentiality is governed by the Statistics Act and the Agency has an exemplary record in that regard. Similarly, from a security perspective, Statistics Canada has had in place for many years, security policies and practices that are now just becoming a best practice in many other organizations.

Many activities of Statistics Canada–like the LHAD Initiative–by their very nature are privacy intrusive. Although a number of potential privacy concerns were identified, this assessment concludes that with the mitigation measures that have been put in place, any remaining risks are either negligible or are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Introduction

The Labour Relations and Grievance System (LRGS) is a secure database containing information on grievances as well as on labour relations cases relating to Statistics Canada employees in Ottawa and in the regional offices.

Objectives

A privacy impact assessment of the Labour Relations and Grievance System was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.

Description

The Labour Relations and Grievance System has been developed to assist Statistics Canada's Labour Relations Advisors in managing their activities related to grievances and labour relations cases in a more consistent and secure manner.

The system has been added to Statistics Canada's Administrative Systems Portal which resides on the internal closed network (Network A). Access to the system is restricted to only a limited number of authorized employees in the Human Resources Operations Division.

The system will allow Labour Relations Advisors to document cases in a consistent manner and will permit efficient tracking through the various steps of the management of the files. The database will also facilitate the production of reports using aggregate data based on selected criteria (for example, number of grievances per year, number of grievances upheld or dismissed, history of a specific case, etc.). These reports will be used by human resources management for reporting purposes and also by the Performance Management Steering Committee to support its ongoing initiatives within the Agency.

Conclusion

This privacy impact assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using either current safeguards or others that have been specifically developed for the implementation of the Labour Relations and Grievance System.

Introduction

The Human Resources Branch Service Request Management (HR-SRM) application will serve as a mechanism for employees to submit requests related to compensation and staffing. The HR-SRM will become part of the Agency’s Helpdesk Expert Automation Tool Service Request Management application which is currently used by Statistics Canada’s Informatics Technology Services Division to handle and manage IT-related requests from employees.

Objectives

A privacy impact assessment for the Human Resources Branch Service Request Management application was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.

Description

Statistics Canada’s Human Resources Branch has identified a need to change the process by which employees submit requests related to compensation and staffing. In order to streamline the work flow and improve service to human resources clients (i.e., employees), modifications are being made to the Agency’s Helpdesk Expert Automation Tool Service Request Management application. Employees will not only be able to submit their compensation and staffing-related inquiries electronically, but the application will also allow them to view the status of their requests.

The HR-SRM will also facilitate workload management in the compensation and staffing areas. The application includes an escalation process that will notify human resources managers if requests are not completed within a specified time frame.

Conclusion

This privacy impact assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using either current safeguards or others that have been specifically developed for the implementation of the HR-SRM.

Introduction

Because Statistics Canada's Human Resources Branch identified a requirement to modernize the process by which its employees submit applications to internal selection processes, the Employment Application Submission Tool (EAST) was developed as a secure on-line mechanism.

Objective

A privacy impact assessment of the Employment Application Submission Tool was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.

Description

Prior to the development of EAST, employees were required to submit competition applications on paper. With the introduction of EAST employees will have the option of submitting applications for competitions electronically using a system that will offer the required level of protection for the personal information that employees must provide.

Conclusion

The privacy impact assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using either current safeguards or others that have been specifically developed for the implementation of the Employment Application Submission Tool.

Privacy Impact Assessment

Introduction

Statistics Canada will be implementing an e-File Transfer Service to enable organizations outside of Statistics Canada and Statistics Canada divisions to exchange electronic files in a secure manner using the Internet. This service will gradually replace a variety of practices currently employed by these divisions to exchange files with external contacts.

Objective

A privacy impact assessment of the e-File Transfer Service was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.

Description

The e-FT Service is based upon a commercially acquired software product that provides highly secure storage surrounded by a number of connectivity interfaces that enable organizations to securely exchange sensitive information. The software has been customized by Statistics Canada so that it:

1. relies to the greatest extent possible on Statistics Canada’s network and computing infrastructure; and,
2. respects the network separation (“air gap”) between Networks A and B.

Conclusion

This privacy impact assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using either current safeguards or others that have been specifically developed for the implementation of the e-File Transfer Service.

Introduction

A new monitoring program of household survey interviews conducted by Statistics Canada field interviewers is being introduced. The Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) Monitoring Program will:

• facilitate the evaluation of data quality of surveys conducted in households as well as interviewers' performance;
• provide a means to better identify the training needs of field interviewers both generally and specific to individual surveys; and
• more easily identify potential problems related to the collection tool or the questionnaire itself such as questions that elicit improper or inaccurate responses.

Objectives

A privacy impact assessment for Statistics Canada's CAPI Monitoring Program was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues associated with the program, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.

Description

For many years, there has been a monitoring program at Statistics Canada Headquarters and regional offices for surveys that are conducted by telephone. The program involves supervisors listening to the interview and subsequently assessing the interviewer's performance on select criteria.

For field interviewers who conducted face-to-face interviews in households of respondents, it has not been possible to have a similar program. Until now the principal means to collect information to assess the quality of interviews was to re-interview survey respondents or to have a senior Interviewer accompany the Interviewer to the respondent's home to observe the Interviewer's performance. However, re-interviewing respondents has proven to be cumbersome as well as having many disadvantages: it increases the burden on respondents by having them do the interview a second time; respondents tend to answer questions from a subjective perception rather than against specific criteria; and finally, in many cases, respondents may not recall the specific answers they had previously provided. The observation program significantly increases the cost of conducting the survey.

Therefore, the CAPI Monitoring Program will employ a computer program that will make an audio recording of interviews as the interviewer enters the respondent's answers onto his/her laptop computer. The recording will serve as a means for the interview to be assessed after it is being conducted according to the objectives listed above.

Because the recording contains information collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, the confidentiality provisions of the Act are applicable. This means that all security procedures and measures to protect the confidentiality of the information are in place. To address related privacy issues, additional measures have been implemented such as clarification on the use and retention of these files.

Conclusion

This assessment of the CAPI Monitoring Program did not identify any risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards for the protection of confidential survey data and putting in place additional safeguards specific to this program.

Introduction

Statistics Canada's Canadian Vital Statistics Program obtains from the provincial and territorial vital statistics registrars personal information on births, deaths, stillbirths and marriages that take place in Canada as well receiving from the federal Department of Justice's Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings personal information on divorces. In addition, some state registries in the United States provide to Statistics Canada personal information on births, deaths and stillbirths of Canadian residents that occur in their jurisdictions. Vital statistics data are used by Statistics Canada in the production of population estimates and projections, demographic and health trend analyses, as well as for methodological studies and survey sampling. The Canadian Vital Statistics Program is a long-standing arrangement between the federal government and provincial/territorial governments and is overseen by the Vital Statistics Council for Canada.

Objectives

A privacy impact assessment for Statistics Canada's Vital Statistics Program was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues associated with the program, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.

Description

The provincial/territorial registries provide standard registration information to Statistics Canada using a variety of media, including machine-readable format, paper, optical images and microfilm. This privacy impact assessment examined possible privacy risks related to the receipt, processing and the return of information back to provincial/territorial registries or other organizations.

While the method of transmittal of files and documents to Statistics Canada is the responsibility of the registries and the Department of Justice, the Agency encourages these organizations to follow Statistics Canada's standards for the transmittal of sensitive statistical information. This includes sending electronic data and images on encrypted or password-protected compact discs and sending any encryption keys or passwords separately. Use of bonded couriers is recommended also for the delivery of compact discs, microfilm, and paper copies of registration documents. As well, in collaboration with the vital statistics registries, Statistics Canada is currently developing enhanced standards for more secure means of transmittal of files and documents. The return of any records to the registries complies with the Agency standards for the transmittal of sensitive statistical information.

Upon receipt by Statistics Canada, all vital statistics information is provided the same level of security afforded to all information obtained under the authority of the Statistics Act. This information forms a personal information bank and is listed in the annual publication Info Source: Sources of Federal Government Information.

Conclusion

This assessment of the Canadian Vital Statistics Program did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.

Introduction

Since 1999, Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey has been a fundamental part of the Health Information Roadmap, a collaborative effort among Statistics Canada, the Canadian Institute for Health Information and Health Canada. Its goal is to meet priority requirements for health information that serves to improve public health and the quality of Canada’s health system.

Objectives

A privacy impact assessment for Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey Pilot on Healthy Aging was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues associated with the program, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.

Description

Although in general, the generic privacy impact assessment for Statistics Canada surveys addresses privacy concerns for this pilot survey, this privacy impact assessment focuses on and examines the risks associated with the use of audio recording to capture respondent responses for selected questions on the survey and transmission of these data back to Statistics Canada for data coding.

Conclusion

This assessment of the Canadian Community Health Survey Pilot on Healthy Aging did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.