Government of

Canada (GC) API

Store
Terms and
Conditions of Use
Preamble
1. These Terms and Conditions govern the relationship between
the Government of Canada (“we” or “us” or “our”) and any
person registered in its own name or in the name and on
behalf of another entity (“you” or “your”).
2. Your access and use of the Government of Canada API Store
(“GC API Store”) and your use of API web services, being
Application Programming Interfaces to transfer or exchange
data, (the “Services and Data”) provided by us , as well as
data transmitted over such API web services are governed by
these Terms and Conditions. You represent that you have full
authority to accept, and agree to be bound by, these Terms
and Conditions, either in your own name or if you are
accepting on behalf of another entity, you are binding said
entity. If you are entering into these Terms and Conditions on
your own behalf, you attest that you are of legal age in your
 province of residence.
3. By accepting these Terms and Conditions, we grant you
access to the GC API Store and to the open (publicly
available) APIs available in the GC API Store, or to other APIs
for which you have been invited to use through existing
partnerships or agreements by the API Owners. There may be
other APIs in the GC API Store to which you do not have
access or authorization to access that are available to other
users under separate Terms and Conditions.. Terms and
Conditions of any other classification of API will supersede
your rights under these Terms and Conditions and are
controlled by the API Owner. For more information on API
specific Terms and Conditions, please contact the API Owner
indicated.

Definitions
The following terms used within the Terms and Conditions have the
following meaning assigned to them:

“API” means an Application Programming Interface, more

specifically web service API, which is on the GC API Store.

“API Owner” means the developer of the API who has made their
API available on the GC API Store. For the purposes of the GC API
Store, all API Owners are either departments or branches of the
Government of Canada.

“API Plan” means a set of policies or rules that determine if

approvals are required to subscribe to the API and the frequency of
API calls that an application can make.

“Application” means a program or piece of software designed and

written to fulfill a particular purpose of the user that will be using the
data generated from the API.
Terms and Conditions
4. In order to gain access to and use the GC API Store, you
agree to provide all of the required information for the creation
of an account in the GC API Store:

1. First and Last Name

2. Organization Name (if applicable)
3. Username
4. Email
5. Password
5.
6. In order to request a subscription to an API, you agree to
provide all of the required information pertaining to the
Application that will be consuming the API:

1. Application Name
2. Description of Application and Use
7. By making a request to subscribe to an API, you attest that
you are the owner of the Application, or have access and
authority to use that Application for the purpose of consuming
APIs.
8. You confirm that any information you provide to us is true,
accurate, and complete to the best of your knowledge.
9. You understand and accept that you are at all times
responsible for your login information. This responsibility
applies even if you change your login information. You agree
to keep your login credentials confidential at all times and not
to share it with or disclose it to others.
10. If your login information (i.e. username, password) are
revealed or if you suspect that someone else has learned or
obtained them, you are responsible for taking all necessary
 measures to ensure compliance with the Terms and
Conditions and resetting your password.
11. You agree not to use your own or another individuals
login information for any improper activities related to the GC
API Store or the Services and Data, being any activities that
are not specifically authorized under these Terms and
Conditions.
12. You agree not to use the Services and Data in a manner
that harasses or may harass other parties, or that will or will
have the potential to disrupt, undermine, corrupt, diminish or
otherwise threaten or jeopardize the GC API Store.
13. You agree not to use the Services and Data or the GC
API Store

1. In a way that could or does negatively impact the

performance of the system or network or the GC API
Store for us or other users
2. Download or transit into the GC API Store any viruses,
Trojan horses or any other programs that are designed
to interfere or damage the GC API Store
3. To do anything in violation of the Criminal Code of
Canada
14.
15. The GC API Store team will monitor access to the GC
API Store to ensure the service is being used responsibly and
in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. You
understand and accept that we and individual API Owners can
suspend or revoke your access to the GC API Store, and/or
individual APIs without notice under the following
circumstances:

1. we suspect unauthorized use of your personal or login

information;
 2. you fail to comply with any of the Terms and Conditions
of use and/or agreements in place with the GC API Store
or with individual API Terms and Conditions;
3. as a security measure;
4. for operational reasons; or
5. for administrative reasons.
16.
17. The GC API Store team has taken all reasonable steps
to ensure the security of this website. We have used
sophisticated encryption technology and incorporated other
procedures to protect your personal information at all times.
However, the Internet is a public network and there is the
remote possibility of data security violations.

Access to the Store/Platform

14. We will reasonably try to ensure the GC API Store is
available 24/7. However, we also reserve the right, without
notice or compensation, to temporarily or permanently
suspend service or close the Store and the API Services and
Data for maintenance operations or otherwise in your sole
discretion. We cannot be held responsible for any suspension
of service or permanent closure.
15. Government of Canada is not responsible for the failure
of:

1. the availability or unavailability, for any reason, of the

Internet, login services or other infrastructure systems;
2. any restriction, delay, malfunction, or unavailability of the
GC API Store due to unforeseen circumstances

Application Process
 16. In order to secure back-end systems, Applications that
submit service requests will require the use of an API key. You
may request an API Key by completing the required
subscription process within the GC API Store.
17. API Owners across the Government of Canada will
review API Key requests to ensure that you have agreed to
the Terms and Conditions of their APIs, if required, prior to
issuing an API Key. GC API Owners, in their sole and
complete discretion, may give you an API Key for access to
the API.
18. Access privileges to API Services and Data are granted
at our sole discretion and may be restricted or terminated at
any time.

Policies and Requirements Regarding Use of

API Services
19. Usage of APIs may be limited by us and/or the API
Owner and may be monitored. If you plan to make use of an
API beyond the set API Plan limitations for which you have
subscribed, you must notify the API Owner prior to such use
and seek consent for such use.
20. We reserve the right to track and publish statistics on
usage per API and the Application that is requesting access.
21. We do not endorse or recommend for public use any
specific Application developed for the use of its APIs, and any
statements implying or claiming that we have made such an
endorsement are strictly prohibited.
22. Any practice whereby information that is intended to be
transmitted directly between you and the GC is manipulated,
edited, redacted or otherwise processed by the Application,
such that the content or meaning of the information or data is
altered, must be disclosed to the user in a clear and
conspicuous manner.
 23. You are prohibited from sharing, distributing, or
disclosing (intentionally or unintentionally) any API Keys to
any other individual or entity, and any such sharing,
distribution or disclosure constitutes a violation of these Terms
and Conditions.
24. You agree to comply with, and use all means available to
assist us in complying with all laws applicable to the API
Services and Data.
25. Any activity that exceeds your authorized access
privileges to the GC API Store and the API Services and Data
is strictly prohibited.

Consequences of Violating the Terms and

Conditions
26. You have a continuing obligation to comply with the
Terms and Conditions. If you violate any of the Terms and
Conditions, we may, in our sole and absolute discretion, in
addition to any available remedies we have at law,
immediately invalidate your API Key(s), terminate your access
to and privileges to use to the API Services and Data and the
GC API Store.

Exclusion of Warranties
27. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or
availability of the API Services and Data. You understand and
agree that you are accessing and using the GC API Store and
the API Services and Data at your sole risk and discretion.
The GC API Store and API Services and Data are made
available on an “as is” and “as available” basis without any
representations or warranties of any kind, whether expressed
or implied, including without limitation implied warranties or
warranties regarding fitness of use or purpose. You agree that
we shall not be held liable for any error, inaccuracy, or
unavailability, or other defect in the API Services and Data.
Any errors, inaccuracies or unavailability or other defect in the
 API Services and Data can be reported to the API Owner
through the GC API Store.

Limitation of Liability and Indemnity

28. You agree that in no event shall we, nor our employees
or agents, be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental,
consequential or special damages (including without limitation,
loss of use, time or data, inconvenience, commercial loss, lost
profits or savings, cost of computer equipment and software,
or solicitor fees) that you incur in relation to your accessing or
use of the GC API Store and/or the API Services and Data, or
for any of your obligations, to the full extent that such may be
disclaimed by law, or for any claim against You by any third
party. In no event shall we be liable for any claim, including
claims by third parties, for loss or damages arising from Your
use of the GC API Store and/or the API Services and Data.
29. You shall indemnify and save us and our employees and
agents harmless from and against any and all claims, losses,
damages, costs, expenditures, actions, injuries or liabilities of
any kind, nature and description (including, without limitation,
incidental and consequential and special damages, court
costs, legal fees and costs of investigation), that arise directly
or indirectly, in whole or in part, from your use of the GC API
Store and/or the API Services and Data.

General Provisions
30. We retain the right to modify these Terms and
Conditions at any time in our sole and absolute discretion, by
posting modified Terms and Conditions on this page in the GC
API Store. Any such modification is effective upon posting,
unless otherwise indicated. We will attempt to provide notice
of any such changes to you upon login and/or notice may be
provided to current account holders at the current email
address provided in the GC API Store account and/or
subscription request by you. For this reason, you are required
to provide current contact information to the GC API Store and
 to update said information in your profile should it change. You
agree that by continuing to access and use the GC API Store
and/or the API Services and Data that you are bound by any
modified terms and conditions that are posted from time to
time.
31. These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and
interpreted under the laws of the Province of Ontario and the
laws of Canada applicable therein. Without regard to conflict
of laws provisions. Any dispute arising out of these Terms and
Conditions shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the
courts of Ontario, and you hereby attorn to the venue and
jurisdiction of such courts.
32. No modifications of these Terms and Conditions, other
than as described in paragraph 30 above nor any waiver of
any rights, shall be effective except by an instrument in writing
signed by You and us, and the waiver of any breach or default
shall not constitute a waiver of any other right hereunder for
any subsequent breach or default.
33. These Terms and Conditions contain the entire
agreement and understanding between you and us with
respect to the subject matter hereof and completely replace
and supersede all prior agreements, understanding and
representations.
34. If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is
determined to be invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part,
by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity or
unenforceability shall not affect the remaining terms or
provisions hereof, and the remaining provisions will
nevertheless remain in full force and effect.
35. You agree that, if we do not exercise or enforce any
legal right or remedy contained in these Terms and Conditions
(or that we have the benefit of under any applicable law), this
will not be taken to be a formal waiver of our rights and that
those rights or remedies will still be available to us. Any waiver
of any provision of these Terms and Conditions will be
 effective only if we expressly waive compliance with a
provision in writing.

Providing content in Canada’s official

languages
36. The Official Languages Act , the Official Languages
(Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations
and Treasury Board policy requirements establish when we
use both English and French to provide services to or
communicate with members of the public. When there is no
obligation to provide information in both official languages,
content may be available in one official language only.
Information provided by organizations not subject to the
Official Languages Act is in the language(s) provided.
Information provided in a language other than English or
French is only for the convenience of our visitors.

Trademark notice
37. 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 prior written
authorization .

Our commitment to accessibility

38. The Government of Canada is committed to achieving a
high standard of accessibility as defined in the Standard on
Web Accessibility and the Standard on Optimizing Websites
and Applications for Mobile Devices . In the event of difficulty
using our web pages, applications or device-based mobile
applications, contact us for assistance or to obtain alternative
formats such as regular print, Braille or another appropriate
format.
Privacy Statement
39. The Government of Canada is committed to providing
websites that respect the privacy of visitors. This privacy
notice summarizes the privacy practices for the GC API Store.
40. All personal information collected by this institution is
governed by the Privacy Act and the Access to Information
Act. This means that you will be informed of the purpose for
which your personal information is being collected and how to
exercise your right of access to that information.

Your Privacy and the Internet

41. The nature of the Internet is such that Web servers
automatically collect certain information about a visit to a
website, including the visitor’s Internet Protocol (IP) address.
IP addresses are unique numbers assigned by Internet
Service Providers (ISP) to all devices used to access the
Internet. Web servers automatically log the IP addresses of
visitors to their sites. The IP address, on its own, does not
identify an individual. However, in certain circumstances, such
as with the co-operation of an ISP for example, it could be
used to identify an individual using the site. For this reason,
the Government of Canada considers the IP address to be
personal information, particularly when combined with other
data automatically collected when visitor requests a Web page
such as the page or pages visited, date and time of the visit.

Digital Markers (including cookies)

42. A digital marker is a resource created by your browser in
order to remember certain pieces of information for the Web
server to reference during the same or subsequent visit to the
website. Examples of digital markers are “cookies” or HTML5
web storage. Some examples of what digital markers do are
as follows:
 1. they allow a website to recognize a previous visit each
time the visitor accesses the site;
2. they track what information is viewed on a site which
helps website administrators ensure visitors find what
they are looking for.
43.
44. The GC API Store uses digital markers on some portions
of its website including to determine whether or not you are
logged in to the site. During your on-line visit, your browser
exchanges data with the GC API Store web server. The digital
markers used do not allow the GC API Store to identify
individuals.
45. You may adjust your browser settings to reject digital
markers, including cookies, if you so choose. However, it may
affect your ability to interact with the GC API Store.
46. The use of web analytics, such as cookies, for
measuring and improving performance of Government of
Canada websites complies with the Standard on Privacy and
Web Analytics.

Communicating with the Government of Canada

46. If you choose to send us an email or complete a
feedback form online, your personal information provided,
being your first and last name, phone number (if provided),
address and email address (if provided), is used by us in order
to respond to your inquiry. We do not use the information to
create individual profiles nor does it disclose the information to
anyone other than to those in the federal government who
need to provide you with a response. Any disclosure of your
personal information is in accordance with the Privacy Act.
47. Emails and other electronic methods used to
communicate with us are not secure unless it is specifically
stated on a Web page. Therefore, it is recommended that you
do not send sensitive personal information, such as your
Social Insurance Number or your date of birth, through non-
 secure electronic means.
48. Personal information from emails or completed feedback
forms is collected pursuant to the Department of Industry Act,
Sections 4(1), 5(b)(d)(e), and 6(a)(b)(c)(d).
49. Should you refuse to provide personal information in
completing a feedback form or another method of
communication with us, we may not be able to respond to you
in a timely manner or at all.

GC API Store Credentials

50. We are committed to providing measures that respect
and value your privacy and security. This section summarizes
the privacy policy and practices that apply to your GC API
Store Account Credentials.
51. We collect the following personal information from you
when you open an account on the GC API Store: name, email,
organization. The purpose for collecting and using “Username,
Password and Email” is to issue, manage and validate
anonymous credentials of individuals accessing and/or
communicating with our systems and applications, in order to
provide a service. This personal information is collected
pursuant to the Department of Industry Act Sections 4(1), 5(b)
(d)(e), and 6(a)(b)(c)(d). Such information is used to for the
set-up of a user profile for the purpose of communicating with
or obtaining products or services from government (refer to
Public Communications - IB No. PSU 914).
52. The personal information may be used to establish audit
trails of credential usage. In the case of suspected security or
privacy breaches, personal information may be shared with
departmental security and access to information and privacy
officials, as well as the federal government department or
agency which collects and uses the personal information
considered to have been compromised (refer to Standard PIB
Security Incidents - PSU 939). For suspected criminal activity,
personal information may also be disclosed to the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police for investigational purposes; refer to
 institution-specific PIB Operational Case Records - RCMP
PPU 005.
53. We employ 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 websites, 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
sites unless an attempt to damage the sites has been
detected.
54. Should you refuse to provide the necessary personal
information to open an account on the GC API Store, you will
not be able to open an account or to use the Services and
Data. You may also have limited access to information
provided on the GC API Store.
55. You have the right to access and request the correction
of your personal information. Questions, concerns and
complaints regarding this notice, or the administration of the
Privacy Act in connection with your GC API Store account
may be directed to the Access to Information and Privacy
Protection Coordinator as follows:
Shared Services Canada
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
99 Metcalfe Street
3rd Floor, Room 308
PO Box 9808 STN T CSC
Ottawa, Ontario K1G 4A8
Telephone: 1-613-670-1657
Facsimile: 1-613-688-9129
SSC.atip-aiprp.SPC@canada.ca
56. For more information on privacy issues and the Privacy
Act in general, please consult the Office of the Privacy
Commissioner of Canada website or call 1-800-282-1376 .
57. By selecting “I agree” you indicate that you accept these
Terms and Conditions of use.