Privacy Notice Statement

You may want to print this Statement for future reference as it contains important contact information.

In order to submit a complaint or enquiry to the Office of the Ombudsman for the DND/CF, we require certain personal information from you. This Statement explains the purposes and use of your personal information.

Only information needed to initiate the complaint or enquiry process will be requested. Collection and use of personal information is in accordance with the federal Privacy Act.

The collection and use of personal information for purposes of investigation and resolution of complaints is authorized by Section 5 of the National Defence Act and is required for your participation. Further details on the Ombudsman's mandate can be found in the Ministerial Directives and the accompanying Defence Administrative Orders and Directives (DAOD), which give legal authority to the Office of the Ombudsman.

Sections 25- 27 of the Ministerial Directives impose confidentiality obligations upon the Office with respect to the information it collects, uses and discloses.

We will use the personal information that you provide for the following purpose(s):

• Assessing complaints
• Initiating investigations
• Reviewing evidence and
• Producing findings and recommendations

Ombudsman Complaint and Investigation files are included in Personal Information Bank number NDCFO PPU 010, (http://www.ombudsman.forces.gc.ca/en/ombudsman-ati/info-source.page). Files will be retained for a minimum of five (5) years and will be processed by Ombudsman Intake Officers and Investigators.

Under the provisions of the Privacy Act, individuals have the right to protection of, and access to, their personal information, and to request changes to inaccurate information. Instructions for obtaining your personal information are outlined in the government publication entitled Info Source.

If you require clarification about this Statement or the administration of the Privacy Act, questions or comments may be directed to Privacy Coordinator for the CF/DND Ombudsman: (Ombudsman-ATIP-AIPRP-DNDCF@forces.gc.ca).

For more information on privacy issues and the Privacy Act in general, consult the Privacy Commissioner at 1-800-282-1376.

What we do to ensure security
The Internet is an open and public network. When submitting questions or complaints involving confidential data, extra safeguards must be established. We have taken steps to ensure the safety and integrity of submissions on our Web site. Please note that you should avoid sending personal information through unsecured email because we cannot ensure your confidentiality. Our online complaints form is the alternate secure method of communication for your use.

The Office of the Ombudsman uses specially configured computer Web servers for the online complaints form and utilizes firewalls to protect our Web servers from unauthorized access. Your personal information is not stored on these servers; we securely store your personal information on separate computer systems that are not directly accessible from the Internet.

When transmitting personal information, access to our Web servers is limited to Web browsers that meet our security standards of encryption. We ensure that your personal information and submission is encrypted when it is transmitted between your computer and our Web servers. This ensures that computer hackers and other Internet users cannot view or alter the data being transmitted. Our standard for encryption is the 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer Version 3.0 (SSLV3) protocol. This is one of the most secure forms of encryption available in North America and is a typical requirement for Web-based services-such as online banking or shopping-where securing personal information is a priority.

If after reading this Statement, you choose not to submit your information through this Web site, you may use one of the other methods listed on our previous page, which can be found at http://www.ombudsman.forces.gc.ca/sc-sp/index-eng.asp.

Once you have entered the application form, you may cancel at any time. If you cancel, none of the information you enter to that point will be retained.

By pressing the "I Agree" button, you are confirming that you have accessed this Privacy Notice Statement and are now ready to provide your personal information in accordance with it.