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SIN
DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)
n. — abbreviation, Administration
= Social Insurance Number, a nine-digit number used to identify persons who have (financial) interactions with the Canadian government.
Type: 1. Origin — In 1942, the Unemployment Insurance Commission (UIC) began issuing numbered cards to individuals, called UIC cards. With the adoption of the widespread use of computers in the 1960s, the SIN was created by the UIC in 1964. A unique SIN is issued to all persons who pay money to the government, in the form of taxes or other payments, and to all who receive benefits from the government (see Canadian Encyclopedia reference). Internet domain searches indicate that the term is most prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1).
See COD-2, s.v."SIN", and Gage-5, s.v. "SIN", which are marked "Cdn."
See COD-2, s.v."SIN", and Gage-5, s.v. "SIN", which are marked "Cdn."
Quotations
1964
Further, "the ultimate in SIN-code use would be to replace provincial birth certificates with federal ones, issued complete with social insurance number, when the child's birth is entered at the central registry in Ottawa". Stalin called Molotov the world's best filing clerk and we know modern dictatorship could not exist without reducing the person to the manageable proportions of a digit system.
1988
You may obtain a temporary social insurance number from your nearest Canada Employment Centre. Your SIN will begin with a "9" identifying you as a non-permanent resident.
1995
Mr. Westwood's warning may sound alarmist, but for those who have studied the sordid history of Canada's social insurance numbers, the future is now. When SIN cards were introduced in 1964, they were supposed to be used only for unemployment insurance and government pensions.
"Now, it's become the national identifier of the country," says Mr. Phillips. "You can hardly go to the bathroom without producing your SIN number. That's the kind of thing we have to avoid."
2008
Fraudsters look for easy ways to steal your personal information - SIN number, credit card numbers, birth date and banking information - so they can take on your identity and use it for criminal purposes, like negotiating a fraudulent mortgage or obtaining credit.
2014
Children who are 12 years of age or older may apply for their own SIN.
Parents and individuals who are legally authorized to act on behalf of the applicant, e.g. legal guardian or legal representative, can also apply for a SIN for children under the age of majority of their province, and adults in their care.
Each SIN is issued to one person only. It cannot legally be used by anyone else. You are responsible for protecting your SIN. Store any document containing your SIN and personal information in a safe place. Don't keep it with you.
References
- COD-2
- Gage-5
- Canadian Encyclopedia • "Social Insurance Number"
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