Policy on Communications and Federal Identity
Gives context and rules for how the Government of Canada (GC) enables communication with the public about policies, programs, services and initiatives, including the administration of the GC official symbols.
Date modified: 2019-08-10
Supporting tools
Directive:
Guidelines:
- Making Communications Products and Activities Accessible, Guidelines on
- Making Communications Products and Activities Diverse and Inclusive, Guidelines on
Procedure:
Standard:
Hierarchy
Archives
This policy replaces:
- Federal Identity Program Policy [2016-05-11]
- Communications Policy of the Government of Canada [2016-05-11]
- Social Media Account Management, Standard on [2016-05-11]
- Management of Public Opinion Research, Procedures for the [2016-05-11]
- Management of Advertising, Procedures for the [2016-05-11]
Glossary
- advertising (publicité)
- Government of Canada advertising is defined as any message conveyed in Canada or abroad and paid for by the government for placement in media, including but not limited to newspapers, television, radio, cinema, billboards and other out-of-home media, mobile devices, the Internet, and any other digital medium.
- applied title (titre d'usage)
- The official name of a department that is used in communications with the public and in its corporate signature.
- arms of Canada (armoiries du Canada)
- Formally known as the Arms of Her Majesty The Queen in Right of Canada or the Arms of His/Her Majesty in Right of Canada, and also referred to as the Canadian coat of arms and the royal arms of Canada. The arms of Canada is an official symbol of the Government of Canada. A stylized one-colour rendering of the arms of Canada is used to identify departments whose heads report directly to Parliament, institutions that have a quasi-judicial function, ambassadors, heads of consulates or missions, and the Clerk of the Privy Council.
- Canada wordmark (mot-symbole « Canada »)
- The global identifier of the Government of Canada, which is composed of a graphically modified typeface and the flag symbol.
- corporate identity (image de marque)
- The unified manner in which an organization, company or public sector entity identifies its presence and activities. A corporate identity can include elements such as nomenclature, symbols, colour, typography and standards for graphics. The Government of Canada's corporate identity is prescribed by the Federal Identity Program.
- corporate signature (signature visuelle)
- The combination of the department's approved English and French applied title and the flag symbol or the arms of Canada.
- Federal Identity Program (FIP) ( (PFIM)) (Programme fédéral de l'image de marque)
- The corporate identity of the Government of Canada that ensures that federal departments, programs, services, assets and activities are clearly identified to the public in Canada and abroad through the consistent use of departmental titles and symbols.
- flag symbol (symbole du drapeau)
- The flag symbol is a graphically modified version of the National Flag of Canada. The flag symbol is protected under the laws of Canada, and internationally under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
- logo (logo)
- A graphic mark, emblem or symbol adopted by an individual or organization to aid or promote recognition. Logos can be purely graphic or can feature the name of the organization in a special typeface (e.g., logotype).
- non-partisan communications (communications non partisanes)
- In the context of all Government of Canada communications products and activities, “non-partisan” means:
- Objective, factual and explanatory;
- Free from political party slogans, images, identifiers; bias; designation; or affiliation;
- The primary colour associated with the governing party is not used in a dominant way, unless an item is commonly depicted in that colour; and
- Advertising is devoid of any name, voice or image of a minister, member of Parliament or senator.
- official symbols of the Government of Canada (symboles officiels du gouvernement du Canada)
- The Canada wordmark, the flag symbol, and the arms of Canada.
- plain language writing (rédaction en langage clair et simple)
- Writing that is easily understandable on first reading. Communicating in plain language may involve writing to a specific level of literacy or education.