Last updated: October 23, 2025
The Canadian National Railway Company and its subsidiaries (collectively, “CN”) place great importance on privacy protection and are committed to protecting the confidentiality and security of your personal information. This Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use our website, mobile applications, client/extranet spaces, or any other online service we operate or control (collectively, the “CN Portal”). In the event of any discrepancy with other informational documents, this Policy governs with respect to the protection of personal information.
Definition of Personal Information
For the purposes of this Policy, “personal information” means any information about an identifiable individual, including but not limited to name, address, email address, phone number, or other similar data.
Collection and Use of Information
In general, you can visit the CN Portal without identifying yourself or providing personal information. Our servers record only the domain name and not the email address of our visitors, and compile aggregated data, such as number of visits, average session duration, and pages viewed. We use this information to measure audience metrics and improve the content and features of the CN Portal.
When necessary, we may ask you for personal information such as your name, mailing address, or email address. In such cases, at the time we request this information, we will inform you of the purpose of the collection. Generally, this information is used to respond to your requests, process an order, provide access to your account, or furnish specific information.
We collect and process your personal information in accordance with applicable privacy laws, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) (Canada). We disclose your information to third parties only with your prior consent or where required by law. You may withdraw your consent at any time, with no retroactive effect.
Where applicable, and only with your prior consent, we may share your email address with reputable organizations offering products or services that may be of interest to you. You may refuse or withdraw this consent at any time.
If you register electronically with CN, we may use this information to provide you with personalized information about our products and services. You may choose not to receive newsletters or marketing communications and unsubscribe at any time by updating your client profile or by using the unsubscribe link included in our emails.
Legal Basis and Consent Principles
We process your personal information based on your consent, or where necessary for the performance of a contract, compliance with a legal obligation, or for legitimate interests recognized by law. Where required, including for the use of non-essential cookies, profiling, geolocation, or identification, we obtain free, informed, and explicit consent. Consent may be withdrawn at any time and is not retroactive, which does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out prior to withdrawal.
Use of Cookies and Analytics Tools
We use cookies and similar technologies (pixels, tags) to enhance your experience, measure traffic, personalize content, and, where applicable, provide advertising. A cookie is a small text file stored on your device by your browser, allowing us to recognize you on subsequent visits and tailor your navigation experience. Some cookies are essential to the operation of the CN Portal; others are optional and are enabled only with your prior consent. Cookies are retained for a period consistent with applicable laws and proportionate to their purpose, generally less than 13 months.
Some cookies are placed by CN (first-party cookies) to ensure the proper functioning of the CN Portal, while others are placed by third parties (third-party cookies), such as Google, Microsoft, or social media platforms, for analytics, personalization, or advertising purposes.
We use different types of cookies, including:
- Essential cookies: necessary for the proper operation of the CN Portal and its core features (navigation, security, session management). These cookies cannot be disabled.
- Performance cookies: used to analyze how visitors use the CN Portal in order to improve content and navigation.
- Personalization cookies: allow us to tailor content according to your preferences.
- Analytics cookies: used by tools such as Google Analytics to collect statistical, anonymous data about the use of the CN Portal (pages viewed, visit duration, traffic sources, etc.).
- Social media cookies: set by platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or X/Twitter when you interact with embedded content (for example, by clicking a share button or viewing an embedded video). These cookies may enable these platforms to track your browsing on the CN Portal and elsewhere and are used for personalization and targeted advertising.
We also use advanced analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, Google Signals, Google User-ID, and Microsoft Clarity, to better understand visitor interactions and improve the user experience:
- Google Analytics collects data on pages viewed, traffic sources, and conversions.
- Google Signals enables user tracking across multiple devices and sessions, activating features such as remarketing and cross-device reports.
- Google User-ID links interactions on our CN Portal to other Google services for analytics and advertising purposes, only after explicit consent.
- Microsoft Clarity records anonymized sessions and generates heatmaps to visualize browsing behavior.
These tools may result in the transfer of certain data to servers located outside Canada, including the United States. CN ensures that these providers adhere to privacy protection standards equivalent to those in force in Quebec and Canada. For more information, please consult the privacy policies of these providers.
Cookie Consent and Management
When you first visit the CN Portal, a consent banner is displayed to inform you about the use of cookies. This banner allows you to accept all cookies, refuse optional cookies, or customize your preferences by category. Non-essential cookies are disabled by default. You can change your choices or withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting your access to the essential features of the CN Portal.
Most browsers allow users to manage cookie settings. You can configure your browser to be notified when a cookie is set, refuse all cookies, or delete cookies already stored. To do so, consult the instructions in your browser’s Help menu (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge). Please note that refusing or deleting certain cookies may affect site performance or limit access to certain features.
Cookies are useful to improve your online experience. We therefore recommend allowing your browser to accept essential cookies. You can withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting access to essential features.
By accepting cookies through the consent banner on the CN Portal, you consent to the use of cookies and analytics tools described in this Policy, unless you disable them in your browser settings.
Surveys
From time to time, we may conduct surveys to better understand the needs and profiles of our visitors. When we collect personal information for a survey, we clearly inform you at the time of collection about the purpose of the data and how it will be used.
Your Rights
In accordance with applicable laws, you may request access to your personal information, its rectification, withdrawal of consent, object to certain uses, or request deletion, subject to our legal and retention obligations. To exercise your rights, please email CN Public Inquiry Line
Retention of Information and Anonymization
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, unless otherwise required by law. At the end of this period, it is securely destroyed or anonymized.
Information Security
CN implements reasonable technical, administrative, and physical measures to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. These measures include, among others, data encryption, access controls, and employee training. Despite these efforts, no method of transmission or electronic storage is entirely secure; absolute security cannot be guaranteed. In the event of a privacy incident presenting a serious risk of harm, we will provide the notifications required by applicable laws.
External Links
The CN Portal may contain links to third-party sites, including those of our distributors or affiliated sales companies. These links are provided for informational purposes and your convenience. CN has no control over these sites and assumes no responsibility for their content, security, or privacy practices. The inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of compliance. We encourage you to review the privacy policies and terms of use of those sites before providing them with personal information.
Changes to our Policy
CN reserves the right to modify this Policy at any time, at its sole discretion and without notice. In case of significant changes, we may notify you by posting a notice on the CN Portal or by sending you an email. Continued use of the CN Portal after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.
Privacy Contact Information
For any questions regarding this Policy or the protection of your personal information, please contact CN Public Inquiry Line.
You may also contact our designated Privacy Coordinator at: Privacy Coordinator Canada