Public servants’ use of personal social media: Key considerations

On this page

• Considerations for public servants using personal social media accounts
• 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
• Evaluating online history

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.

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 Federal Identity and the Directive on Service and Digital.

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 (for example, you receive a promotion). If you are concerned about previous online posts, seek guidance from your manager or your organizational values and ethics office.