Transport Canada on Facebook

Transport Canada is responsible for transportation policies and programs. We promote safe, secure, efficient and environmentally-responsible transportation.

Transport Canada’s Facebook accounts (Transport Canada and Transports Canada) are a great way to interact with the department and learn about everything from float plane safety to how to keep your child safe in your car. We look forward to sharing information with you beyond the usual government web experience, but always encourage visits to our website for more detailed information.

The use of Facebook by Transport Canada is intended to encourage interaction between the user of this platform and Transport Canada, and in no way verifies or confirms either the accuracy of user comments or their compliance with the Terms of Use outlined here. Transport Canada does not endorse any of the views in comments posted by users. Comments in violation of these Terms of Use may result in Transport Canada deleting the comment and blocking the user in question to prevent further inappropriate comments.

Content

The Transport Canada Facebook accounts are mainly used as an alternative method for accessing the material posted in Transport Canada’s ATOM Feeds and websites. Viewers of and those who “like” the Transport Canada Facebook accounts can expect to see notifications of news releases and other Transport Canada updates, as well as reposts of select information of value to our viewers.

Links to Other Websites and Ads

From time to time the Transport Canada Facebook accounts may post or display links or ads for websites that are not under the control of Transport Canada or the Government of Canada. These links are provided solely for the convenience of the users. Neither Transport Canada nor the Government of Canada is responsible for the accuracy, currency or reliability of the content on these sites. Transport Canada does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links or ads, nor does it endorse the sites, businesses/products/services and/or their content.

Posting Frequency

The number of posts will vary; depending on the number of media articles and other relevant material published each day. During some periods, we may post more or less frequently than average. You should expect to see new posts on the Transport Canada 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 emergency or urgent communications of significant value to our Facebook community. Otherwise, the account will be relatively inactive during these times.

Availability

Transport Canada Facebook updates are also subject to downtime that may be out of Transport Canada’s control, because Facebook servers are managed by a third party. As such, we accept no responsibility for the Facebook network becoming unresponsive or unavailable.

Use of "Like"

Transport Canada’s Facebook accounts are open to the public, so anyone with Internet access can view the content posted.

Facebook users can also "like" the Transport Canada accounts. In doing so they allow Transport Canada posts and updates to appear in their "newsfeed".

Transport Canada will not "friend" any individuals, or "like" any businesses that proactively "like" our account.

We will only take steps to remove or block users if they do not abide by these Terms of Use. Users may also be reported to Facebook if they do not comply to the service provider's terms of use.

You are required to have a valid Facebook account to "like" the Transport Canada accounts.

Use of "Share"

Transport Canada may share relevant material posted by other Government of Canada social media accounts and/or other content determined to be relevant to our Facebook community and of significant value. This may include research findings, statistics, relevant events and conferences, as well as cross-linking to information.

Favourite Pages

At this time, Transport Canada’s "Favourite Pages" only include other Government of Canada institutions and organizations that we believe are relevant to the mandate of our work – specifically, as it relates to transportation and infrastructure. This could include pages of non-profit organizations, associations and other governmental agencies.

The appearance of any particular page as a "favourite" of Transport Canada does not imply endorsement.

Wall Comments

Feedback and interaction is highly encouraged. All wall posts and comments, as well as email sent to the Facebook account will be read, and any emerging themes or helpful suggestions will be passed to the relevant people in the department. Although we are not able to reply individually to all messages, they will be handled on a case-by-case basis and responded to when deemed appropriate.

If we feel a comment or a question posed to Transport Canada requires a response and/or a greater level of detail, we may develop a formal response and distribute the information through other channels such as our website or other social media channels. We will pay attention to emerging themes and helpful suggestions and look forward to this potential interaction.

Reporters are asked to send questions to the appropriate individual in Media Relations.

Transport Canada cannot engage in issues of party politics or answer questions that break the rules of our commenting policy.

Accessibility

Facebook, as a third party service provider, is not bound by Government of Canada policies for web accessibility.

The Government of Canada is committed to achieving a high standard of accessibility and is working to address issues with third-party service provider platforms. For more information on accessibility and Facebook please visit: http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=440.

Copyright

Information posted by Transport Canada is subject to the Copyright Act of Canada. For more information, see the Important Notices page on the Transport Canada website.

Official Languages

Transport Canada respects the Official Languages Act and is committed to ensuring that information products are available in both French and English, of equal quality. Transport Canada's Facebook pages are available in both official languages. Simply view the appropriate Transport Canada Facebook page: in English on Transport Canada, and in French on Transports Canada.

Through the very nature of the social media forum, content will vary between the English and French Facebook accounts, particularly where messages and comments are concerned. Any comments that originate from Transport Canada will be made available in both official languages when it concerns both English and French communities. Comments and questions that require a response will be answered in the official language of origin.

Users should be aware that some links direct users to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the Official Languages Act and that these sources are only available in the language in which they are written.

Facebook.com is available in multiple languages including English and French. To change this user preference, go in your account settings and adjust accordingly.

Privacy

Transport Canada’s Facebook accounts are not Government of Canada websites and represent our presence on Facebook, a third-party service provider. Users are encouraged to read Facebook’s privacy policy.

Information shared with Transport Canada on Facebook is subject to the provisions of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, which means that the information may be accessed and disclosed in response to a request under either of these acts.

The personal information provided by you to Transport Canada’s social media accounts is collected under the authority of the Financial Administration Act (FAA), in accordance with the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada. This information is being collected to capture conversations between you and Transport Canada via the Department’s social media accounts. “Conversations” include questions and answers, comments, “likes”, retweets and other interactions where you provide feedback on content that the Department has posted, or when the Department provides you with information based on content that you post. The personal information collected is described in Personal Information Bank entitled Public Communications (TC PSU 914). Under the provisions of the Privacy Act, individuals have the right of access to, correction of and protection of their personal information. Instructions for obtaining your personal information are provided in Info Source, a copy of which is available in major public and academic libraries or online at http://www.infosource.gc.ca.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, Transport Canada recommends that you 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 consisting of personal information as defined in paragraph 3 of the Privacy Act. Should you have any questions about your privacy rights as explained in these Terms of Use, please contact the departmental Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator.

Additional Information

If you are looking for more information about the Department, please consult our website.

The usual ways of contacting us for official correspondence are detailed in the Contact Us section of our website.

If you have questions about this policy, please contact TC.Mediamonitoring-suivimediatique.TC@tc.gc.ca.

Contact information

Transport Canada's Facebook accounts (Transport Canada and Transports Canada) are managed by the Web Services team in the Communications and Marketing Group of Transport Canada, located at:

330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0N5
Email: TC.Mediamonitoring-suivimediatique.TC@tc.gc.ca

For further contact details, please see the Contact Us page on Transport Canada's website.

For media enquiries

Media representatives can contact Transport Canada's Communications and Marketing Group during regular working hours and on an emergency basis after regular working hours.

Thank you for taking the time to read this policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.