1. Stéphane Levesque, DG of Operations, PCO 13 June 2017
Communications, Social Media, Sensitive Information and You!
Stéphane Levesque, DG of Operations, PCO 13 June 2017

2. Session Goals
Outline roles and responsibilities for Canada Beyond 150 participants
Outline roles and responsibilities for classified or sensitive information
Share tips and tools for safely and effectively communicating with traditional and social media

3. You are a member of the Canada Beyond 150 cohort!
Congratulations!
You are a member of the Canada Beyond 150 cohort!
In this capacity, you have several roles:
Engaging with each other and government officials on Canada Beyond 150 workshops and your areas of focus.
Being a role model in your community and a role model for new public servants.
Sharing knowledge you acquire about the government’s programs and policies.
Engaging your communities and other groups across Canada for input and discussion on Canada Beyond 150 workshops and your areas of focus.
In the eyes of others, you may (rightly or wrongly) also be viewed as:
An unofficial spokesperson for the Government of Canada.
A source of information on the Canada Beyond 150 themes.
Someone who’s “in the know” – a point of access to privileged information.

4. Your Role
For Canada Beyond 150 and as you progress in the public service, it is important to keep in mind your real and perceived roles when engaging with others, and when handling sensitive information.
Sharing knowledge you acquire about the government’s programs and policies
Information you share should always be already publicly available.
You will not be handling classified documents, but through your work and interactions with government officials, you will likely have access to information that is not yet public information.
Example: A deputy minister shares that she will be announcing a new initiative in a month. This is privileged information that is not yet public.
Engaging your communities and other groups across Canada for input and discussion on the Canada Beyond 150 themes
People may share personal or private information with you in your discussions with them.

5. Communications and the Government of Canada
Who communicates on behalf of the Government of Canada?
Elected Officials (Members of Parliament, Ministers, the Prime Minister)
Designated media spokespersons
Departmental officials and subject matter experts
Other leaders, like you!
What do communicators have to consider as part of their role?
Privacy rights
Security needs
Non-partisanship (i.e. should not reflect the views of an advocacy group or political party)
Consistent messaging
Being clear and responsive to the diverse information needs of the public

6. Communications and Canada Beyond 150
As members of this cohort of Canada Beyond 150, you are its primary ambassadors.
In this role, you have the opportunity to raise awareness and engage with communities on issues that Canadians care about. This involves communication!
There are different types of communication that relate to Canada Beyond 150:
Official public communications, such as news releases, website updates, and tweets from the CanadaBeyond150 Twitter account. The projects you work on for Canada Beyond 150, your learning journey, and the methods you employ may be featured official communications.
Unofficial public communications by individuals, such as tweets and posts about the Canada Beyond 150.
Quasi-Public communications, such as engaging with community groups and participating in events and workshops in your capacity as a member of Canada Beyond 150.
Private communications, such as talking to friends and family about your activities in Canada Beyond 150.

7. Communications and the Media
Reporters and journalists may be very interested in learning more about the work of the Canada Beyond 150 and about yourselves.
However, the Government of Canada has official media spokespeople that are trained to answer reporters’ questions in a timely and accurate way.
Members of the media may approach you, your family and friends for information. Talk to people who are close to you about what to expect.
You may be contacted by someone without providing credentials or who misrepresents themselves for another motive.
There are online trolls and commenters who may say provocative things (positive or negative) about Canada Beyond 150.

8. If you’re contacted by the media
DO…
DON’T…
…Identify yourself in the language of your choice
…Ask for their details (name, news outlet)
…Ask what they’re calling about
…Let them know someone will get back to them soon
…Inform an official ESDC spokesperson or someone in the comms shop
…Discuss what others said
…Share secret or sensitive information
…Speculate
…Respond to questions based on second-hand information
…Respond to comments made by someone who isn’t there
…Be tempted to answer speculative questions (what if…)

9. Handling Sensitive Information
While participating in Canada Beyond 150, you may be privy to secret or sensitive information
Be cautious about the type of information you share with family and friends, including what you discuss with government officials.
Confirm it is ok to do so.
Assume that if you have learned something that is not public knowledge, it is safer to not talk about it until you.
Take a “follow your instincts” approach. If it doesn’t feel right to share, then don’t.
Your work on Canada Beyond 150 is subject to the Access to Information and Privacy Acts:
The purpose of the Access to Information Act is to provide access to government information under the principle that government information should be available to the public. Your s and documents could be released into the public domain.
The purpose of the Privacy Act is to protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by a government institution .Be careful when sharing information about individuals – if you were in their shoes, would you want it shared?

10. Engaging on Social Media Please *DO* communicate and share responsibly
As a member of Canada Beyond 150, you are expected to serve as social media ambassadors to amplify your learning with the broader public service.
Be polite and constructive in your discussions; remember your comments are public.
Be cautious about how much personal information you share. The more information you post, the easier it may be for someone to use that information to harm you or damage your reputation.
Consider making an “edited” version of your profile visible to everyone. That way, you have the option of revealing more information to people you choose as online friends. However, edited or protected social media spaces are never fully secure.
Please *DO* communicate and share responsibly