Social Media Terms of Use

About the Commission

The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) administers the Canadian Human Rights Act and ensures compliance with the Employment Equity Act. We collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders employers, service providers, individuals, unions, governmental and non-governmental organizations, First Nations and Aboriginal groups as well as provincial and territorial human rights bodies to ensure that human rights are respected in all areas of federal jurisdiction. 

We work to prevent or address discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, disabilities or conviction for an offence that has been pardoned.  Our common vision is that of a society where everyone has an equal opportunity to live the lives they are able and wish to have, free from discrimination. 

Our Twitter, Facebook and YouTube Accounts

The Commission’s social media accounts help share information and facilitate conversations about human rights and employment equity in a timely and informal manner. Our Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts  are open to the public, so anyone with Internet access can view their content.  

Users should note that our accounts do not constitute authoritative sources of  Commission policies or guidance. Any change in the Commission’s official position on legislation, investigations and audits is communicated through official statements and the Commission’s website. A decision to retweet or share social media content does not represent an explicit endorsement nor announce a possible shift in the Commission’s official position.

The Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts are managed by the Communications and Outreach Branch. We look forward to establishing contacts beyond the traditional Web experience. We also invite you to visit our website for more detailed or substantive information. For your convenience, this document tells you what to expect from our social media accounts and how to engage with us and fellow users.

  1. Content 
  2. Links to Websites and Ads 
  3. Tweeting and Posting Frequency
  4. Platform Availability
  5. Twitter Followers and Following
  6. Facebook Liking and Favourite Pages
  7. YouTube Subscribing to our Channel
  8. Replies, Comments and Messages
  9. Comments Policy
  10. Accessibility
  11. Use of Official Languages
  12. Privacy
  13. Copyright
  14. CHRC Staff on Social Media
  15. Media Enquiries

Content

In most cases, our tweets, retweets and Facebook posts will cover or deal with: 

  • Important events, news or statements; 
  • Parliamentary appearances involving the Canadian Human Rights Commission or other stakeholders;
  • Landmark tribunal and court decisions;
  • Speeches, press articles or blog articles worth quoting;
  • Reports and publications from the Commission and other relevant sources;
  • Approaches to sustaining a human rights culture; 
  • Interesting facts and data pertaining to the situation of human rights in Canada; and
  • Topical questions meant to foster discussion.

If you follow us or like our posts, you can expect to receive notifications of updates and any new information from the Commission or other relevant sources.

We cannot verify the accuracy of all user comments. The posting of any single comment does not imply the Commission's endorsement of the user’s views.

Links to Websites and Ads

Our accounts may display links or ads for websites that are not under the control of the Commission or the Government of Canada. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or reliability of the corresponding sites or content. The appearance of a link or an ad does not imply endorsement on our part. Targeted advertisements on Facebook are visible only to individual users and based on their own preferences. 

Tweeting and Posting Frequency

The daily number of tweets and posts will vary depending on unfolding events, new information and users’ interests and engagement. Generally, you should expect to receive tweets or see new posts on our Facebook wall during regular working hours, Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST/EDT. Any activity during holidays, after core hours and on weekends would likely be along the lines of urgent communications of significant value to our followers. 

Platform Availability

Our social media updates are subject to downtime that may be out of our control, because the servers are managed by a third party. We accept no responsibility for the networks becoming unresponsive or unavailable.

Twitter Followers and Following

Any Twitter user can choose to follow our account. The appearance of a user as a follower does not imply any endorsement on our part. 

At this time, we will only follow a select number of Twitter accounts belonging to organizations and individuals whose work is relevant to our mandate and is of interest to our stakeholders. The fact that we follow certain accounts does not mean that we support them or the views of their users. 

Facebook Liking and Favourite Pages

Anyone with a valid Facebook account may choose to « like » our account. In doing so, the user will periodically receive notifications of new CHRC posts and updates in their news feed. It does not imply that we will reciprocate and « like » the user’s account in return. 

At this time, we will only « like » a select number of Facebook accounts belonging to organizations and individuals whose work is relevant to our mandate and of interest to our stakeholders. 

YouTube Subscribing to our Channel

Anyone with a valid YouTube account may choose to subscribe to our channel. In doing so, the user will periodically receive notifications of new Commission posts. It does not imply that we will reciprocate by subscribing to the user’s channel. 

Replies, Comments and Messages

We will read all @replies, @mentions, wall comments and direct messages. Emerging themes or helpful suggestions will be passed to the relevant CHRC staff. 

We cannot commit to replying to every comment or message received. We will attempt to engage in conversation when possible. As appropriate, we may choose to respond directly to individual messages. Or we may develop a formal response for wide dissemination through our website.

We will not engage in issues of party politics, discuss human rights complaints currently before the Commission or reply to comments that do not respect our comments policy below. 

Please note that the Commission will not process human rights complaints submitted through our social media accounts. If you have questions about actual or potential complaints, you must call our toll-free number: 1-888-214-1090, TTY:  1-888-643-3304. Alternatively, you may send a fax to 613-996-9661, or put your complaint in writing and mail to: Canadian Human Rights Commission, 344 Slater Street, 8th Floor, Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 1E1.

We ask that media representatives refrain from submitting questions through our social media accounts and contact our Media Relations unit directly.

Comments Policy

We welcome your comments and expect that conversations will follow the general rules of respectful discourse. 

You are fully responsible for the content of your submission, and all posted comments are in the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, do not include personal information, as described in the Privacy section below. 

We will not accept replies or comments that meet any of the following criteria: 

  • contrary to the principles of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act, and the Employment Equity Act 
  • racist, hateful, sexist, homophobic, slanderous, insulting, or threatening
  • personal  attacks and defamatory statements against individuals or organizations
  • abusive, agressive, coarse, explicit, vulgar, violent, obscene, or pornographic remarks 
  • encouraging or suggesting illegal activity
  • soliciting or advertising for commercial purposes 
  • announcements from labour or political organizations 
  • written in a language other than English or French 
  • violating someone’s privacy by providing personal information
  • breaking copyright rules (no permission or attribution)
  • posted by anonymous or robot accounts or pasted by multiple users 
  • unintelligible messages

We reserve the right to remove inappropriate comments that meet any of the criteria above. We will also block access to users who repeatedly violate these terms of use.  

Accessibility

As third-party service providers, Twitter and Facebook are not bound by official policies for Web accessibility.

The Government of Canada is committed to achieving a high standard of accessibility and is working to address issues with existing platforms. An alternative interface to using Twitter exists for users with disabilities or technical limitations. Facebook’s Help Centre offers information on Assistive Technology.  

Use of Official Languages

In accordance with the Official Languages Act and related policies, the Commission is committed to providing information of equal quality in both French and English. Our tweets and Facebook posts are made available simultaneously in both official languages from the respective accounts. 

However, because of the very nature of social media, content will vary between the English and French accounts, particularly where replies and comments are concerned. Users are encouraged to engage in the official language of their choice by selecting the appropriate account. We will respond to direct messages and @replies in the official language of origin. If we think a question or comment calls for a general, public reply, we will place the response on both our French and English accounts for the benefit of all users. To this end, we may summarize what a user writes in order to put our reply in context. 

Users should be aware that our content may refer to some information from external sources that are not subject to the Official Languages Act. Links to these resources are provided for the convenience of users and are only available in the language used on the site in question. When a Web page is unilingual, we will make an effort to provide an equivalent link in the other official language. Links leading to unilingual content are labelled FR (French only) or EN (English only). Insofar as possible, we will try to give users an idea of any content that exists only in the other official language.

Both Facebook and Twitter are available in French and English. The interface language depends on the preferences you have selected for your account. You can change the interface language at any time by changing the preferences.

Privacy

The Commission’s Twitter and Facebook accounts are not hosted on Government of Canada websites. They are offered through a third-party service provider. Users are encouraged to read Twitter’s privacy policy and Facebook’s privacy policy.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, do not include personal information in your comments or other content you post. Personal information includes home addresses and telephone numbers, photographs containing images of identifiable individuals, and any other information as defined in paragraph 3 of the Privacy Act. 

We capture social media conversations to facilitate responses, assess information needs or inform decision making. We do not retain any information (such as usernames or handles) that could serve to identify users. 

For questions about your privacy rights, please contact the Commission’s Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator [imbed electronic address].

Copyright

Information posted on the Commission’s social media accounts is subject to the Copyright Act of Canada. For more information, see the Important Notices page on the Commission’s website.

CHRC Staff on Social Media

A number of CHRC employees have accounts on various social media. Despite their professional affiliation, their posts do not represent the official position of the Commission. They are to be considered as the personal product of private citizens.

Media Enquiries

Media representatives should contact our Media Relations unit during regular working hours and on an emergency basis after regular working hours.

Thank you for taking the time to consult these Terms of Use. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us.

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