Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy – French Embassy in Canada, acting through the Institut français du Canada, a financially autonomous institution without separate legal personality, attached to French Embassy in Canada and affiliated with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs

Last Modified : December 12, 2025

Introduction

This is the Privacy Policy for the French Embassy in Canada, acting through the Institut français du Canada, a financially autonomous institution without separate legal personality, attached to French Embassy in Canada and affiliated with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (“IFC," "we," or "us") and functions as diplomatic representation. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect the personal information of our website users ("you"), the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit www.institutfrancais.ca (our "Website"), and our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information, accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and French legislation. 

IFC will continue to review and update this Privacy Policy at any time to make sure that it is relevant and remains current with changing industry standards, technologies, and laws. 

We will only use your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy unless otherwise required by applicable law.

This Privacy Policy applies to information we collect, use, or disclose about you on this Website and in email or other electronic messages between you and this Website.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By accessing or using this Website, you indicate that you understand, accept, and consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy may change from time to time (see Section 8).

1. Accountability

1.1       The IFC is responsible for personal information under its control and has designated the Director of the Institut français du Canada as the individual accountable for compliance with this Privacy Policy.

1.2       Responsibility for compliance with the provisions of the Privacy Policy rests with the Privacy Officer, which is the Director of IFC and can be contacted at: 42 Sussex Drive, ON K1M 1P5, Canada or at info@institutfrancais.ca. Other individuals within IFC may be delegated to act on behalf of the Privacy Officer or to take responsibility for the day-to-day collection and/or processing of personal information. 

1.3       The IFC is responsible for personal information in its possession or custody.

1.4       The IFC implements policies and practices to give effect to these principles, including:

            (a)       Implementing procedures to protect personal information;

            (b)       Establishing procedures to receive and respond to complaints and inquiries;

(c)        Training staff and communicating to staff information about the IFC’s policies and practices; and

            (d)       Developing information to explain the IFC’s policies and procedures.

2. Identifying Purposes

2.1       The IFC collects personal information for specific, identified, and legitimate purposes, which are communicated at or before the time of collection.

2.2       When you use our contact form, we collect your first name, surname, email address, telephone number, and any optional message you provide. This information is used exclusively to respond to your inquiry.

2.3       When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address to send you updates and information about IFC activities.

2.4       The purposes for which personal information is collected are limited to those described above and will not be changed without informing you and obtaining your consent where required.

3. Consent

3.1       The IFC obtains your consent for the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information, except where otherwise permitted or required by law.

3.2       By submitting information through our contact form, you provide implied consent for the IFC to use that information to respond to your request.

3.3       By subscribing to our newsletter, you provide explicit consent for the IFC to use your email address for this purpose. You may withdraw your consent at any time by using the unsubscribe link provided in each email.

3.4       If the IFC intends to use your personal information for a new purpose, your consent will be sought before such use, unless otherwise permitted by law.

3.5       To withdraw your consent, contact info@institutfrancais.ca. Please note that withdrawal of consent may affect our ability to provide certain services.

4. Limiting Collection

4.1       The IFC limits the collection of personal information to that which is necessary for the purposes identified in Section 2.

4.2       The IFC does not collect more information than is required to fulfill the stated purposes, such as responding to inquiries or sending newsletters.

4.3       Personal information is collected by fair and lawful means, including direct interactions (such as forms).

5. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention

5.1       Personal information collected by the IFC is used exclusively for the purposes for which it was collected, unless you provide additional consent or as required by law.

5.2       Data submitted via the contact form is not shared with third parties or used for commercial purposes. This data is retained as long as you are subscribed. You may unsubscribe at any time

5.3       Newsletter subscription data is retained as long as you are subscribed. You may unsubscribe at any time.

5.4       Once personal information is no longer needed for the identified purposes or legal requirements, it is securely disposed of or anonymized.

6. Accuracy

6.1       Personal information is as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.

6.2       Personal information used by IFC will be sufficiently accurate, complete, and up-to date to minimize the possibility that inappropriate information may be used to make a decision about an individual.

6.3       IFC will update personal information about individuals as necessary to fulfill the identified purposes or upon notification by the individual.

7. Safeguards

7.1       The IFC protects personal information with security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.

7.2       These safeguards include technical, physical, and administrative measures designed to prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification of personal information.

8. Openness

8.1       The IFC makes information about its policies and practices relating to the management of personal information readily available to individuals.

8.2       This Privacy Policy serves as a clear and accessible statement of our commitments and practices regarding personal information.

8.3       For any questions regarding the IFC's privacy practices, please contact info@institutfrancais.ca.

8.4       It is our policy to post any changes we make to our Privacy Policy on this page. If we make material changes to how we treat our users' personal information, we will notify you through a notice on the Website home page. The date this Privacy Policy was last revised is indicated at the top of the page.

9. Individual Access

9.1       Upon request, individuals have the right to be informed of the existence, use, and disclosure of their personal information and to be given access to that information.

9.2       Individuals have the right to challenge the accuracy and completeness of the information and have it amended as appropriate.

9.3       Requests for access, rectification, erasure, objection to certain processing, or data portability may be made by contacting info@institutfrancais.ca.

9.4       We may request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and your right to access, and to provide you with the personal information that we hold about you or make your requested changes.

9.5       Applicable law may allow or require us to refuse to provide you with access to some or all of the personal information that we hold about you. If we cannot provide you with access to your personal information, we will inform you of the reasons why, subject to any legal or regulatory restrictions.

10. Challenging Compliance

10.1     An individual may address a challenge concerning compliance with the above principles to the Privacy Officer of the Institut français du Canada at info@institutfrancais.ca.

10.2     The IFC has procedures in place to receive and respond to complaints or inquiries about its handling of personal information.

10.3     The person or persons accountable for compliance with this Privacy Policy may seek external advice where appropriate before providing a final response to individual complaints.

10.05   IFC will investigate all complaints concerning compliance with this Privacy Policy. If a complaint is found to be justified, IFC will take appropriate measures to resolve the complaint including, if necessary, amending its privacy policies and procedures. An individual will be informed of the outcome of the investigation regarding his or her complaint.

11. Your Rights

11.1     In accordance with the GDPR, you have the following rights: 

•      Right of access to your data

•      Right to rectify inaccurate data

•      Right to erasure (deletion of your data)

•      Right to object to certain processing (e.g. sending newsletters)

•      Right to data portability 

You can exercise your rights at any time by writing to us at: info@institutfrancais.ca.

In the event of persistent disagreement, you can refer the matter to the CNIL (Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés): https://www.cnil.fr