Policy Implementation Notice for Departmental Adoption of GCtranslate
1. Purpose
The Office of the Chief Information Officer of Canada continuously reviews the tools and technologies available to public servants to ensure that Government of Canada operations remain efficient, secure and aligned with our obligations under federal policy.
This policy implementation notice directs institutions that the GCtranslate application be adopted and used as the default AI-assisted translation tool (up to Protected B) on supported Government of Canada devices, effective immediately upon its availability within individual organizations. The list of institutions where the application has been rolled out can be found on the GCtranslate homepage (available on the Government of Canada network only).
This direction follows a review of the tool’s capabilities and its alignment with Government of Canada standards for security and privacy.
2. Effective date
This policy implementation notice is effective as of .
3. Authority
This policy implementation notice supports subsection 4.4.9 of the Policy on Service and Digital.
4. Application
This policy implementation notice applies to all government institutions within the scope of the Policy on Service and Digital. Government institutions that are not subject to the Policy on Service and Digital are encouraged to adopt this policy implementation notice as good practice.
5. Considerations
Effective upon deployment within each organization, Shared Services Canada, in collaboration with the Translation Bureau, will take the necessary measures to implement GCtranslate’s use and make it available on all supported government devices within the organization.
In recognition of the diverse operational environments across the Government of Canada, Chief Information Officers of organizations that face significant constraints that prevent or limit immediate compliance, such as contractual limitations, ongoing system transitions or other justified impediments, must inform TBS within 90 days of GCtranslate becoming available to their organization.
6. Direction
Institutions that have access to the GCtranslate application should adopt and use it as the default AI-assisted translation tool for routine internal translation purposes, effective immediately upon its availability within individual organizations. For high-impact translations (such as public-facing or for Ministers), institutions must ensure the translation is reviewed by a professional translator via the Translation Bureau or departmental equivalent.
To support the Official Languages Act and meet the Treasury Board’s official languages policy requirements, it is strongly recommended that translations generated with GCtranslate be reviewed to ensure equal quality in both official languages.
7. Compliance monitoring
All institutions are required to submit confirmation of implementation to TBS within 90 days of the tool becoming available to their organization. Confirmation of implementation should be sent to ai-ia@tbs-sct.gc.ca.
TBS will monitor departmental progress and will engage departmental senior officials, such as the chief information officer (CIO), the chief data officer, or other designated official when the department has not met the direction specified above.
Because GCtranslate is a newly deployed enterprise solution, this implementation notice is time-bound and will be reassessed within two years. The Office of the Chief Information Officer will monitor its implementation and performance closely and will reassess this requirement as the rollout progresses, including any updates to functionality, security safeguards or operational considerations that may warrant adjustments to this direction.
For an outline of the consequences of non-compliance, refer to the Framework for the Management of Compliance.
8. Enquiries
Members of the public may contact Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Public Enquiries for information at publicenquiries-demandesderenseignement@tbs-sct.gc.ca about this implementation notice.
Employees of federal institutions may contact ai-ia@tbs-sct.gc.ca for information about this implementation notice.