Description: This bank describes the collection of personal information by AAFC for substantially similar grant and contribution programming delivered to producers and food processors across Canada.
All grant and contributions programs under this PIB collect personal information for the following purposes:
- to evaluate applications for repayable and non-repayable benefit programs
- financial information
- Social Insurance Number (SIN)
- CRA Business Number
- opinions, or views of, or about, an individual, sole proprietor, or partnership,
- other identification numbers, languages, and signatures
Personal information may include:
- a producer, sole proprietor, or partnerships’ name, biographical information, contact information, employment equity information
- employee personnel information where an appointed representative is applying to a funding program on behalf of their employer
Notes:
- The Social Insurance Number is only collected when AAFC must issue a tax form to a program applicant who is an individual, sole proprietor, or partnership and does not have a Business Number.
- This PIB replaces the following existing AAFC PIBs: Dairy Sector Investment Programs (unassigned), Environment Programs AAFC (PPU 624), Food Quality Safety Program (AAFC PPU 611), Agri-Opportunities Program (AAFC PPU 606), Farm Families Options Program (AAFC PPU 622), Eco Agriculture Biofuels Capital (eco ABC) Initiative (AAFC PPU 612).
Class of individuals: Canadian Agriculture producers and processors (or their designated representatives) including individuals, partnerships, co-operatives, corporations, estates, trusts, limited partnerships, and property owners in joint ventures, as well as representatives of academic institutions, Indigenous Peoples, co-operatives, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and corporations who have applied for AAFC programs that provide repayable and non-repayable benefits.
Purpose: Personal information is collected to determine eligibility of benefits and claims, as well as to process payments under the program for which a person or organization applies. Personal information is collected pursuant to s. 4 of the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Act. Depending on the funding initiative, the legal authority to collect personal information may be further authorized under other legislation, such as the FIPA (FIPA).
The Social Insurance Number and/or Business Number is collected under the authority the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Act and the ITA (ITA) to issue a taxable benefit. The personal information is also being collected under the authority of the FAA which provides the statutory basis for transfer payments by the Federal government to individuals.
AAFC collects and uses GBA Plus data, provided on a voluntary basis by AAFC program participants, for grant and contribution programming, as well as preferred cost ratio programs. AAFC collects and uses this information for statistical and aggregate reporting purposes under the authority of the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act.
Consistent uses: Information may be used to follow-up with applicants for purposes of proposal assessment, evaluation, clarification, and audit (including site visits to validate expenditures).
Personal information may be disclosed to the CRA (CRA) for the purpose of reporting a taxable benefit (Employer Compliance Program; CRA PPU 120) and/or program enforcement purposes (Review and Control; CRA PPU 125), and/or validation of reported farm income (Non-Filer Compliance, CRA PPU 025). Personal information may be used and disclosed by AAFC to any third party for the purpose of verifying off-sets on any debt owed to the Crown.
Information may be used to conduct cross compliance with other AAFC programs to ensure that applicants have not already received public funding for the same project; to verify debts owed to the Crown; and to conduct audits for program evaluation purposes.
Information may also be shared with internal and external experts to validate and evaluate projects and costs.
Personal information may also be shared with other federal government institutions that perform services on AAFC’s behalf (for example, cheque mailing and electronic payment by PSPC) or to assist the Department in the collection of debts owed to the Crown by producers. When the personal information is provided to these entities, these entities are considered to have physical control of the personal information, and in the case of Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), control of the banking information for the purposes of issuing payments (PWGSC PCU 712).
Information may be collected from and shared with provincial or territorial departments or organizations for the purposes of validating producer information (quotas, licenses, etc.), audit, analysis, evaluation, program development and the administration of AAFC’s assistance programs.
Information, including personal information, may also be used internally for research and statistical purposes, for program policy and evaluation, and for internal audit, as well as for the distribution of material on new agricultural programs.
Retention and disposal standards: Accepted applications are retained for six (6) fiscal years following last administrative action and then destroyed. Rejected applications are retained for three (3) fiscal years after the last administrative action and then destroyed.
RDA number: 2016/010
Related record number: AAFC 1010, AAFC 1055, AAFC 1060, AAFC 1065, AAFC 2150, AAFC 2050, AAFC 2060
TBS registration: 20240053
Bank number: AAFC PPU 222