ARCHIVED - Communications Policy of the Government of Canada: Procedures (Archived Version)

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Introduction

Institutions subject to the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada must co-ordinate certain communication activities with Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), Service Canada or with the Privy Council Office (PCO). To ensure efficient co-ordination, institutions must follow the administrative procedures established for these activities.

All mandatory administrative procedures under the Communications Policy are outlined in the pages that follow, which provide detailed information to assist institutions in communications planning and management.

The Secretary of the Treasury Board of Canada has established these procedures with the support and advice of PCO, Service Canada and PWGSC, which co-ordinate their administration with institutions. They provide institutions with uniform, step-by-step processes to follow in planning or managing any of the communication activities listed in the “Procedures” section (Table 2) of the Communications Policy.

The processes set out in the pages that follow also support the requirements of Treasury Board policy on contracting and common services, particularly as they concern government publishing, advertising, public opinion research, and media monitoring. These processes take effect on the same date as the Communications Policy.

For more information about any of the procedures described in this document, institutions may contact the centre responsible for their administration (PWGSC, Service Canada or PCO). Contact information – names, phone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. – is provided at the end of each set of procedures.

Procedures for 1 800 O-Canada, the Canada Site, Consultation Postings, and Publiservice

The Communications Policy of the Government of Canada requires institutions to register and connect electronically with, and to provide up-to-date information to, various public access services managed by Service Canada. The procedures established for these services, and set out below, support Requirements 1(k), 9, 18(d), 18(h), 23(a) and23(b) of the policy.

Service Canada is responsible for the management and development of these services, which include:

• 1 800 O-Canada – the Government of Canada's toll-free telephone service.
• Canada Site portal – the government's primary site on the Internet, www.canada.gc.ca.
• Consultation Postings – information on national and regional public consultation and citizen engagement activities posted on the Canada Site (linked to institutional Web sites).
• Publiservice – the government's primary intranet portal for the Public Service, http://publiservice.gc.ca.

They provide the public and public servants with general information about government organizations, programs, services, events and initiatives, including public consultation and citizen engagement activities. Institutions must work with Service Canada personnel responsible for maintaining these services to ensure information holdings are up-to-date. Collaboration with Service Canada is also required to ensure that technical and administrative requirements are met when using any of these services as part of a communications initiative, an advertising campaign and/or to highlight public announcements and citizen engagement activities.

Updating 1 800 O-Canada information holdings

Service Canada’s Information Management Centre (IMC) maintains the 1 800 O-Canada database, which contains the following public access information for all Government of Canada institutions:

• organizational descriptions (e.g. mandate, structure);
• program descriptions (e.g. activities, eligibility, applications, deadlines, audience);
• national, regional and local service delivery points (i.e. telephone, mail, in-person, Web links) as well as corresponding areas of service;
• jurisdictional information and legislation;
• current events and new initiatives;
• documents and other support materials (e.g. publications, applications, Canadiana, contextual information, procedural instructions for phone agents).

To keep this information current, institutions are required to:

1. Provide complete and comprehensive information to the IMC about the creation of new organizations, programs, services and initiatives as soon as this information is available and, if possible, at least two weeks prior to implementation.
2. Provide complete and comprehensive information to the IMC about the closure of organizations, programs, services and initiatives as soon as this information is available and, if possible, at least two weeks prior to the scheduled closure.
3. Provide complete and comprehensive information to the IMC about changes to organizations, programs, services and initiatives as soon as this information is available and, if possible, at least two weeks before the changes are scheduled to occur.
4. Provide complete and comprehensive information to the IMC about changes and developments to institutional Web sites as soon as this information is available and, if possible, at least two weeks before the changes are scheduled to occur.
5. Review and update their database content annually. As part of the annual update, institutions must:
   • provide the IMC with the name of a single contact person who will co-ordinate the data update with support from program officers in his or her institution and/or provide a list of such program officers;
   • ensure that, at the request of the IMC, knowledgeable program officers and other representatives are available for meetings or conference calls to discuss the update and requirements;
   • ensure that knowledgeable program officers are designated to update their respective program information;
   • provide, at the request of the IMC, copies of employee directories and lists of key program officers who can describe service delivery mechanisms and corresponding areas of service; and
   • return all verified/validated information to the IMC staff within two weeks of its request.
6. Ensure that the IMC is included on all departmental distribution lists for announcements, advisories, news releases and publications.
7. Send information to the IMC through the following channels:
   • Web site: http://1800ocanada.gc.ca/
   • IMC Update Request Form: http://1800ocanada.gc.ca/webapp/ims3/GECUPDATE.jsp?Language=E&
     Project=2&H=0&Organization=0&NodeType=0&NodeId=0
   • E-mail:  ncr.imc-cgi@servicecanada.gc.ca
   • Fax: 613-941-5383
   • Phone: 613-941-3306 (the receptionist will direct your call to the appropriate person).

In working with institutions, the IMC will:

1. Ensure that all institutions have access to the Web version of the 1 800 O-Canada database at http://1800ocanada.gc.ca.
2. Develop an annual schedule to update and validate database information holdings. Ensure that all institutions have access to this update schedule at the beginning of each fiscal year at http://1800ocanada.gc.ca.
3. Notify institutions of the annual update, while providing them with a copy of their organizational and program descriptions to validate.
4. Advise institutions, on request, on how best to present their information in the 1 800 O-Canada database.
5. Ensure the IMC updating team is available for meetings or conference calls to discuss, at the request of institutions, the update and requirements.
6. Follow-up with institutions mid-way through the updating process to ensure the update is on schedule and to answer questions as required.
7. Integrate updated information provided by institutions to the 1 800 O-Canada database according to IMC's service and database standards.
8. Ensure that IMC's database standards are available to institutions at http://1800ocanada.gc.ca.
9. Ensure that IMC's media and Web monitoring practices stay abreast of developments and current events.

Updating information on the Canada Site

An institution that wishes to add, modify or delete information on the Canada Site (http://www.canada.gc.ca/), including referencing new Web sites that an institution may launch, must notify Service Canada by e-mail at sitecanadasite@canada.gc.caor by calling 613-996-0298 or by fax at 613-941-1827.

To add information onto the Canada Site, or to reference a new Government of Canada Internet Web site, please provide the following information via e-mail:

• the official name of the institution in both languages;
• a valid Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address in both official languages;
• listing requirements for any major sub-organizations that need to be added;
• the date on which the new information is to be posted; and
• contact information (the name and phone number of the person making the request).

For modifying or deleting information, please provide the following via e-mail:

• the page on the Canada Site where the information currently resides (URL);
• the URLs and/or titles of the links to be modified/deleted;
• the date on which the information is to be modified/deleted; and
• contact information (the name and phone number of the person making the request).

Updating consultation postings on the Canada Site

To update their national and regional public consultation and citizen engagement activity postings on the Canada Site, institutions must complete a standard form and use the template provided on the site. A password and user-ID are required to post a consultation link on the Canada Site that connects to your institution’s Web site.

For assistance in linking your institution’s consultation activities to the Canada Site, please contact the Publiservice consultation postings support line at support@consultingcanadians.gc.ca, or call 613‑946‑1093 or (toll free) 1‑800‑443‑0393.

Updating information on Publiservice

PWGSC’s Informatics and Telecommunications Services (ITS) connects institutions to the Publiservice intranet, which is supported by the Secure Channel Network (SCNet).

To connect to Publiservice for the first time, an institution must contact the ITS client service manager or regional account manager at 819-956-6085 or (toll free) 1-877-588-8801, or at gtis.sgti.ncr@pwgsc.gc.ca.

An institution that wishes to add or modify a URL address on Publiservice must contact support@publiservice.gc.ca or call 613-946-0046 or (toll free) 1-866-946-0046. The following information is required:

• the official name of the institution in both languages;
• a valid Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address in both official languages;
• the date on which the new or modified information is to be posted; and the information to be added or modified; and
• contact information (the name and phone number of the person making the request).

To modify or delete information on Publiservice, please provide the following via e-mail:

• the page on Publiservice where the information currently resides (URL);
• the URLs and/or titles of the links to be modified/deleted;
• the date on which the information is to be modified/deleted; and
• contact information (the name and phone number of the person making the request).

Using 1 800 0-Canada, the Canada Site or Publiservice in advertising campaigns, initiatives or announcements

Institutions may wish to use 1 800 O-Canada, www.canada.gc.ca (the URL for the Canada Site portal) or publiservice.gc.ca (the URL for Publiservice) as part of an advertising campaign, initiative or announcement.

To include these services in a campaign, or in any other strategic communications activity, institutions must proceed as follows:

1. State in their advertising plans the intention to use 1 800 O-Canada, the Canada Site and/or Publiservice in a campaign.
2. Inform 1 800 O-Canada and/or the Canada Site and/or Publiservice of their advertising plans as soon as the planning process begins and at least two weeks before the campaign is scheduled to start (see contact information below).
3. Notify 1 800 O-Canada and/or the Canada Site and/or Publiservice of their plans. Institutions may do so using the following Registration Form: http://publicaccess.gc.ca/registration_form-eng.asp; or they may call the person(s) identified in the Contact section below.
4. Provide 1 800 O-Canada and/or the Canada Site and/or Publiservice with a sample of the advertising copy (in draft or camera-ready form) that shows how 1 800 O-Canada, www.canada.gc.ca and/or publiservice.gc.ca will be used in the ad campaign, as soon as the planning process begins and at least two weeks before the campaign is scheduled to start.
5. Provide 1 800 O-Canada and/or the Canada Site and/or Publiservice with a copy of any publication that will be distributed in the context of the campaign, as soon as the planning process begins and at least two weeks before the campaign is scheduled to start.
6. Confirm that the Government Advertising Committee (GAC) has reviewed and approved the overall campaign and related materials. GAC approves the use of 1 800 O-Canada, www.canada.gc.ca and publiservice.gc.ca in advertising campaigns.

(Note:  Any use of 1 800 O-Canada that has not been reviewed by GAC must be reviewed by the director of 1 800 O-Canada. For more information about GAC, see the Procedures for Planning, Contracting and Evaluating Advertising.)

Highlighting announcements on the Canada Site

Institutions wishing to highlight announcements on the Canada Site (www.canada.gc.ca) must proceed as follows:

1. Notify the Canada Site manager of the institution's desire to highlight an announcement on the site (see contact information below). The notice must include a summary of the information the institution would like to see posted and a brief statement on why it needs to be highlighted.
2. PWGSC and Service Canada notify GAC of all requests to highlight announcements on the Canada Site. GAC reviews such requests as required.
3. Subsequent changes, additions and deletions to an announcement are reviewed on an ad hoc basis by GAC in consultation with PWGSC and Service Canada. The Canada Site manager implements changes, additions or deletions approved by GAC. The manager informs institutions of GAC decisions before action is taken to add, change or delete any announcements posted on the site.

Highlighting announcements on Publiservice

Institutions wishing to highlight announcements on Publiservice (publiservice.gc.ca) must notify Service Canada.

An e-mail notice to the manager of Publiservice is required (see contact information below). The e-mail must include a summary of the information the institution would like to see posted on Publiservice and a brief statement on why it needs to be highlighted.

Contacts

For more information about 1 800 O-Canada, the Canada Site, Consultation Postings or Publiservice, please contact at Service Canada:

Daniel Tremblay Director Canada Enquiry Centre (1 800 O-Canada) Phone:  613-941-3379 Fax:  613-991-0816 E-mail:  Daniel.Tremblay@servicecanada.gc.ca	Suzanne Beaudoin Manager Canada Site Phone:  613-996-0587 Fax:  613-946-6964 E-mail:  Suzanne.Beaudoin@servicecanada.gc.ca
Judy David Manager, Publiservice (also, Consultation Postings) Phone:  613-991-4590 Fax:  613-946-9170 E-mail:  Judy.David@servicecanada.gc.ca

 

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