About Health Canada

Disclaimer
The material provided on Health Canada Online 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.
Hyperlinking
Links to Web sites not under the control of the Government of Canada are provided solely for the convenience of visitors. The government is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content. The government 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 Health Canada links is not subject to the Privacy Act and the Official Languages Act and may be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question and visitors should research the privacy policies of the sites before providing personal information. However, the Government of Canada information hosted by these sites is identified as such and complies with the Official Languages Act and with obligations to be accessible to persons with disabilities.
Also see Criteria for Hyperlinking To and From Health Canada's Web Sites.
Official Languages
Health Canada respects the Official Languages Act and the relevant Treasury Board policies, and is committed to ensuring all information and services on this site are available in both English and French. However, visitors should be aware that some information from external sources that are not subject to the Official Languages Act is only provided as a convenience and is available only in the language in which it was provided.
Information and services that are provided on this site in languages other than English or French are only provided as a convenience to the user when available.
Copyright/Permission to Reproduce
Materials on this Web site were produced and/or compiled by Health Canada for the purpose of providing Canadians with direct access to information about the programs and services offered by the Government of Canada.
The material on this site is covered by the provisions of the Copyright Act, by Canadian laws, policies, regulations and international agreements. Such provisions serve to identify the information source and, in specific instances, to prohibit reproduction of materials without written permission.
Non-commercial Reproduction
Information on this site, other than government symbols,has been posted with the intent that it be readily available for personal and public non-commercial use and may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from Health Canada.
We ask only that:
Users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;
Health Canada be identified as the source; and,
The reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made, in affiliation with or with the endorsement of Health Canada.
Reproduction rights refer only to text. Logos, symbols, photographs and any other graphical material may not be used or reproduced without permission unless explicitly stated in the source document.
Reproduction of Government Symbols
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 written authorization. Request for authorization from Health Canada may be addressed to:
Federal Identity ProgramTreasury Board of Canada Secretariat300 Laurier Avenue WestOttawa, Canada K1A 0R5information@fip-pcim.gc.ca
Other Logos, Symbols and Images
The official symbols of the Government of Canada, such as the "Canada" wordmark, the Coat of Arms and the flag symbol are protected under Canada's Trade-Marks Act, as well as internationally under the Paris Convention and may not be reproduced without authorization, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Presently, the Knowledge Exchange Service of Public Works and Government Services Canada is the distributor of these symbols.
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 (2005).
To obtain permission to use a graphical image, complete our online Application for Copyright Clearance on Health Canada Works.
Commercial Reproduction
Reproduction of multiple copies of materials on this site, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution is prohibited except with written permission from the Government of Canada's copyright administrator, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). Through the permission granting process, PWGSC helps to ensure that individuals/organizations wishing to reproduce Government of Canada materials for commercial purposes have access to the most accurate, up-to-date versions. To obtain permission to reproduce materials on this site for commercial purposes, complete our online Application for Copyright Clearance on Health Canada Works or contact:
Public Works and Government Services CanadaPublishing and Depository Services350 Albert Street, 4th FloorOttawa, OntarioCanadaK1A 0S5 orcopyright.droitdauteur@pwgsc.gc.ca
Third-party Materials
Some of the materials and graphical elements found on this Web site are subject to copyrights held by other organizations. This is particularly true of sites that are jointly operated by Health Canada and an external organization as part of a collaborative arrangement. In such cases, some restrictions on the reproduction of materials or graphical elements may apply and it may be necessary to seek permission from the rights holder prior to reproducing the material.
To obtain information concerning copyright ownership and restrictions on reproduction on this site, please contact Health Canada's Copyright Coordinator by email at pubsadmin@hc-sc.gc.ca or by sending a detailed fax to (613) 957-1395.
Privacy Notice
The Government of Canada and Health Canada are committed to providing visitors with Web sites that respect their privacy. This page summarizes the privacy policy and practices on Health Canada Web site and provides information about accessing personal information.
The Health Canada Web site does not automatically gather any specific personal information from you, such as your name, phone number or e-mail address. We would only obtain this type of information if you supply it by sending us an e-mail or registering in a secure portion of the site;
All personal information created, held or collected by this department is protected under the federal Privacy Act. This means that at any point of collection you will be asked for consent to collect your information, and you will be informed of the purpose for which it is being collected and how to exercise your right of access to that information.
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 Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer that has contacted our Web site, 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;
Health Canada does not normally use "cookies" to track how our visitors use this site or to determine sites previously visited. The system will notify you before any cookies are used so that you may refuse them. (A "cookie" is a file that may be placed on your hard drive without your knowledge by a Web site to allow it to monitor your use of the site.);
Information on individual visitors is used by Health Canada employees who need to know the information in order to respond to your request or to ensure the security of this system. We only share the information you give us with another government department if your inquiry relates to that department. We do not use the information to create individual profiles, nor do we disclose this information to anyone outside the federal government; and,
Unless specifically noted otherwise, neither electronic systems nor e-mail are secure information transmission methods. It is not recommended that sensitive personal information be transmitted electronically.
Questions or comments regarding this policy, or the administration of the Privacy Act in Health Canada may be directed to the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator.
If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by e-mail at: info@privcom.gc.ca, by telephone at 1-800-282-1376 or visit their Web site.
For a description of the records held by the Health Canada, as part of the Depository Services Program, the please visit the Sources of Federal Government Information on Infosource.
For access to the standard personal information held by Health Canada and other government institutions, please visit the Standard Bank Descriptions page on Infosource.
Visit the Federal Privacy Commissioner's Web site for a summary of your rights under the Privacy Act.
Visit the Office of the Information Commissioner's Web site for