Rescinded [2022-05-04] - Standard on Email Management

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Note to reader

The Standard on Email Management is no longer in effect. It was replaced by the Email Management Services Configuration Requirements under the new Appendix G: Standard on Enterprise IT Service Common Configurations on May 04, 2022.

1 Effective Date

1.1 This standard takes effect on January 1, 2014.

1.2 This standard replaces the following Treasury Board policy instrument: Common Look and Feel Standards for the Internet, Part 4: Standard on Email.

2 Application

2.1 This standard applies to departments as defined in section 2 of the Financial Administration Act, unless excluded by specific Acts, regulations or orders-in council.

2.2 This standard applies to all Government of Canada email sent and received, all Government of Canada instant messages sent and received, and all Government of Canada email services, including those classified secret and above.

2.3 Sections 6.2.1 and 6.2.2 of this standard do not apply to secure email services that are classified secret and above.

2.4 As Shared Services Canada assumes the responsibility of administering email services for additional departments, the requirements outlined in Sections 6.1.3, 6.1.4 and 6.2.1 will apply.

2.5 Those portions of Sections 7.3, 7.4 and 8 relating to the role of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat in monitoring compliance and directing consequences for non-compliance do not apply to the Office of the Auditor General, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, the Office of the Information Commissioner, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages and the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner. The deputy heads of these organizations are solely responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with the standard in their organizations, as well as for responding to cases of non-compliance in accordance with any Treasury Board instruments providing principles and guidance on the management of compliance.

2.6 Requirements to use the @canada.ca domain name for email addresses, and the Canada Wordmark graphic and the textual equivalent "Government of Canada" or "Gouvernement du Canada" in email signature blocks, do not apply to the Office of the Auditor General, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, the Office of the Information Commissioner, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, and the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner.

3 Context

3.1 Electronic messaging can take many forms, including email in a user's account, instant messages, or email in a generic account or public folder. Consistent management of all forms of electronic messaging facilitates efficient and effective management of information resources of business value.

3.2 Electronic mail, or email, is one of the most commonly used forms of communication in the Government of Canada. Email is an essential tool for modern communications, which enables internal and external government services. Government employees and citizens interacting with the government use email to create, send, and receive information quickly and easily. Employees have a responsibility to manage their email and instant messages to ensure the effective and efficient use of government resources and technology.

3.3 Establishing an environment in which email and instant messages are managed consistently to meet business needs and comply with applicable laws, policies, and directives facilitates decision making, transparency, and accountability; reduces risks related to information retention and disposition; and ensures the efficient delivery of government programs and services.

3.4 Standardized management of email and instant messages ensures that information of business value is available when needed and is preserved according to established rules. It also provides access and security controls that support operational needs; supports efficient and effective search related to legal discovery and access to information and privacy requests; and reduces storage requirements.

3.5 A uniform approach to assigning email addresses, using email signature blocks, and defining the email properties applied to all Government of Canada email also helps maintain confidence and trust in government communications.

3.6 This standard is issued pursuant to section 7 of the Financial Administration Act.

3.7 This standard is to be read in conjunction with the Policy on Service and Digital, the Directive on Service and Digital, the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, the Policy on Official Languages, and the Federal Identity Program Policy.

4 Definitions

4.1 Definitions to be used in the interpretation of this standard are included in Appendix A.

5 Standard Statement

5.1 Objective

The objective of this standard is to:

5.1.1 Ensure email and instant messages are managed efficiently, effectively, and in a timely manner to support business operations and decision making.

5.1.2 Provide organizations with the specifications to support the implementation of strong, consistent, and standardized email management practices.

5.2 Expected results

The expected results of this standard are:

5.2.1 Email and instant messages are effectively managed throughout their life cycle.

5.2.2 Email services support program and service delivery.

5.2.3 Email is identifiable as Government of Canada correspondence.

6 Requirements

6.1 The departmental Information Management Senior Official and/or Chief Information Officer is responsible for:

Information Management

6.1.1 Designating appropriate corporate repositories for the storage of email and instant messages containing information of business value.

6.1.2 Ensuring that dormant and deactivated email accounts are managed effectively, including the transfer of information of business value to designated corporate repositories and appropriate disposition.

6.1.3 Liaising with Shared Services Canada to ensure compliance, performance management, and monitoring of the requirements of this standard, where email services are administered by Shared Services Canada.

6.1.4 Appointing a Delegated Email Administrator where Shared Services Canada administers email services on behalf of the department.

Specifications

6.1.5 Ensuring that email containing information of business value is transferred to designated corporate repositories in a timely manner by limiting individual email accounts to a maximum of 2 gigabytes (GB) of storage. Departments can provide additional increments of 1GB for specific cases, but are expected to limit exceptions to no more than 5 per cent of the total number of full-time employees in the organization.

6.1.6 Ensuring access to all email containing information of business value by migrating email out of existing individual email archives (personal storage files, archives, etc.) into designated corporate repositories, and subsequently discontinuing the use of personal storage files and other email archives. Personal storage files may continue to be used for holding email as a result of access to information requests or for legal discovery purposes.

6.1.7 Ensuring that departmental software and systems in place to create, manage, or store email and instant messages comply with the requirements of this standard or can be modified to meet the requirements.

Signature blocks

6.1.8 Ensuring that email signature blocks are established in accordance with the requirements described in Appendix E.

6.1.9 Approving all texts or disclaimers appended to employee and generic signature block email addresses. Email disclaimers must be limited to only those required for program or service delivery.

Email security

6.1.10 Implementing email domain protection by:

6.1.10.1 Establishing a minimum Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) policy of “p=none” with at least one address defined as a recipient of aggregate reports, as outlined in the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security’s (CCCS) Implementation Guidance for Email Domain Protection.
6.1.10.2 Adding the CCCS as an aggregate report recipient. The address that must be included is dmarc@cyber.gc.ca.
6.1.10.3 Authorizing all sending IP addresses in Sender Policy Framework (SPF).
6.1.10.4 Applying Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) signatures to all outbound messages.

6.2 The Email Administrator(s) is responsible for:

Note: In departments where Shared Services Canada administers email services, Shared Services Canada is the Email Administrator.

6.2.1 Where Shared Services Canada administers email services on behalf of departments, ensuring that email addresses are established in accordance with the requirements described in Appendix B.

6.2.2 Where departments retain responsibility for email administration, ensuring that email addresses are established in accordance with the requirements described in Appendix C.

6.2.3 Ensuring that email properties are established in accordance with Appendix D.

6.2.4 Ensuring permanent disposition of email within the Deleted Items folder of each email account within 30 days.

6.3 The Director General of Human Resources or equivalent is responsible for:

6.3.1 Ensuring that the organization's human resources (HR) processes require delegated managers to provide Delegated Email Administrators with information on any changes to the employment of email account holders.

6.4 The Delegated Email Administrator(s) is responsible for:

6.4.1 Requesting the creation and removal of email accounts by Shared Services Canada.

6.4.2 Informing Shared Services Canada of changes to the employment of email account holders prior to the effective date of the change. The responsibility for informing Shared Services Canada of employee transfers from one department to another, when both departments' email services are administered by Shared Services Canada, lies with the Delegated Email Administrator of the department to which the employee is transferring.

6.5 Managers are responsible for:

6.5.1 Ensuring that employees are aware of their responsibility to transfer email and instant messages of business value to designated corporate repositories as soon as possible.

6.5.2 Ensuring that employees have transferred all email and instant messages containing information of business value to designated corporate repositories prior to their departure or extended absence from the organization.

6.5.3 Ensuring that employees are aware of their responsibility to dispose of transitory email and instant messages as soon as they are no longer required.

6.5.4 Providing the organization's Delegated Email Administrators (or email administrator, in organizations where there is no Delegated Email Administrator) with information on any changes to employment of email account holders under their supervision prior to the effective date of the changes.

6.6 Employees are responsible for:

6.6.1 Ensuring that email and instant messages that contain information of business value are transferred to designated corporate repositories as soon as possible.

6.6.2 Ensuring that email and instant messages that contain information of business value are transferred to designated corporate repositories prior to their departure from the organization or any extended absence.

6.6.3 Ensuring that transitory information held in their email account or on their mobile devices is deleted as soon as possible according to approved disposition authorities.

6.6.4 Ensuring that information contained in the email signature block and the email properties is accurate and up-to-date.

7 Monitoring and Reporting Requirements

7.1 Deputy heads are responsible for ensuring compliance with this standard in their departments, consistent with the provisions of the Treasury Board's Policy on Evaluation and Policy on Internal Audit, and for ensuring that appropriate remedial action is taken to address any deficiencies in their departments.

7.2 Information Management Senior Officials and/or Chief Information Officers are responsible for supporting their deputy head by overseeing the implementation and monitoring of this standard in their departments; bringing to the deputy head's attention any significant difficulties, gaps in performance or compliance issues; developing proposals to address them; and reporting significant performance or compliance issues to the Chief Information Officer Branch at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

7.3 The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat will monitor compliance with all aspects of this standard in a variety of ways, including the following:

Assessments under the Management Accountability Framework;
Examinations of Treasury Board submissions, departmental performance reports and results of audits, evaluations, and studies; and
Work performed in collaboration with departments.

7.4 The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat will review this standard and its effectiveness at the five-year mark from the effective date of the standard (or earlier if warranted).

8 Consequences

8.1 Consequences of non-compliance can include informal follow-ups and requests from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat for corrective actions, in keeping with the Framework for the Management of Compliance, external audits, or formal direction on corrective measures.

8.2 Consequences of non-compliance with this standard can include any measure allowed by the Financial Administration Act that the Treasury Board would determine as appropriate and acceptable under the circumstances.

9 Roles and Responsibilities of Government Organizations

Note: This section identifies other departments that have a significant role in this policy area. In and of itself, it does not confer an authority.

9.1 The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is responsible for:

9.1.1 Providing interpretive advice and guidance on this standard;

9.1.2 Developing standards, guidelines and tools for email management; and

9.1.3 Providing support to Information Management Senior Officials and/or Chief Information Officers and other committees and working groups, as necessary, to address government-wide challenges and opportunities in implementing this standard and supporting instruments.

9.2 Shared Services Canada is responsible for:

9.2.1 Providing services that meet the requirements of this standard related to email and end-user devices, including the acquisition and provision of hardware and software.

10 References

10.1 Relevant legislation

10.2 Related Treasury Board policy instruments and publications

11 Enquiries

For information on this policy instrument, please contact the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Public Enquiries.

Appendix A: Definitions

company name (dénomination sociale): An email property that associates the name of the email sender's home department to the email address. This property is found under Email Properties.
deactivated email account (compte de courrier électronique désactivé): An email account that is no longer required. The email account can no longer send or receive emails. The reason may be, for example, that the employee has left the organization or that the program relating to the generic account has ended.
Delegated Email Administrator (Administrateur de courrier électronique délégué): An individual who has been delegated authority for administrative access to Shared Services Canada's Email Solution Service.
display name (nom affiché): An email property that enables email users to see the name of an individual, program or service for any given email address. The display name is the name that email recipients see in their email inbox and on printed emails, and that is used in address directories. This property is found under Email Properties.
dormant email account (compte de courriel inactif): An email account that is temporarily suspended. For example, this may be the email account of an individual on extended leave.
electronic mail (courrier électronique): See Email.
email (courriel): A message sent and received in electronic form via computer networks or a computer system. (Library and Archives Canada, Email Management Guidelines)
email account (compte de courriel): An email mailbox and the associated rights to use that mailbox. (Library and Archives Canada, Email Management Guidelines)
email address (adresse de courriel): The character string used to allow computer systems to route an email message to the intended email account, usually consisting of a username, the @ symbol and a domain name. (Library and Archives Canada, Email Management Guidelines)
email address prefix (préfixe de l'adresse de courriel): Portion of the email address before the @ symbol.
email address suffix (suffixe de l'adresse de courriel): Portion of the email address after the @ symbol.
Email Administrator (Administrateur de courrier électronique): An individual or entity who is responsible for the configuration and management of an email service.
email client (client de courriel): An application or program that allows the user to compose, read and send email. An email client may be on the Web, a computer desktop, a mobile device or other technology.
email disclaimer (avis de non-responsabilité du courriel): A statement that is appended to an email.
email domain name (nom de domaine de l'adresse de courriel): A unique address that comes after the @ symbol in an email address. A domain name may or may not include a sub-domain name.
email property (attribut de courriel): One configurable piece of information used by an email service and an email client to assist in identifying the sender of email. It is made available through the address book and the active directory. An email property is a subset of Email Properties.
email service (services de courriel): A service offered by an organization that enables users to create, transmit, receive, respond to, and store email. An email service is accessed by an email client.
generic email address (adresse de courriel générique): An email address that is not linked to an individual; instead, it is linked to a program or service or used for resource management.
instant message (message instantané): A message, other than email, sent and received electronically in real time via mobile devices or computer networks, which enables users to create, transmit, receive and respond to messages electronically.
mailbox (boîte aux lettres): The area in a computer system where the incoming and outgoing email messages, calendar entries, task items, contacts and journal entries for an email account are stored.
personal storage file (fichier de stockage personnel): A file that contains messaging objects. This includes .pst files from Microsoft Exchange, .nsf files from IBM Lotus Notes and Domino, and .db files from Novell GroupWise.

Appendix B: Naming Conventions for Email Addresses – Email Services Administered by Shared Services Canada

Shared Services Canada is responsible for ensuring that email sent from email services administered by Shared Service Canada complies with the requirements described in this appendix.

1. Domain name

1.1 Canada.ca is to be applied in the email address suffix as the primary email domain name to clearly identify Government of Canada email communications.

2. Enterprise Email Addresses

2.1 For the purposes of official external correspondence, departments may request, subject to TBS approval, the creation of a GC enterprise email address that is not linked to a department or individual employee.

2.2 Enterprise email addresses may be established for Government of Canada priorities and/or cross-mandate programs and services.

2.3 Conflicts may arise in naming enterprise email addresses. In these situations, it is up to the Email Administrator to resolve such conflicts.

2.4 The enterprise email address prefix must respect official languages requirements. Departments may choose one of the options below for GC enterprise email addresses:

The email address may include a descriptor in both official languages. A hyphen is to be used to separate the two languages.
Model:
Descriptor-Descripteur@canada.ca and
Descripteur-Descriptor@canada.ca
Example:
Blueprint2020-Objectif2020@canada.ca
and
Objectif2020-Blueprint2020@canada.ca
Separate email addresses may be established in both official languages.
Model:
Descriptor@canada.ca and Descripteur@canada.ca
Example:
Blueprint2020@canada.ca and
Objectif2020@canada.ca
The email address may be established with a single descriptor with a term or terms with the same meaning and spelling in both official languages.
Model:
Descriptor@canada.ca
Example:
Destination2020@canada.ca

2.5 Departmental CIOs or IMSOs should send all requests for enterprise email addresses to the IM-GI mailbox prior to submitting to Shared Services Canada. Requests should include the specific email address requested and a rationale for creating the address.

3. Email address for individual email accounts

3.1 PreferredName.LastName is the naming convention to be applied. The preferred name can be a first or middle name.

Model: PreferredName.LastName@canada.ca

Example: john.canadian@canada.ca

3.2 Duplicate email accounts and tiebreaker rules

3.2.1 Where a conflict exists for the use of a particular name, a numerical tiebreaker is to be applied immediately after the last name. Numerical tiebreakers start with the number 2. Subsequent tiebreaker numbers are to be applied sequentially.

Model: PreferredName.LastName#@canada.ca

Example: john.canadian2@canada.ca

3.3 Government of Canada email addresses become available for reuse as needed after a period of two years.

4. Email addresses for generic programs and services or other uses

4.1 Generic email addresses

For the purpose of official correspondence, a department may establish a generic email address that is not linked to an individual employee:

For the use of a departmental program or service; and
For the purposes of resource management, including boardrooms, vehicles and equipment.

The email address prefix must respect official languages requirements.

Conflicts may arise in naming email addresses. In these situations, it is up to the Email Administrator to resolve such conflicts.

4.1.1 Generic email addresses for programs or services

Generic email addresses for programs or services must include the departmental abbreviation, as prescribed in the Registry of Applied Titles (Appendix C of the Federal Identity Program Policy), in both official languages.

The email address must also include a descriptor for the program or service in both official languages. A hyphen is to be used to separate the two languages.

The departmental abbreviation and the program or service descriptor are to be separated by a period.

The order in which official languages are applied in the email address must comply with the Directive on Official Languages for Communications and Services.

Model: Dept.Descriptor-Descripteur.Min@canada.ca or

Min.Descripteur-Descriptor.Dept@canada.ca

Examples

English language presented first:

hc.itservicedesk-soutientechniqueti.sc@canada.ca
dfo.information.mpo@canada.ca
tbs.donotreply-nepasrepondre.sct@canada.ca

French language presented first:

dec.traduction-translation.ced@canada.ca
asc.information.csa@canada.ca
ec.nepasrepondre-donotreply.ec@canada.ca

4.1.2 Generic email addresses for resources

Generic email addresses for the purpose of resource management must include the departmental abbreviation, as prescribed in the Registry of Applied Titles (Appendix C of the Federal Identity Program Policy), in both official languages.

The email address must include the resource type as defined by Shared Services Canada. A period is to be used to separate the resource type and the departmental abbreviation.

The email address must include a descriptor of the resource that complies with official language requirements. The structure and elements to include in the descriptor will be established by Shared Services Canada. A hyphen is to be used to separate the descriptor and the resource type as well as the elements within the resource descriptor.

The order in which official languages are applied in the email address must comply with the Directive on Official Languages for Communications and Services.

Model: Dept.ResourceType-Descriptor-Typederessource.Min@canada.ca or

Min.Typederessource-Descripteur-RessourceType.Dept@canada.ca

Examples

Boardrooms

dec.conf-mtl-1255peel-9-900.mtl-brdm.ced@canada.ca
dfo.brdm-vic-501university-10-1002-vic-conf.mpo@canada.ca

Equipment

tbs.prj-mtl-nec-m311x-006-mtl-prj.sct@canada.ca
tpsgc.prj-gat-optoma-hd66-gat-prj.pwgsc@canada.ca

Vehicles

nrc.vehicule-mtl-labplateabc12345-mtl-vehicle.cnr@canada.ca
cbsa.vehicle-wds-chevroletblazer123456-wds-vehicule.asfc@canada.ca

Appendix C: Naming Conventions for Email Addresses – Email Services Administered by Departments

Departmental email administrators are responsible for ensuring that email sent from email services administered by their department complies with the email address requirements described in this appendix.

The following requirements apply:

1 Domain name

1.1 To clearly identify Government of Canada email communications, the primary domain name of the main departmental website is applied to the email address suffix for all email addresses. The email address suffix must respect official languages requirements.

Examples:

@inspection.gc.ca
@pbc-clcc.gc.ca
@cas-satj.gc.ca

In the case of a unilingual primary domain name, domain names are to be combined into a bilingual hyphenated domain name.

2 Email address email accounts for individuals

2.1 PreferredName.LastName is the naming convention to be applied. The preferred name can be a first or middle name.

Model: PreferredName.LastName@DepartmentDomainName.gc.ca

2.2 Implement duplicate email accounts and tiebreaker rules. The preferred tie breaker rules are outlined in Appendix B.

3 Email addresses for generic programs and services or other uses

3.1 A department may establish a generic email address that is not linked to an individual employee:

For the use of a departmental program or service; and
For the purposes of resource management, including boardrooms, vehicles and equipment.

The email prefix and suffix must respect official languages requirements. The preferred naming convention for establishing a generic email address prefix is outlined in Appendix B.

Conflicts may arise in naming email addresses. In these situations, it is up to the email administrator to resolve such conflicts. The preferred tie breaker rules are outlined in Appendix B.

3.2 Official languages

The email address prefix and suffix must respect official languages requirements, and a hyphen is to be used to separate the two languages.

Appendix D: Email Properties

The requirements described in this appendix are applied by the email administrator (Shared Services Canada or departmental email administrators in departments that administer their own email service).

Email properties provide information used by email services and email clients to assist in identifying the sender of email.

The "display name" for individuals and generic email addresses is an email property that recipients see when an email is received and on printed email messages. The "company name" is the email property that associates the name of the sender's home organization to the email address.

The display name property may also be used in directories. The email administrator may establish additional display names that resolve to a single email address for use in directories.

Elements of the display name must be provided in both official languages. The order in which official languages are applied in the display name must comply with the Directive on Official Languages for Communications and Services.

Display name conflicts may arise. In these situations, it is up to the email administrator to resolve naming conflicts within the display name.

1 Display name property

1.1 Display name for email addresses for individuals

The display name must contain the elements below:

Full name and numerical tiebreaker, if the email address has one;
Approved abbreviation of the federal department, as prescribed in the Registry of Applied Titles (Appendix C of the Federal Identity Program Policy). The abbreviation of the federal department must be provided in both official languages, separated by a forward slash (i.e., the / symbol); and

The full name and department abbreviation must be displayed as follows:

LastName, PreferredName (Dept/Min.); or
LastName#, PreferredName (Dept/Min.), when the email address has a numerical tiebreaker.

The Display name may also contain the rank of the individual where the rank is a requirement for the continuation of the performance of the duties of the employee's position.

No other elements may appear in the display name.

Examples:

Canadian, John (PBC/CLCC)
Canadienne, Marie (PSC/CFP)
Canadian2, John (PBC/CLCC)
Canadienne312, Marie (PSC/CFP)
Canadian, LCol John (DND/MDN)

1.2 Display name for generic email addresses for programs and services

The display name for email accounts must contain the elements below:

The name of program or service; and
Approved abbreviation of federal departments, as prescribed in the Registry of Applied Titles (Appendix C of the Federal Identity Program Policy).

The name of the program or service and the department abbreviation must be provided in both official languages, separated by a forward slash.

The display name for a program or service must be displayed as follows:

Name of Program or Service / Nom du programme ou service (Dept/Min)

No other elements may appear in the display name.

Examples:

Information (TPSGC/PWGSC)
Web Standards / Normes Web (TBS/SCT)
Ressources Humaines / Human Resources (ASC/CSA)
Ne Pas Répondre / Do Not Reply (TPSGC/PWGSC)
Do Not Reply / Ne pas Répondre (TBS/SCT)

1.3 Display name for generic email addresses for resource management

The display name for generic email accounts for resource management must contain the elements below:

Approved abbreviation of federal departments, as prescribed in the Registry of Applied Titles (Appendix C of the Federal Identity Program Policy);
The resource type, as defined by the email administrator, in both official languages; and
A unique identifier for the resource

The display name for a resource must be displayed as follows:

Dept ResourceType ResourceIdentifier TypedeRessource Min.

No other elements may appear in the display name.

Examples:

DEC Salle de conférence MTL 12 55 Peel -900 Boardroom CED
EC Salle de conférence GAT 351 ST JOSEPH 234 Boardroom EC
SSC Boardroom OTT – 255 Albert – 1238 Salle de conférence SPC
DFO Boardroom VIC 501 University – 1002 Salle de conférence MPO
TBS Projector NEC-M311X-006 Projecteur SCT
TPSGC Projecteur Optoma-HD66 Projector PWGSC
NRC Vehicle Lab ABC12345 Véhicule CNR
EC Véhicule Ford F150 W11 ABC Vehicle EC
CBSA Vehicle WDS SUV Chevrolet Blazer 12345 Véhicule ASFC

2 Company name property

The company nameproperty must contain the elements described below:

Applied title of the federal department of the individual, program or service, as prescribed in the Registry of Applied Titles (Appendix C of the Federal Identity Program Policy); and
Elements must be provided in both official languages, separated by a forward slash (i.e., the / symbol).

Examples:

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat / Secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor du Canada
Shared Services Canada / Services partagés Canada
Environnement Canada / Environment Canada

Appendix E: Email Signature Blocks

Information Management Senior Officials and/or Chief Information Officers are responsible for ensuring that email signature blocks comply with the requirements described in this appendix.

Email signatures must be established in accordance with official languages requirements as outlined in Directive on Official Languages for Communications and Services.

Email signatures must be applied to all emails sent, including replies.

1 Components and layout of signature blocks for individuals

Signature blocks for individuals must respect the requirements for both official languages such that all email messages sent by Government of Canada email services include a bilingual signature block. Bilingual signature blocks must be stacked and include a separate section for each official language. Stacking signature blocks makes the content accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities.

Except for elements that are presented as optional, the signature block must contain the elements described below:

Line one: The sender's name, which may include a rank or a designation when the rank or designation is a requirement for the continuation of the performance of the duties of the employee's position.
Line two (OPTIONAL): The sender's personal gender pronouns in brackets in both official languages. These are the pronouns that the sender wishes to use when being spoken about.
Line three: No content (empty line).
Line four: The sender's title and departmental branch, in the first official language required to comply with the Directive on Official Languages for Communications and Services.
Line five: The department's applied title as prescribed in the Registry of Applied Titles (Appendix C of the Federal Identity Program Policy), in the first official language required, and the words "Government of Canada"^[1] for the English-first stacked signature block or "Gouvernement du Canada" for the French-first stacked signature block.
Line six: Email address, telephone and teletypewriter, in the first official language required, each separated by a forward slash.
- The telephone number must appear with the area code in the following format:
  - 613-999-1234, including an extension number where applicable.
  - Preceded by "Tel:" in English or "Tél. : " in French.
  - Cellular numbers provided on government-approved devices such as cellular phones, smart phones and other devices can be included:
    - As the primary telephone number and identified by the abbreviation "Tel:" in English or "Tél. : " in French; or
    - As a secondary telephone number and identified by the abbreviation "Cel:" in English or "Tél. cell. : " in French.
- The teletypewriter number with the area code is to appear in the format 819-999-1234 preceded by the abbreviation "TTY:" in English or "ATS : " in French.
Line seven: No content (empty line).
Line eight: The sender's title and departmental branch in the second official language.
Line nine: The department's applied title as prescribed in the Registry of Applied Titles (Appendix C of the Federal Identity Program Policy), in the second official language required, and the words "Gouvernement du Canada" for the English-first stacked signature block or "Government of Canada" for the French-first stacked signature block.
Line ten: Email address, telephone and teletypewriter, in the second official language required, each separated by a forward slash.
Line eleven: No content (empty line).
Line twelve: Approved disclaimer text, if applicable.

The same requirements are to be applied to email clients on mobile devices, technology permitting.

2 Components and layout of signature blocks for generic email accounts

Signature blocks for generic email accounts for programs or services must respect the requirements for both official languages such that all email messages sent by Government of Canada email services include a bilingual signature block. Bilingual signature blocks must be stacked and include a separate section for each official language. Stacking signature blocks makes the content accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities.

The signature block must contain the elements described below:

Line one: The program or service name, in the first official language, for an email from a generic email account.
Line two: The department's applied title as prescribed in the Registry of Applied Titles (Appendix C of the Federal Identity Program Policy), in the first official language required, and the words "Government of Canada" for the English-first stacked signature block or "Gouvernement du Canada" for the French-first signature block.
Line three: Email address, telephone and teletypewriter, in the first official language required, each separated by a forward slash (i.e., the / symbol).
- The telephone number must appear with the area code in the following format:
  - 613-999-1234, including an extension number where applicable.
  - Preceded by "Tel:" in English or "Tél. :" in French.
  - Cellular numbers provided on government-approved devices such as cellular phones, smart phones and other devices can be included:
    - As the primary telephone number and identified by the abbreviation "Tel:" in English or "Tél. :" in French; or
    - As a secondary telephone number and identified by the abbreviation "Cel:" in English or "Tél. Cell. :" in French.
- The teletypewriter number with the area code is to appear in the format 819-999-1234 preceded by the abbreviation "TTY" in English or "ATS :" in French.
Line four: No content (empty line).
Line five: The program or service name, in the second official language, for an email from a generic email account.
Line six: The department's applied title as prescribed in the Registry of Applied Titles (Appendix C of the Federal Identity Program Policy), in the second official language required, and the words "Gouvernement du Canada" for the English-first stacked signature block or "Government of Canada" for the French-first signature block.
Line seven: Email address, telephone and teletypewriter, in the second official language required, each separated by a forward slash.
Line eight: No content (empty line).
Lines nine and ten: The Government of Canada signature and the Canada Wordmark or the departmental identifier, technology permitting.
Line eleven: No content (empty line).
Line twelve: Approved disclaimer text, if applicable.

The same requirements are to be applied to email clients on mobile devices, technology permitting.

3 Presentation of the stacked signature block

The following requirements apply to the presentation:

Sans-serif font style, such as Verdana, Calibri or Arial.
Font size is 10 points.
Black (#000) font colour.
White (#FFF) background colour.

4 Official languages and stacked signature blocks

The order in which official languages are applied to stacked signature blocks must comply with the Directive on Official Languages for Communications and Services.

5 Official symbols in signature blocks

5.1 The Government of Canada signature appears at the bottom of the email signature block of all departments that are identified by the flag symbol.

5.2 Departments authorized under the Federal Identity Program Policy to use the Arms of Canada in their signature, or a different identifying symbol, will continue to use that form of identification in their signature block.

5.3 The Canada Wordmark is applied to the signature blocks of all departments, positioned to the right of the symbols.

6 Other elements in signature blocks

6.1 Email disclaimers are to be applied only when required to address program or service needs.

6.2 Additional elements beyond the optional and required elements outlined in Appendix E must not be added to signature blocks. This includes the space immediately above or below an email signature block.

6.3 Departments must ensure that email signature blocks avoid the appearance or public perception of providing an endorsement or marketing subsidy or an unfair competitive advantage, as per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the President of the Treasury Board, 2017,
ISBN: 978-0-660-20355-3