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Privacy Policy for the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement, de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec’s Web Site

Thank you for visiting the Web site of the Ministère and reading our privacy policy. It is based on the principles included in the policy on privacy at the Québec government’s portal.

We invite you to carefully read our privacy policy and to refer to it regularly to learn of any new changes.

Our policy is composed of the following elements:

Cookies

A temporary cookie is necessary to make your navigation of this site easier. This temporary cookie is placed on your computer’s RAM and is automatically deleted when you close your browser. Moreover, no data from this cookie will be left on your PC or used by the Ministère for purposes other than that mentioned above.

Automatically Transmitted Data

The moment you access our Web site (www.mddefp.gouv.qc.ca), certain data is automatically transmitted between your computer and the server of the private firm hosting our site.

Please note that this data does not allow us to identify you personally (except in exceptional cases1); it is collected as part of the technological requirements for browsing on the Internet and is used only for statistical purposes.

When visiting our site, the following data is exchanged between your computer and the server hosting our site:

  1. The name of your Internet domain (for example, the Internet domain name for Québec government organizations is "gouv.qc.ca") and the IP address from which you accessed the Ministère's site (the IP address1 is the number assigned to your computer by your Internet access provider each time you surf the Internet);
  2. The type of browser and operating system you are using to access the Ministère's site;
  3. The date and time you accessed our site;
  4. The pages you opened;
  5. The address of the site from which you accessed the Ministère's site if you were at another site at the time you decided to visit our site (this other site is designated under the name "referring site").

This data is necessary so the server can transmit a file that is compatible with your computer equipment. Moreover, the Ministère keeps anonymous the information it needs to count the number of users, the pages most frequently opened, the technology used, the referring sites and the country of origin of the Internet users.

Transmission of Personal Information

We would like to bring to your attention the fact that the transmission of data through our Web site or by e-mail is not secure. It is therefore recommended that you not communicate information of a personal nature, or if you do so, to take the appropriate safety precautions.

However, if you do decide to send us personal information (through e-mail, by subscribing to one of our mailing lists, or by filling out a form submitted to us through our site), we want to advise you that:

  • We will only use the necessary information in responding to your message;
  • Only people authorized to receive it at the Ministère have access to this information and they can only consult it when it is necessary as part of their job2;
  • The personal information held by the Ministère is used only for the purposes for which it was collected. The information is archived or destroyed using secure means when it is no longer needed;
  • Personal information sent to us is transmitted to another person or organization (including government agencies) only when the communication is authorized by law;
  • If you send us a request and personal information that should have been sent to another organization, we will inform you of the name of the organization you need to contact and we will destroy the information you have sent us.

You can cancel your subscription to our mailing lists at any time.

In compliance with the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information, all departments or agencies requesting personal information must make sure it is necessary to collect such information. In the event we were to ask for personal information, you would be informed of the following elements:

  1. The name and address of the government agency on whose behalf the information is being collected;
  2. The purposes for which the information is released;
  3. Categories of people who will have access to this information;
  4. The mandatory or optional nature of the request;
  5. The consequences that could involve the person in question, or in cases involving a third party, the refusal to respond to a request;
  6. Rights to access and adjustment stipulated by law.

Links to Other Sites

On our site, you will find links to other Web sites such as Québec government departments and agencies, the federal government as well as partners and interest groups. When you click on these links, the associated site will be displayed in a new window. When you access sites other than that of the Ministère, you must remember that they are not subject to this privacy policy.

Comments or Questions on the Privacy Policy

If you would like more information regarding the Ministère's current policy, if you have any comments or wish to lodge a complaint because you feel that the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement, de la Faune et des Parcs' policy has not been respected, you can reach us at the following address:

Webmaster
Direction des communications, boîte 89
675, Boul. René-Lévesque Est, 29e étage
Québec (Québec) G1R 5V7
Telephone: 418 521-3899
Fax: 418 646-4852
E-mail: webmestre@mddefp.gouv.qc.ca

To find out more about privacy:

Regarding the laws:

Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information

Act to establish a legal framework for information technology

Regarding the guidelines:

Guidelines on the security of digital information and electronic exchanges within the government

Guidelines regarding the processing and destruction of all information, directories, data, software, operating system or other asset protected by copyright on micro-computer or removable computer hardware

Regarding the Web Sites:

Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec

Online Government (Government of Québec)

Protection de la vie privée sur Internet présenté par les Délégués des ministères du Conseil de l’Europe

Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés:
Find out how you are traced on the Internet

Le bon cookie et le méchant mouchard (Agence pour les Technologies de l’information et de la Communication dans l’Administration, France)

Office de la langue française (Internet terminology)

Le site des Webmestres du gouvernement du Québec (Webmaster)

Association sur l’accès et la protection de l’information (AAPI)

1 Retrieval of the IP address is effectuated through the firm which hosts the site of the Ministère. Within the Ministère, the IP address of Internet users is only accessible to the personnel working on the Web site at the Information Resources Branch and the Communications Branch. In principle, the IP address does not allow anyone to identify the user. However, if that information is linked with other data, such as an e-mail sent to the Ministère, associating both data could make it possible to identify the user. However, the fact that the IP address can change with each connection of your browser renders this association almost impossible. Moreover, we assure you that our personnel will effectuate no association of data of this type. Access and adjustment rights are stipulated by law in the event of collection of nominative information.

2 The Ministère does not usually monitor the electronic communications of its personnel, but it reserves the right to do so if its interests warrant it or if it is asked to do so by law or through an order of the Court, or if there is a reasonable suspicion to believe that an employee has committed or is on the verge of committing a crime or other infraction that could directly or indirectly impact the Ministère in a negative way. When an employee leaves the Ministère, it reserves the right to keep the electronic address of the employee after his/her departure for a period of time deemed reasonable in order to make sure that important communications can be transmitted to the Ministère. All personal communications will be transmitted to the new electronic address designated by the employee.

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