Table of contents

Library of Parliament’s mission

The mission of the Library of Parliament (the Library) is to contribute to Canadian parliamentary democracy by creating, managing and delivering authoritative, reliable and relevant information and knowledge for Parliament.

General terms of use for the Library of Parliament’s digital content

Purpose of the web pages

Web pages whose addresses start with “lop.parl.ca”, “visit.parl.ca” or “learn.parl.ca” have been produced to provide users with direct access to information about the Parliament of Canada.

Site management

The web pages are managed by the Library. The Library has the sole right and responsibility for the content that it posts on its web pages. The content on these web pages is updated regularly but may not be complete or current at all times. Access to the web pages and their contents is provided on an “as-is” basis.

Parliamentary privilege

As per the Constitution and the Parliament of Canada Act, the general and public law of Canada includes parliamentary privilege, which consists of the privileges, immunities and powers held, enjoyed and exercised by the Senate and the House of Commons, and their respective Members. Parliamentary privilege enables Members to perform their constitutional functions free from external interference. It is one of the safeguards of the constitutional separation of powers.

The Parliament of Canada website contains parliamentary proceedings, papers, reports and research, which are protected by parliamentary privilege. You should be aware that if you reproduce or republish privileged materials found on the website, you may not be protected by parliamentary privilege.

Accessibility

The Library endeavours to adhere to the latest Web accessibility standards and best practices. If you have difficulty accessing Library content on the Library’s website or its social media accounts, please contact the Library, and we will try to solve the problem or provide the information in a different format.

Official Languages Act

The Official Languages Act applies to the Library, which is committed to ensuring that information made available to the public and the services offered through its website and social media accounts are provided in English and French simultaneously.

Privacy

Personal information that you directly provide to us is used for the purpose for which it is provided. Such information, as well as information that may be collected when you browse the Library website, may be used for internal purposes, such as analytics, or may be used for IT security or law enforcement purposes.

Digital markers (“Cookies”)

The Library website, like many others, uses small files called cookies to help customize users’ experiences. You may adjust your browser settings to reject digital markers, including cookies, if you so choose. Please be advised that disabling or rejecting cookies may affect your ability to interact with the Library’s web pages during visits.

Web analytics

Web analytics is the collection, analysis, measurement and reporting of data about web traffic and visits for the purposes of understanding and optimizing web usage. Information in digital markers may be used to allow web analytics applications to remember your online interactions with the Library’s web pages. If you wish, to avoid being tracked, you may disable JavaScript within your browser or you may disable or refuse cookies.

The contents of the Library’s web pages and social media accounts are covered by the provisions of the Copyright Act and related regulations and international agreements. Permission to reproduce Library content in whole or in part or to otherwise use this content must be obtained from the Library prior to use.

Any material, including audio and video recordings and images, that the Library posts on its social media accounts is subject to Canadian copyright laws with all rights reserved, unless otherwise specified. In the case of materials whose copyright is held by a third party, users must seek permission from the third-party copyright holder to reproduce or otherwise use such material.

Trademark notice

The Parliament of Canada emblem – the official symbol of the Parliament of Canada – and the Library logo may not be reproduced, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

Links to websites not under the control of the Library are provided solely for your convenience. We are not responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information provided by external sources. We do not offer any guarantee in that regard and are not responsible for the information found through these links, nor do we endorse the sites and their content unless otherwise specified.

You should also be aware that information offered by external sites to which Library web pages link may not be subject to the Official Languages Act and may not be accessible to persons with disabilities.

Disclaimer of liability

The Library, its employees and the Parliamentary Librarian are not responsible for any loss or damage which may be attributable to the use of or the reliance on the content found on the lop.parl.ca or visit.parl.ca websites, or result from any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus, communication line failure, theft or destruction, or unauthorized access to or alteration or use of information under any cause of action.

All content on these websites, including research publications, is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice, or an opinion of any kind, political or otherwise. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the information presented is current and accurate. However, users should verify the information and consult a lawyer or seek the advice of a professional before relying or acting on the information provided on these websites.

Specific terms of use for the Library of Parliament’s social media accounts

The following terms of use have been developed to preserve the integrity and impartiality of the Library on its social media accounts. Users and followers who interact with the Library through these accounts agree to comply with the Library’s terms of use.

The Library’s social media terms of use are subject to change without notice. By continuing to interact with and follow the Library’s social media, users and followers agree to such modifications.

The Library does not endorse any of the views expressed by users and followers. Furthermore, it reserves the right to remove any comments made in violation of the Library’s terms of use or to block users and followers who do not comply with them.

Purpose of social media interactions with the Library

The Library has established social media accounts to provide timely, accurate and objective information about its products, collection, programs and services in a way that meets the needs of parliamentarians, stakeholders and the public.

The social media accounts of the Library supplement the Library’s more traditional channels as a method of sharing content and interacting with parliamentarians, stakeholders and the public.

All accounts and channels are managed by the Library. Learn more about the Library's accounts on the Library of Parliament on social media.

Content and monitoring

When following the Library’s social media accounts, users can expect to see information about the Library’s research and information products, collection, programs and services.

The Library may remove content when appropriate.

Accounts and channels are updated and monitored on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. eastern time. The frequency of these activities may vary depending on the parliamentary calendar and parliamentary activity.

Availability

Because social media platforms are provided by third-party providers, the Library’s social media accounts may be subject to outages beyond the Library’s control. The Library accepts no responsibility for third-party platforms.

Comments and interaction

When comments are enabled on a Library social media account, the Library will read them and participate in discussions when appropriate. The Library is impartial and will not engage in any way when comments or questions are political or partisan or violate these terms of use.

The Library asks that all comments be relevant, accurate and made in good faith. When commenting on the Library’s social media accounts, users and followers are solely responsible for everything that they post. All posted comments are in the public domain.

The Library does not discriminate against any views, but reserves the right to report and/or remove comments, such as those that:

  • are contrary to the principles of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms;
  • express racist, hateful, sexist, homophobic, slanderous, insulting or life‑threatening messages;
  • contain serious, unproven, unsupported or inaccurate accusations against individuals or organizations;
  • are abusive, aggressive, coarse, explicit, vulgar, violent, obscene or pornographic;
  • encourage or suggest illegal activity or violate copyright or trademarks;
  • are posted anonymously or by robot accounts;
  • are announcements, solicitations, advertisements or endorsements of any financial, commercial or non-governmental organizations or agencies;
  • contain announcements and advertisements from labour or political organizations;
  • attempt to defame or defraud any individual, group or agency;
  • are written in a language other than English or French;
  • are repetitive posts, copied and pasted by multiple users;
  • are nonsensical or irrelevant; or
  • contain hyperlinks to content that violates the above-mentioned restrictions.

Anyone acting contrary to these terms of use may be blocked temporarily or permanently from the Library’s social media accounts and reported to the social media platform’s abuse authority.

Endorsements

The Library’s decision to “follow,” “friend,” “like” or “subscribe” does not imply endorsement of another social media account, channel, page, user, organization or website. Similarly, the appearance of a user as a “follower,” “friend,” “like” or “subscriber” of the Library’s account does not imply endorsement of any kind.

Links to other websites and ads

The Library’s social media accounts may post or display links or ads for websites (including other social media platforms) that are not under the Library’s control.

Links to non-Library websites are provided solely for the convenience of users, based on their relevance to the Library’s programs, policies and services, and on their perceived usefulness. The Library is not responsible for the content on these other websites, and it does not offer any guarantee in that regard, nor does it endorse the websites and their content.

Official Languages Act

When comment features are enabled on the Library’s social media accounts, users are encouraged to comment in the official language of their choice. The Library responds when appropriate to comments, video responses and questions in the official language in which they are posted. If the Library’s response is of general public interest, the response is posted in both official languages.

Users should be aware that some links may direct users to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to Canada’s Official Languages Act and that these sources may not be available in both official languages.

Social media and privacy

Personal information that you provide on the Library’s social media accounts is used for the purpose for which it is provided.

As a best practice, users are advised not to share personal information, such as home addresses and telephone numbers, photographs containing images of identifiable individuals, or any other personal information.

The Library’s social media accounts and channels are not hosted on its website. Users are encouraged to read the terms of the privacy policies of the social media platforms used by the Library: X, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram.

How to contact us

If you experience any difficulties or catch typos or broken links while navigating the Library’s web pages or social media accounts, or if you have comments or inquiries about the information provided on these platforms, please contact us.