Important Notices

• Copyright / Permission to Reproduce
• Non-commercial Reproduction
• Commercial Reproduction
• Third-party Materials
• External Hyperlinks
• Official Languages Notice
• Privacy Notice
• CIDA Social Media Protocol

Copyright / Permission to Reproduce

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has produced and/or compiled the materials on this website to provide Canadians with direct access to information about the programs and services offered by the Government of Canada.

The materials available on this site are covered by the provisions of the Copyright Act, Canadian acts, regulations, and policies, and international agreements. Such provisions allow the reproduction of any work for private study or research, or review, criticism, or reporting, as long as the source is identified. Such provisions also allow any rights holder in a work to authorize its reproduction.

Non-commercial Reproduction

Information on this site has been posted to make it readily available for personal and public non-commercial use. Any work expressing this information, in which the Government of Canada owns copyright, or for which it is authorized to grant this permission, may be reproduced for these purposes, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from CIDA. We ask only that:

• users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;
• the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) be identified as the source department; and
• the reproduction of the information is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as a reproduction having been made in affiliation with or with the endorsement of CIDA.

Commercial Reproduction

Reproduction of multiple copies of materials on this site, in whole or in part, for commercial redistribution, is prohibited except with written permission from the Government of Canada's copyright administrator, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). By authorizing the reproduction, PWGSC can ensure that individuals/organizations wishing to reproduce Government of Canada materials for commercial purposes have access to the most accurate, up-to-date versions. To obtain permission to reproduce materials on this site for commercial purposes, please go to PWGSC's Crown Copyright and Licensing page.

Public Works and Government Services Canada
Publishing and Depository Services
350 Albert Street, 4th Floor
Ottawa, ON
Canada
K1A 0S5
copyright.droitdauteur@pwgsc.gc.ca

Third-party Materials

Some of the materials and graphical elements found on Government of Canada websites are subject to copyrights held by organizations other than the Government of Canada. This is particularly true of sites jointly operated by a Government of Canada institution and an external organization as part of a collaborative arrangement. In such cases, some restrictions on the reproduction of materials or graphical elements may apply and it may be necessary to seek permission from the rights holder prior to reproducing the material. To enable CIDA to determine whether this permission needs to be obtained, CIDA asks users of its site to notify CIDA if they intend to reproduce materials or graphic elements for non-commercial use.

To obtain information concerning copyright ownership and restrictions on reproduction of materials on this site, please contact us at 819-997-5006 or toll free at 1 800 230-6349.

External Hyperlinks

The CIDA website provides links to various websites external to the Government of Canada (GoC). CIDA is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information contained on external sites. Links to websites not under the control of the GoC are provided solely for the convenience of users. Furthermore, the GoC is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse sites and their content. Please be aware that hyperlinks do change from time to time, and in some cases, those changes may not be reflected immediately. Please contact us if you encounter broken links.

Official Languages Notice

CIDA respects the Official Languages Act and the relevant Treasury Board policies, and is committed to ensuring that all information and services for which it is responsible are available on this site in both English and French. However, users should be aware that some information, from external sources that are not subject to the Official Languages Act, is provided only as a convenience and is available only in the language in which it was furnished. In addition, information and services that are provided on this site in language(s) other than English or French, are provided only as a convenience to the user when available.

Privacy Notice

The Government of Canada is committed to providing visitors with Web sites that respect their privacy. This page summarizes the privacy policy and practices on the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Web site. For a list of your privacy rights, visit the Federal Privacy Commissioner's Web site.

• CIDA Web sites do not automatically gather any specific personal information from you, such as your name, phone number or e-mail address. We would only obtain this type of information if you supply it voluntarily through channels such as email or Web forms.
• All personal information created, held or collected by this department is protected under the federal Privacy Act. This means that at any point of collection you will be asked for consent to collect your information, and you will be informed of the purpose for which it is being collected and how to exercise your right of access to that information.
• CIDA employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. This software receives and records the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer that has contacted our Web site, the date and time of the visit, and the pages visited. We make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our site unless an attempt to damage the site has been detected.
• The Agency uses persistent and per-session cookies to track how visitors use this site. The cookies we use do not identify individuals. They are compiled into statistical information on traffic patterns and are used to assess site efficiency. If you do not want a cookie placed on your computer by the CIDA site, it is your responsibility to set your browser to disable cookies. If you are willing to accept cookies but wish to be informed first, you can set your browser to give you a warning prompt. Refer to your Internet browser's manual to learn how to complete this task. Rejecting cookies will not affect the site performance or restrict your ability to access information from this site. Visitor information is not disclosed to anyone except Government of Canada personnel who need the information to carry out responsibilities of their job. Any further disclosure of the personal information you give us will be in accordance with the federal Privacy Act.
  • Session cookies: These cookies reside in the Web browser and are deleted as soon as the visitor closes the Web browser. Session cookies remember information only for as long as the visitor operates the Web browser in a single "session".
  • Persistent cookies: These cookies have an expiry date, are stored on a visitor's hard drive and are read by the visitor's browser each time the visitor visits the Web site that sent the cookie. It is possible for the Web site that created the cookie to extend the expiry date without notice to the visitor. They will remain there until the set date has expired or until the visitor deletes the file.
• Information we collect during your visit to our site:
  • The IP address and name of your service provider's server.
  • The date and time of the visit.
  • The pages visited.
  • The length of each visit.
  • The requests made per visit.
  • Your browser type (Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera, etc.)
  • The referring page of the visit.
• Information supplied by individual visitors is used by CIDA employees who need to know the information in order to respond to your request or to ensure the security of this system. We only share the information you give us with another government department if your inquiry relates to that department. We do not use the information to create individual profiles, nor do we disclose this information to anyone outside the federal government.
• CIDA is a participant in the Government of Canada Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), which provides the opportunity for certain individuals to communicate with the Agency in a confidential manner. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) PKI introduction provides additional information on PKI and how to use it.
• CIDA Web site, unless explicitly noted otherwise, is not a secure form of transmission. As such, it is not recommended that sensitive personal information, like your Social Insurance Number (SIN) or Personal Insurance Number (PIN), be included in any correspondence you send this institution via electronic means such as email or online contact forms.

Questions or comments regarding this policy, or the administration of the Privacy Act within CIDA, may be directed to the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator:

Email: aiprp-atip@acdi-cida.gc.ca
Telephone: 819-934-6961
Facsimile: 819-953-3352
Mail: Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
Canadian International Development Agency
200 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Québec
K1A 0G4

If you are not satisfied with the response you have received from CIDA on a privacy concern with the website, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner: by email at info@privcom.gc.ca, calling 1-800-282-1376 or via the Internet at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada Website.

CIDA Social Media Protocol

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) employs social media tools to encourage information sharing, collaboration, and interactivity. These tools will help ensure audiences get important information on CIDA's programs and results. The objective of our efforts is to provide timely, accurate, clear and objective information about our policies, programs, services, initiatives, and results in a variety of ways, means and formats to accommodate the public's diverse needs.

This page explains the rationale and protocols for our Agency's participation in social media channels, such as micro-blogging sites, media-file sharing sites, social and professional networking sites.

The choice to use a particular social media channel or Web 2.0 tool is driven by the Agency's objective and needs, nature and size of audiences, plus service agreements with the Government of Canada.

CIDA's social media accounts are primarily managed or overseen by its Communications Branch, on behalf of teams across the Agency.

Official Policy

CIDA's communication in social media channels should not be considered as the authoritative source of new policy or guidance on services and programs from CIDA, or the Government of Canada. Any change or evolution in the official position on Government of Canada services and programs, legislation, guidance, investigations and audits will be communicated through more traditional channels, such as official publications (online and offline), speeches, statements, media releases, backgrounders, and government Web sites.

Availability

We aim to update and monitor our social media accounts during regular office hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time) Monday to Friday, with limited monitoring on weekends. Third-party social media services may occasionally be unavailable, and we apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

Content

The content we contribute to social media channels is based on anticipated public interest about our Agency's projects, programs, and policies, related to:

• Official Development Assistance
• Humanitarian Assistance

We may remove content which is out-dated, incorrect or restricted in time by licensing agreements. We apologise for any inconvenience when this occurs.

Posted links will be based on their relevance to Agency programs, policies and services and perceived usefulness to the public.

Links to Other Websites and Advertising

From time to time CIDA's social media accounts may post or display links for websites that are not under the control of CIDA or the Government of Canada. These links are provided solely for the convenience of the users. Neither CIDA nor the Government of Canada is responsible for the accuracy, currency or reliability of the content on these sites. CIDA 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.

CIDA does not endorse any third party advertisement or any inappropriate content appearing around CIDA's content on its branded accounts. Targeted advertisements are based on user preferences and interests and are out of CIDA's control.

If you want to use a photo or a video posted on one of CIDA's electronic tools

For more details on this topic, read CIDA's Important Notices on Permission to reproduce.

Followers/Friends/Subscribers

CIDA's decision to "follow", "friend" or subscribe does not imply endorsement of another social media account, channel, page or site. Similarly, the appearance of a user as a follower, friend or subscriber of an Agency account does not imply endorsement of any kind by the Agency or the Government of Canada.

The views of participants commenting on our social media sites do not necessarily represent the views of CIDA. We may occasionally repeat content from other users. Content we repeat does not imply endorsement by CIDA, nor should it be taken as an indication of any shift in the agency's current official position.

We will take steps to remove or block followers, friends or subscribers when they violate CIDA's Social Media Comments Guidelines.

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. Third-party social media service providers are not bound by Government of Canada's Web accessibility practices; however, CIDA is committed to enhancing accessibility for visitors with disabilities. For example, we provide:

• A link to an alternative interface to using the Twitter Web site for people with disabilities.
• For more information on accessibility and Facebook please visit: Facebook Help Centre - Accessibility and Assistive Technology.

Privacy

CIDA's social media accounts and channels are not hosted on Government of Canada Web sites. These accounts serve as an extension of the Agency's presence on the Internet. Users are encouraged to read the privacy policy of all service providers, including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr.

For questions about your privacy rights, please contact our Agency's Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator.

Information shared with CIDA on social media networks 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 CIDA 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 CIDA via the Agency's social media accounts. "Conversations" include questions and answers, comments, "likes", retweets and other interactions where you provide feedback on content that the Agency has posted, or when the Agency provides you with information based on content that you post. The personal information collected is described in Personal Information Bank entitled Canadian International Development Agency - Communications Branch (CIDA COMM 0010). 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.

Official Languages

Many social media services have multiple language options for their interface. Please find the services' instructions on how to satisfy your preferences.

English and French are the official languages of Canada for communications and services from the Government of Canada to the public. Members of the public have the right to communicate with and receive services from the Government of Canada in either English or French. When a third party is providing services to, or communicating with the public on its behalf, the institution will strive to ensure that the public's language rights are respected.

For example, content will be posted simultaneously in both official languages on their respective accounts, channels and pages. When social commentary features are enabled, users are encouraged to respond in the official language of their choice. Comments, video responses, and questions that require a response will be answered in the official language of origin. When summaries are provided, they are posted in both official languages simultaneously and are of equal quality.

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.

CIDA's Social Media Comment Guidelines

We welcome comments and questions about the content we post in social media channels. Unfortunately, we are not able to reply individually to all the messages we receive via social media channels. All replies and direct messages will be read and emerging themes or helpful suggestions will be forwarded to the relevant people in our agency. We may participate or intervene, as appropriate. In accordance with the rules, moderators reserve the right to edit, refuse or remove comments.

We expect that conversations will follow the general rules of respectful civil discourse. You are fully responsible for everything that you submit in your comments, and all posted comments are in the public domain. To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personal information such as phone numbers, Social Insurance numbers, banking information, resumes or email addresses in the body of your comment.

CIDA will not tolerate comments that are offensive to an individual or an organization, rude in tone, or abusive. We do not discriminate against any views, but we reserve the right to refuse, edit or remove any of the following:

• comments contrary to the principles of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• racist, hateful, sexist, homophobic, slanderous, insulting, or life-threatening messages
• serious, unproven, unsupported, or inaccurate accusations against individuals or organizations
• abusive, aggressive, coarse, explicit, vulgar, violent, obscene, or pornographic comments
• comments that encourage or suggest illegal activity
• messages where the sender is not the author (nor the copyright holder, if applicable), and/or posted anonymously or by robot accounts
• announcements, solicitations, advertisements, or endorsements of any financial, political, labour, commercial or non-governmental organizations and agencies
• attempts to defame or defraud any individual, group or agency
• announcements from labour or political organizations
• messages written in a language other than English or French
• repetitive posts copied and pasted by multiple users
• unintelligible or irrelevant messages

Make sure your comments are respectful and relevant to the conversation.

Anyone acting contrary to these rules may be temporarily or permanently excluded from our dialogue spaces on our accounts and channels, where applicable.

You have a question?

Questions and requests for information on the programs, services and publications of CIDA should be directed to CIDA's Public Inquiries Unit at info@acdi-cida.gc.ca.
Media inquiries should be directed to: media@acdi-cida.gc.ca.