CANADA
Canada’s Public Servants have been warned to be careful about what they say on social media in the run-up to the country’s General Election.
The “caretaker convention” rules are circulated internally at the start of every Federal Election campaign and this is the second time the Privy Council Office has posted the document online for public consumption.
The guidelines set out the rules Federal PS employees need to follow to avoid any hint of partisanship in a politically charged environment.
They state that while PS employees are not banned from spending their private time helping any candidate or party, they should make sure any political activity doesn’t impair or “be perceived as impairing” their ability to work impartially for any party that forms Government.
“Employees should consider the nature of their current Public Service duties, the level and visibility of their position, the nature of the political activity and their personal visibility,” the guidelines say.
“Particular attention should be paid to potentially highly visible public activities, notably the use of personal social media accounts.”
The largest union representing Federal workers says its members should be able to take political action during a campaign without fear of repercussions.
President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, Chris Aylward said PS employees had the same political rights as other Canadians.
“That means sharing their political views on social media, volunteering for a campaign, writing a letter to the editor or even attending a rally — as long as it’s on their own time and they clearly state their opinions are their own,” Mr Aylward said.
While most of the 2019 guidelines mirror the 2015 document, there are some additions aside from the warning about social media use.
Departments have been told they can implement regulations approved before Parliament’s dissolution, but should be more “reactive as opposed to proactive” when it comes to communicating with affected groups or organisations.
There is also a section on what happens if there is any attempt by foreign actors to manipulate the results of the vote.
A panel of top PS employees has been tasked with alerting the public should such a situation arise.
Ottawa, 25 September 2019
