Canada 150 Research Chairs Program Privacy Impact Assessment Summary (2019)
Canada 150 Research Chairs Program Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) Summary
Overview & PIA Initiation
Government institution
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Government official responsible for the Privacy Impact Assessment
Danika Goosney
Associate Vice-President
Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS)
Head of the government institution or Delegate for section 10 of the Privacy Act
Michele Dupuis
ATIP Coordinator
Corporate Affairs Directorate
Name of program or activity of the government institution
Canada 150 Research Chairs Program
Description of the class of records associated with the program or activity
Class of records SSHRC CHA 001, SSHRC CHA 002, SSHRC CHA 003, SSHRC CHA 004
Research Chairs Nominations and Peer Review Committee Personal Information Bank (PIB) SSHRC PPU 016
Legal authority for program or activity
Subsection 5(a) of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Act
Subsection 4(1)(a) of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Act
Subsection 4(1)(a) of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Act
Summary of the project/initiative/change
Overview of the program or activity
The Canada 150 Research Chairs program (C150 program), announced in Budget 2017, invests $117.6 million to enhance Canada’s reputation as a global centre for science, research and innovation excellence, in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary. This funding opportunity falls under the “Research Training and Talent Development” aspect of SSHRC’s Departmental Results Framework (DRF), effective October 23, 2017.
The C150 program builds on the successes achieved through other federal investments in the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRC program), the Canada Excellence Research Chairs Program (CERC program) and the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF program). It provides Canadian universities with a one-time investment (grants to be paid over eight fiscal years) to attract top-tier, internationally based scholars and researchers (including Canadian expatriates) to Canada.
The C150 program’s key objectives are to:
- strengthen Canada’s research capacity through the recruitment and retention of top-tier, internationally based scholars and researchers;
- enhance Canada’s reputation as a global centre for science, research and innovation excellence;
- improve universities’ capacity to generate and apply new knowledge; and
- improve the training and development of highly qualified research personnel.
Although the existing suite of tri-agency programs continues to demonstrate results in terms of research excellence and research capacity, to attract international talent in a very short period, existing funding mechanisms could not accommodate the rapid delivery required to capitalize on the quick recruitment of talent. The CRC program operates with established institutional allocations for chairs, resulting in the recruitment of new chairholders only when either a chair is vacated or a new chair allocated. This presents challenges for institutions in capitalizing on opportunities for the recruitment of top talent, due to timing. At the same time, the CERC program awards chairs, through a comprehensive application and review process, only in priority areas where institutions have demonstrated research strengths. For these reasons, the C150 program was created to allow institutions to recruit world-class talentFootnote 1 outside the existing structures through a one-time boost to the federal funding available for the establishment of research chairs.
The program is a tri-agency initiative of SSHRC, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. It is administered by the Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS), which is housed within SSHRC.
Chairs are awarded to and administered by eligible postsecondary institutions. The postsecondary institution authorizes expenditures in accordance with agency and program policies and requirements, as outlined in the relevant agency and program guides on their websites, or as stated as a condition of award, and with the postsecondary institution’s policies. No one may initiate or authorize expenditures from an award account without the postsecondary institution’s delegated authority.
Each postsecondary institution establishes appropriate procedures, systems and controls to ensure that agency and program policies and requirements are followed. The postsecondary institution has the right and responsibility to withhold and withdraw approval of expenditures proposed by a chairholder that contravene the agency’s or program’s requirements or the postsecondary institution’s policies and, when appropriate, to seek advice or ruling from TIPS as to the eligibility of expenses. Administrative, personnel and accounting procedures must conform to the standards, practices and policies of the postsecondary institution.
Risk identification and categorization
A) Type of program or activity: Administration of programs/activities and services
Level of risk to privacy: 2
B) Type of personal information involved and context: Social Insurance Number (SIN), medical, financial or other sensitive personal information and/or the context surrounding the personal information is sensitive. Personal information of minors or incompetent individuals or involving a representative acting on behalf of the individual.
Level of risk to privacy: 3
C) Program or activity partners and private sector involvement: With other government institutions; private sector organizations, international organizations or foreign governments.
Level of risk to privacy: 4
D) Duration of the program or activity: One-time program or activity
Level of risk to privacy: 1
E) Program population: The program’s use of personal information for external administrative purposes affects certain individuals.
Level of risk to privacy: 3
F) Technology & privacy
- Does the new or modified program or activity involve the implementation of a new electronic system, software or application program including collaborative software (or groupware) that is implemented to support the program or activity in terms of the creation, collection or handling of personal information?
- Does the new or modified program or activity require any modifications to IT legacy systems and/or services?
Risk to privacy: No
Risk to privacy: No
G) Personal information transmission
The personal information is used within a closed system; the personal information is used in a system that has connection to at least one other system; the personal information is transferred to a portable device or is printed; the personal information is transmitted using wireless technologies.
Level of risk to privacy: 4
H) Potential risk that, in the event of a privacy breach, there will be an impact on the individual or employee
Inconvenience; reputation harm, embarrassment; financial harm; physical harm
Level of risk to privacy: 4
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