The Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner (OCIEC) uses Twitter, a free micro-blogging platform, as one tool in its efforts to communicate clearly, quickly and in a user-friendly manner to Canadians interested in conflict of interest and ethics issues.
The Office holds an English Twitter account, @EthicsCanada, as well as a French Twitter account,
@EthiqueCanada.
Content
Twitter users who follow us can expect regular broadcasts (tweets) covering some or all of the following:
Links to news releases, speeches, reports and other approved, publicly available OCIEC material;
Links to relevant information produced and published elsewhere (work of other commissioners, Officers of Parliament, researchers, news organizations and others). This can include photos, blog posts, and retweets from other Twitter users;
Announcements about the Commissioner's appearances at committees or other events;
Interesting facts, quotes, photos or observations related to the Office, the Conflict of Interest Act, the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons, or conflict of interest and ethics in general.
Retweets
We may retweet news, links and personal observations that we believe are relevant to our mandate. We are not responsible for the content of information produced and published by third parties.
Retweets do not imply endorsement on the part of the OCIEC. The OCIEC's decision to retweet should not be taken as an explicit endorsement of any position or argument that may vary from its current official position, nor should it be taken as an indication of a possible shift in the OCIEC's current official position.
Twitter is not a source of official policy
While we use Twitter to draw attention to OCIEC publications, tweets are not the authoritative source of new policy or guidance from the OCIEC. Any change or evolution in the OCIEC's official position will be communicated through more traditional channels: official publications (online and off), speeches, news releases, media statements and the Office website.
Official Languages
Tweets are composed and delivered in each official language using the appropriate account. Replies are composed in the official language in which the tweet was received by the OCIEC. Similarly, retweets remain in the language of the original author.
Following
The OCIEC's decision to follow a particular Twitter user does not imply endorsement of any kind. We follow accounts on Twitter that we believe may be relevant to our mandate and our work.
Followers
The appearance of a Twitter user as a follower of the OCIEC account does not imply endorsement. The OCIEC will only take steps to remove or block a follower when that follower is obviously an internet robot or consistently tweets offensive material.
Availability
We commit to updating and monitoring our Twitter account during regular office hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., ET, Monday to Friday.
We accept no responsibility for lack of service due to Twitter downtime.
Information and media requests
Twitter users are encouraged to visit our website to seek additional information about particular issues, and use traditional channels to request media interviews or to seek information.
OCIEC staff on Twitter
Some OCIEC staff tweet under their own names or usernames. Despite their professional affiliation with the OCIEC, their tweets do not represent the official position of the Office, and should be considered the product of each individual as a private citizen.
Ongoing investigations
Twitter will not be used to update the public on the status of ongoing examinations under the
Conflict of Interest Act or inquiries under the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons, other than to announce the publication of reports as appropriate.
