Question Period Note: Social Media Platforms and the Government of Canada

Will the government discontinue the use of X/Twitter for official departmental communications?

• The government’s Policy on Communications and Federal Identity does not prescribe nor prohibit any specific social media platform for departmental use. Departments are responsible for determining the most appropriate way to reach their audiences and communications objectives.
• Given the constant evolution of social media platforms, departments should also regularly review their use to verify they continue to serve as an effective communications vehicle.
If Pressed: Governments continued use of TikTok for advertising
• The Government uses advertising to inform Canadians about its programs, services, policies, and decisions.
• Departments are responsible for managing their advertising campaign budgets including the choice of media.

• Departments are permitted to advertise on TikTok if that is determined to be the best way to reach a particular audience.

The Policy on Communications and Federal Identity and its supporting Directive on the Management of Communications do not prescribe the type of social media platforms used to support Government of Canada communications. Departmental heads of communications are responsible for determining which communications activities and channels are used to most effectively reach target audiences and communications objectives.
Shared Services Canada has blocked streaming services across networks it manages as they are not considered work tools and offer no business value for the Government of Canada.
Currently, TikTok, WeChat and Kaspersky are the only applications barred from use and downloading on government-issued mobile devices.
Mobile devices often need additional protection because their nature generally places them at higher exposure to threats than other client devices such as desktop and laptop devices which have more robust security safeguards and leveraged on the organization’s networks). To ensure that the Government of Canada’s mobile devices remain protected, a strengthened approach to securing and governing GC-issued and managed mobile devices is required. The Government of Canada has taken steps to block applications that pose both security and privacy risks.
Further to this, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS), the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) and Shared Services Canada (SSC) have been working towards identifying an enterprise approach for the management of applications on mobile devices, as well as working towards establishing technology solutions that improve the detection of and protection from malicious software on mobile devices.
The Office of the Chief Information Officer of Canada reviews, on an ongoing basis, the ways in which Government of Canada devices are used, to ensure that networks and data remain secure and protected.
In addition, the TBS Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) published in February 2025 the Guidance for Public Servants on their Personal Use of Social Media.

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