Hyperlinking Criteria

The Human Resources and Skill Development Canada (HRSDC) and Social Development Canada (SDC) web sites are aimed at providing users with information and services that are relevant and applicable to departmental mandates and those of the Government of Canada (GoC). To this end, we will use the following criteria to determine the suitability of links to and from our web sites.

General Rules

• We reserve the right to refuse to post a link, to refuse to renew a link, or to terminate an existing link without prior notice due to non-compliance with the criteria outlined in this policy or for any other appropriate reason which may include, but is not restricted to, site navigation or content problems, or to frequent client complaints.
• We do not sell advertising or the benefits associated with links or banners.
• We do not display third party logos, images or icons on our web sites unless a Collaborative Arrangement exists.

Links from HRSDC and SDC web sites

If you would like to request that we provide a link to your site from our web sites, please review the criteria that follow before submitting your request. Decisions to post links on the sites will be subject to this criteria. Additional criteria not posted on this site may also be applied when deciding whether to grant a linking request.

• Site content must reflect our aims and objectives, our programs and initiatives, and is consistent with our mandates. In some cases, we may consider linking to organizations whose mandate or objectives are related to the overall GoC mandate, as opposed to the individual mandates of HRSDC and SDC.
• Site content must be current, accurate and add significant value to this site's content.
• Site content must be in compliance with the laws of Canada, including all relevant privacy, human rights and copyright legislation.
• Sites must be appropriate both in terms of content and their affiliations.
• Sites must allow users to navigate back to our web sites. They cannot block the user's return to that site by imbedding code within the linked page that will prevent the use of the browser "Back" button.
• Site content targeted to specific audiences must be appropriate to the needs and expectations of that audience.
• Sites must provide contact information that includes, as a minimum, two of the following:
  1. E-mail
  2. Postal mail
  3. Phone number
  4. TTY/TTD

Also note that:

• Preference will be given to web sites that have published privacy policies on their sites and abide by them.
• Preference will be given to sites with bilingual content; however, links may be made to unilingual sites that add significant value not found on existing bilingual sites.
• Preference may be given to sites that meet the accessibility requirements outlined in the Treasury Board Secretariat's Common Look and Feel Standards 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4.
• Preference will also be given to sites that provide uninterrupted, free access to users.

Businesses and organizations interested in requesting a link on a web site are invited to contact the web site administrator. Requests for linking should include an explanation of how the proposed link can contribute to the enhancement of the department's web sites, as well as a return address and contact name. Even if your request meets our criteria, the departments reserve the right to refuse to post a link.

Links to HRSDC and SDC web sites

Generally, GoC institutions encourage third parties to link to the GoC. Sites wishing to link to our web sites, therefore, do not need to request permission to do so. We do, however, ask that you follow these linking practices.

• Use only text links for linking to our web sites.
• Do not link and/or use the official symbols of the GoC and Federal Identity Program (FIP) signatures as navigational aids.
• Official symbols of the GoC and the FIP signatures should only appear on non-government sites when they are used to identify a government contribution or participation in a Collaborative Arrangement.
• Do not create links that will confuse users as to the source of the information through such practices as framing. Entire pages should load into the users' windows so that users know they are viewing content from our web sites.
• The links provided must respect the Copyright Notice that governs materials published on our web sites.
• Do not use any of the material from the our web sites in a manner suggesting that any person or non-GoC organization or event is in any way related to, sponsored by or affiliated with HRSDC and SDC.
• Content from our web sites must be used "as is" and no fees will be charged for access to it.