Guidance for Public Servants on their Personal Use of Social Media

On this page

• Introduction
• What is this guidance document and why was it created?
• Public service non-partisanship and impartiality
• Our guide – the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector
• Considerations for public servants using personal social media accounts
• Questions to ask yourself to assess your social media activity
• Guidance on political activities
• When personal experience intersects with political issues
• Ensuring personal social media accounts are not mistaken for official Government of Canada accounts
• Examples of appropriate, risky and inappropriate use of personal social media accounts
• Evaluating online history
• Where to go for support
• Terminology
• Guidance for managers
• Guidance for executives

Introduction

Social media is how we stay connected, consume news and entertainment, express ourselves, and much more. It’s everywhere, which can bring challenges: how do we separate the personal and the professional? How much do our responsibilities as public servants influence what we can or should post online?

These questions do not have easy answers. Different public servants will have different considerations depending on their specific circumstances, such as responsibilities, lived experiences and level of seniority. However, we need a common understanding.

Public servants, like all Canadians, have the right to freedom of thought, belief, opinion, association and expression under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As an inclusive public service that strives to be representative of the public we serve, our diversity and varied lived experiences enrich our overall ability to deliver excellence for Canada and Canadians.

However, we also have responsibilities because of our role as public servants. Our work is essential to Canada’s well-being, and a professional, non-partisan, and impartial federal public service is integral to our democracy. As public servants, we are expected to uphold the trust and confidence of Canadians in the government and the public service.

There are many positive uses of social media. Public servants have built vibrant communities to share best practices and foster collaboration. When we share our success stories, we show an effective and highly skilled public service that delivers excellence for Canadians. These activities foster trust both within and outside of the public service.

But we need to be mindful of risks. When Canadians see a social media post from a public servant, they might perceive that post to be representative of a government position. Or they might question whether the public servant who posted it is able to act in a non-partisan and impartial manner. When colleagues see a post with disrespectful language, it can harm our trust in each other. When a public servant’s posts that contain partisan language get amplified in some way, such as through media attention or going viral, it can diminish the confidence that elected officials have in the public service.

Personal actions can have significant consequences. This is especially true online where our social media footprint is essentially a permanent record. As we have seen many times over the past decade, social media posts can have impacts that we never intended or imagined: posts can go viral unexpectedly, screenshots can be taken and disclosed publicly, and information can be taken out of context.

Ultimately, public servants need to have good judgment online. This guidance supports decision-making in two ways:

1. There are reflection questions to help public servants understand the risks of online activities. These questions can also help foster dialogue about social media use in our organizations.
2. There are examples of types of online activity that are considered potentially appropriate, risky and inappropriate. These examples are illustrative and non-exhaustive.

This guidance aims to help us understand how our online activities can impact public trust, team cohesion, our professional credibility, and the confidence of the government. It’s about how we live up to our values and ethics every day.

What is this guidance document and why was it created?

In September 2023, the Clerk of the Privy Council formed the Deputy Ministers’ Task Team on Values and Ethics to lead a conversation with public servants on how to bring our Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector to life in a dynamic and increasingly complex environment. The Task Team received requests from public servants for guidance on the use of social media and recommended in their December 2023 report that such guidance be developed for public servants.

This guidance document aims to bring together information about our responsibilities as public servants when we use personal social media, on personal devices, on non-Government of Canada networks and on personal time. It does not set out new policy or requirements as the requirements are set out in the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, organizational codes of conduct, the Directive on Conflict of Interest, the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) oath or affirmation and other legislation and policies. This guidance clarifies how they apply to our personal use of social media as public servants.

It is not meant to discourage personal use of social media platforms; rather, it aims to create understanding of how to live up to our responsibility as public servants and promote a professional, non-partisan, and impartial public service that inspires the trust and confidence of Canadians while respecting our individual right to freedom of expression.

The requirements for the use of official federal government social media accounts or use of government networks or devices are available in:

• Directive on the Management of Communications
• Directive on Service and Digital
• Guideline on Acceptable Network and Device Use
• Guideline on Service and Digital

Public service non-partisanship and impartiality

A non-partisan and impartial public service has been a guiding principle since the coming into force of the Civil Service Amendment Act, 1908. As described in the Public Service Commission’s report Public Service Impartiality: Taking Stock:

• Impartiality is integral to the calling of a professional public service in Canada’s federal government. An impartial public service allows Canadians, regardless of their political views, to expect fair, objective treatment from public servants. It also provides a great measure of stability for a country whose parliamentary system means governments can be long- or short-lived, since large sections of the public service are not replaced following elections. The knowledge and experience of professional public servants are vital to Canada’s system of democracy.

It goes on to state:

• impartiality is part of the calling of a professional public servant. To preserve the real and perceived non-partisanship of the public service, public servants are expected to serve the Crown (as represented by the government of the day) loyally and impartially, regardless of the party in power.

Lastly, it clarifies that:

• Public servants also fulfill their obligation to maintain an impartial public service by refraining, outside the context allowed by the PSEA, from participation in political activities that may jeopardize the perception of non-partisanship or cause people to doubt their loyalty. This should not be taken to mean that public servants cannot participate in political activities. On this subject, the PSEA is clear. Public servants have the right to participate in political activities as long as the activities do not impair, or are not perceived as impairing, the impartiality of the public service. This approach is consistent with the rulings of the Supreme Court, ..., which provide that public servants’ constitutional right to freedom of expression should only be circumscribed to the extent necessary to allow them to carry out their duties in an impartial way.

Our guide – the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector

The Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector outlines the values and expected behaviours that guide us in all our activities:

• respect for democracy
• respect for people
• integrity
• stewardship
• excellence

Underlying the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector is the fundamental principle of duty of loyalty, which guides our conduct as federal public servants, including our conduct on personal social media. As public servants, we agree to:

• uphold the Constitution and laws
• serve the public interest
• maintain confidentiality
• practice non-partisanship and impartiality
• demonstrate respect for democracy, integrity, honesty and accountability

The duty of loyalty is a key principle and obligation for public servants. It stems from the core mission to assist the elected government in serving the public interest, in accordance with the law. This duty justifiably limits public servants’ freedom of expression, particularly when their public statements could damage the reputation of the Government of Canada. The duty of loyalty is based on the understanding that these statements—especially harsh or persistent criticism of government policy—can undermine the public’s trust in the public service’s ability to support the elected government effectively.

The duty of loyalty must be balanced with an employee’s freedom of expression. Three situations in which the balancing of these interests is likely to result in an exception to the duty of loyalty are where:

• the Government is engaged in illegal acts
• Government policies jeopardize life, health or safety
• the public servant’s criticism has no impact on their ability to perform effectively the duties of a public servant or on the public perception of that ability

In situations where you are unsure whether there is an exception that applies, contact your organization’s values and ethics office or your manager.

Social media should not be used for disclosing allegations of wrongdoing in the public service, but rather through mechanisms designed for this purpose, as this ensures that complete information is provided and that appropriate measures can be taken in response. This approach helps protect the rights of all parties involved and ensures that the investigation is conducted fairly and thoroughly. There are avenues to disclose wrongdoing in the public service available under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act. Public servants can disclose allegations of wrongdoing to their Senior officer for disclosure of wrongdoing (accessible only on the Government of Canada network) or to the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner.

Public service organizations are subject to the Directive on Conflict of Interest (directive). The directive requires public servants to prevent and resolve any real, apparent or potential conflicts of interest between their official responsibilities and their private affairs in favour of the public interest. The directive also describes the obligation to report any conflicts of interest, whether they are real, apparent or potential.

Lastly, each organization in the federal public service has a unique code of conduct that addresses their particular mandate and their day-to-day operations, in addition to the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector.

When we join the public service, we all agree to act in accordance with the values and expected behaviours outlined in the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector (and the underlying duty of loyalty), our organizational codes of conduct, and the directive.

Considerations for public servants using personal social media accounts

There are many factors to consider when posting on social media. You should periodically check the privacy, security and safety settings on your social media accounts, as well as your historical online footprint. Any personal information available online could put your physical safety at risk.

Public servants must not use any official Government of Canada symbols on their personal accounts (see the Legal protection of the official symbols of the Government of Canada for more information).

It can be helpful to add a disclaimer that your views are your own, but this does not eliminate the risk that your views could be perceived as those of the government.

Here are some things to consider before you post. Your evaluation must take all elements into consideration to form a complete picture:

• How visible you are to the public in your public service role and identifiable as an employee of the public service. The more visible your position is, the more weight is likely to be given to what you may post.
• Your visibility on social media. You may have more influence on public opinion if you have a large number of followers.
• The content you may post online and its relationship to your work, as well as the work of your current organization, the work of other organizations and the work of the Government of Canada as a whole. If your post is specifically about your current work, it is more likely to be seen as representing the views of the government, so make sure the post is authorized.
• The nature of the content you are creating, including how it is linked to other online content, such as content that could be seen as discriminatory or harassing.
• The classification, level and type of position you are in. Posts from senior leaders and authority figures should be held to a very high standard because they could have greater influence. Think not only about the role you currently occupy, but also the positions you might wish to hold.

While privacy settings and anonymous accounts can seem like effective ways to maintain separation between our personal and professional lives, there are still risks. Screenshots can be taken and disclosed publicly, or employees could be identified.

Even if the public servant’s identity is not revealed, anonymous posts can undermine public trust in the Government of Canada’s institutions, potentially harming the reputation and effectiveness of the public service.

Anonymous posts that contain strongly negative language—especially harsh critiques about our teams or colleagues—can also contribute to an unhealthy work environment. Employees are encouraged to speak to their manager if they have concerns and to use internal resources such as the Employee Assistance Program for mental health support and internal recourse mechanisms to help address and resolve workplace issues.

Ultimately, we need to carefully think about how to uphold confidence in our ability to provide advice to the government and serve Canadians in a non-partisan and impartial manner.

Questions to ask yourself to assess your social media activity

Guidance on political activities

Our online engagement follows the same rules as in-person acts when it relates to political activities. As a public servant, you can engage in political activities as long as these activities do not impair, or are not perceived as impairing, your ability to perform your duties in a politically impartial manner.

There are a few ways to consider political activities. The definition of political activities under the Public Service Employment Act includes:

• carrying on any activity in support of, within or in opposition to a political party
• carrying on any activity in support of or in opposition to a candidate before or during an election period
• seeking nomination as or being a candidate in an election before or during an election period

You must request and obtain permission from the Public Service Commission before seeking a nomination as or being a candidate in an election at the municipal, provincial, territorial or federal level. You must not create a social media presence as a candidate until you have received the permission of the Public Service Commission.

Other activities can be assessed using the Public Service Commission’s Self-Assessment Tool. You are encouraged to seek guidance and advice from your organization’s designated political activities representative before undertaking any political activities.

When personal experience intersects with political issues

Public servants are protected by the Canadian Human Rights Act. In the public service, we also uphold our core values by respecting the dignity of all people. We are working to create an accessible, anti-racist and equitable workplace where public servants can live authentically and feel safe, valued and included.

In our increasingly polarized online landscape, public servants are facing challenges when their own identity factors—such as race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, lived experience, or disability—become a focus of broader political conversations, or when the issues that we care deeply about are part of partisan dialogue.

Navigating these complexities can be difficult. It remains important to exercise judgement in how we engage on social media. When considering whether to post, like, share, or reply to content, we must balance our public service values and ethics, our duty of loyalty, and our commitment to uphold public trust with our right to freedom of expression.

When it becomes difficult to align personal values with our public service values, we are strongly encouraged to seek guidance. Consider discussing with your manager, your organizational values and ethics office, or Ombud—and make decisions that protect your integrity and that of the public service.

If you are experiencing harassment or discrimination on social media from another public servant or from a member of the public because of your position as a public servant, you should report this to your manager, who will consider with you the appropriate course of action in the circumstance, which may be engaging with your organization’s human resources or security division or possibly law enforcement.

The Employee Assistance Program can offer mental health support if you experience harassment or discrimination on social media.

Ensuring personal social media accounts are not mistaken for official Government of Canada accounts

Regardless of your level of responsibility, expertise or visibility, you should make every effort to ensure that your personal social media presence is not perceived as official or representative of the Government of Canada. For example:

• do not add official symbols of the Government of Canada to your social media avatar, profile photo or to any posts
• do not use your work-related user ID or password
• do not use your government email address in your account profile
• do not copy the naming conventions that officially represent the Government of Canada or the title of your position with an organization abbreviation or GC)

For information about the use of official accounts or use of government networks or devices, consult the Directive on the Management of Communications and the Directive on Service and Digital.

Examples of appropriate, risky and inappropriate use of personal social media accounts

The following are some non-exhaustive examples of social media use that have been categorized as appropriate, potentially risky or inappropriate.

Public servants who engage in any illegal activities online, including defamation, copyright infringement, hate speech, harassment or violence, are responsible for their actions under applicable laws.

Evaluating online history

You should review your online footprint periodically, for example, when you join the public service, when your role within the public service changes (e.g., you receive a promotion). If you are concerned about previous or historical online posts, seek guidance from your manager or your organizational values and ethics office.

Where to go for support

In some instances, evaluating risks may be complex or challenging. You are encouraged to discuss with your manager, your organization’s values and ethics office (Senior officials for public service values and ethics (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)), or your designated senior official for conflict of interest (Departmental officers for conflict of interest and post-employment measures (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)).

Organizations should ensure that managers are prepared to assist employees in evaluating risks thoughtfully and appropriately. Additionally, employees should recognize the importance of discussing uncertain situations and feel comfortable doing so.

Employees generally should not be routinely monitoring other employees’ public social media activity and must always respect employees’ rights to privacy and freedom of expression.

However, a post may be brought to manager’s attention through any number of ways:

• raised in a media query
• comment from a member of the public,
• seen and reported by a colleague
• highlighted on social media
• shared on a professional network page

If you are unsure if you should take any action, you can discuss it with your manager, your organizational values and ethics office, or your Ombud.

The Canada School of Public Service offers a variety of learning opportunities that may help you, for example:

• Cyber Security Best Practices (DDN250)
• (For professional use) Navigating Social Media as a Public Servant (TRN125)
• Outsmarting Social Engineering (DDN2-A29)
• Untangling Misinformation and Disinformation (TRN506)

Together, we can foster a positive online environment that balances our rights as individuals and our collective responsibilities as public servants.

This document will be updated periodically. Send comments or suggestions regarding this guidance to Integrity-integrite@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

Terminology

In this guidance, when we refer to “social media,” we are addressing a comprehensive array of online activities across various platforms, websites and applications with varying degrees of public access to content. These platforms include but are not limited to:

• social networking sites like Facebook, X, Bluesky, Instagram, or Snapchat
• professional sites like LinkedIn
• video sharing platforms like YouTube and TikTok
• blogs
• online forums such as Reddit
• review websites like TripAdvisor, Amazon or Google
• comment sections on news articles or brand websites

The online activities we are considering range from posting content and uploading photos (including themed frames, avatars or captions) to participating in online petitions, commenting on various posts, sharing memes, liking others’ content, and sending direct messages on networking platforms. When we mention “posts,” “comments,” or “posting” or “sharing” throughout this guidance, we are using these terms as a convenient way to encompass all types of online activity.

In the federal public service, “impartiality recognizes that, for desired expectations and outcomes, various options deserve consideration in the public policy process. This perspective recognizes that ministers require thoughtful and credible advice covering a range of aspects related to the public interest. It also recognizes that citizens and taxpayers deserve services and policies that place the public interest ahead of the personal and ideological preferences of public servants. In practice, impartiality often requires public servants to refrain from opinions, positions or actions that demonstrate a bias toward or against a particular cause or course of action, including the defence of government policies. In analyzing options, public servants will consider the best evidence-based knowledge. They will base their recommendations on the desired outcomes and implement the decisions lawfully taken by ministers, even if these decisions differ from the advice or recommendations provided. A politically impartial public service supports the government of whichever political party the electorate chooses.”^{Footnote 1}

“Partisanship is the act of supporting a party, person or cause. Partisanship refers in general to actions supporting or opposing political parties or biases. Although the primary concern for the public service is “political partisanship,” other types of partisanship should not be dismissed (for example, support for an interest group or cause that is not attached to a particular political party).”^{Footnote 1}

Guidance for managers

Public servants, like all Canadians, have a right to freedom of thought, belief, opinion, association and expression under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Those rights need to be balanced with our obligations as non-partisan and impartial public servants.

While some instances are clear—public servants should not, for example, engage in hate speech—there are many grey areas where public servants feel conflicted over what they can or should post. It can be very difficult to navigate how we interact with social issues, geopolitical events, international crises, or changes within the public service in online spaces.

This is particularly challenging for employees whose identity factors—such as race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability—become the subject of broader political discourse and who are directly impacted by the decisions or discussions on what are often considered controversial and sensitive topics.

Managers are an integral part of the public service. You provide guidance and leadership to your teams and are on the front line of ensuring that we are a professional, inclusive, accessible and healthy workforce that can deliver excellence for Canada and Canadians.

As part of that role, you are encouraged to talk to your team about this social media guidance so that they understand why it matters, how it applies to them, how to apply ethical decision-making, and where to turn for additional support.

You are encouraged to discuss how to address cases where a team member is facing harassment or discrimination from another public servant or a member of the public because of their position as a public servant at team meetings.

When discussing with your teams, you may want to reinforce the following points:

• When we join the public service, we take an oath and we agree to uphold the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector as a condition of our employment, including the duty of loyalty.
• As public servants, we serve democracy and deliver excellence for Canada and Canadians.
• Upholding public trust and the confidence of the duly elected government in the public service is essential.
• As public servants, we have the right to engage in political activities; however, this must be balanced with our responsibility to maintain a non-partisan and impartial public service, which means ensuring that we are and are perceived to be politically impartial when carrying out our public service duties and functions.
• We also have a responsibility to create and maintain a safe, healthy, inclusive and accessible work environment.
• This guidance is not about stopping public servants from using social media. It is about helping public servants understand the risks and broader implications of online activities so that they can make informed choices that are aligned with our values and ethics.
• Including disclaimers can help mitigate risks, but there is always a possibility that opinions could be perceived as representing those of the government.
• Privacy settings could also help to mitigate risks, but individuals may still be identified, and posts could be shared publicly.
• We need to think about the implications of our actions on our team, our organization, the public service as a whole and the trust and confidence of the Canadian public.
• Posting, liking or sharing inappropriate content could hurt the trust that team members have in each other, and make our work environment feel less safe.
• We should be mindful of the specific roles and responsibilities of our team, and exercise good judgment about engaging with online content related to our area of work.
• We also need to think about the implications for our own careers.
  • Once something is online, it is very hard to permanently remove it
  • Hiring managers could look up someone’s digital footprint on publicly available social media for information relevant to the hiring process
  • Public service leaders will be held to a higher degree of scrutiny about both present and past social media posts

Managers should proactively work on creating psychologically safe spaces within their team where issues and concerns can be raised. The Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in the Workplace has resources to help you.

If an employee comes to you with a complex question and you are not sure of the answer, you can turn to your organizational values and ethics office for help.

Additionally, managers should proactively inform their employees there are mechanisms to raise workplace and interpersonal disputes. This could include organizational values and ethics offices, a dedicated Ombud, human resources, union representatives, or other relevant parties.

Guidance for executives

As executives, your work is vital to the effective functioning and long-term health of the public service. The decisions you make, the policies you shape, and the way you lead have profound impacts on the well-being of public servants, the functioning of our democracy and the lives of Canadians.

That is why being an executive is a remarkable opportunity to make a real difference; it is exciting, meaningful and rewarding. It is also a privilege. Executives commit themselves to upholding the highest standards of accountability, professionalism and ethics.

This is certainly the case with the personal use of social media. In addition to the guidance provided for managers for handling situations related to social media, executives should consider the following.