YouTube Protocol

This protocol describes how Health Canada communicates with Canadians via  YouTube, a free video-sharing platform.

The Department currently holds one YouTube channel in each official language:

 Health Canada (English) /  Santé Canada (French)

This YouTube Protocol applies to the channels listed above. Any other account or channel on YouTube bearing the Health Canada name is not an official Health Canada account.

Table of Contents

• Video Content
• Availability
• Subscriptions and Relevant Channels
• Subscribers and Friends
• Commenting Policy
• Feedback and Messages
• Accessibility
• Embedding Videos on other Websites
• Copyright/Permission to Reproduce
• Official Languages
• Privacy
• Links to other Websites
• Additional information

Content

YouTube serves as an additional mechanism to reach Canadians and is mainly used as an alternative method for accessing videos posted to Health Canada's video gallery.

Videos displayed on our YouTube channel cover various health related themes and topics, ranging from public health messages to television commercials.

We may also occasionally broadcast content from other users that may be of interest to our viewers or from others that have requested that Health Canada broadcast their content. Provided the content is available in both official languages, we will generally agree to broadcast videos when requested by other government departments and we will consider requests from the following:

• Organizations collaborating with Health Canada; and
• Health Canada stakeholders and other non-profit organizations.

Availability

Health Canada's YouTube channel availability is beyond our control. As such, we cannot be held responsible for the availability or unresponsiveness of the YouTube website and Health Canada's YouTube channel.

In the event that our YouTube channel is unavailable or unresponsive, you may access videos through Health Canada's video gallery.

Subscriptions and Related Channels

We only subscribe and/or display related channels of other Government of Canada YouTube accounts as well as channels of organizations that are relevant to our mandate – specifically, as it relates to the health and safety of Canadians. This could include subscribing to YouTube accounts of non-profit organizations, professional associations and other governmental agencies.

The Related Channels feature is used to highlight channels more closely related to the Department's mandate or those that identify government priorities.

The decision to subscribe and/or display a particular YouTube account of another organization does not imply endorsement of any kind of that organization's products or services.

Subscribers and Friends

We do not accept friend requests, however, users are invited to subscribe to our channel.

We will only take steps to remove or block subscribers if they do not abide by this YouTube Protocol.  Health Canada may also report users to YouTube if they do not comply with  YouTube's terms of service.

The appearance of a YouTube user as a subscriber of the Health Canada YouTube channel does not imply endorsement of any kind.

Commenting Policy

Health Canada has disabled the commenting and video responses on this account at this time.

Feedback and Messages

All messages sent to the Health Canada YouTube inbox will be read, and emerging themes or helpful suggestions will be directed to the appropriate Health Canadastaff.

We are not able to reply to all messages and will only reply to those messages for which Health Canada has determined a response is required or appropriate. If we determine that a comment or a question posed to Health Canada requires a response and that such response would be beneficial to the public in general, we may develop a formal response and distribute the information through other channels, including the Health Canada website or other social media channels.

Health Canada cannot and does not provide medical advice, cannot comment on issues of party politics or answer questions that do not comply with Health Canada's commenting policy.

To protect your privacy we also ask that you do not include sensitive personal information, such as your health card number, in your message.

Accessibility

YouTube, as a third party service provider, is not bound by Government of Canada policies for Web accessibility.

The Government of Canada is committed to achieving a high standard of accessibility. If you have any problems accessing any information on the site, visit our video gallery on this website for alternative versions, along with transcripts and closed captioning.

Embedding Videos on Other Websites

Health Canada permits most of its videos to be embedded on other websites by enabling the YouTube Embedded Player. This feature may be disabled at any time without prior notice by Health Canada or YouTube.  Health Canada will not be responsible for any damages resulting from the disabling of such function.

Copyright/Permission to Reproduce

Information posted by Health Canada is protected by the  Copyright Act of Canada.

Reproduction of Health Canada videos, in part or in whole, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes, by any means other than by use of the YouTube Embedded Player is not permitted without written authorization. For more details on permission to reproduce content and symbols, visit the Copyright/Permission to Reproduce section of the Health Canada website.

Copyright infringement may be reported to  YouTube YouTube Terms of Service.

Official Languages

Health Canada is bound by the  Official Languages Act and is committed to ensuring that information products are available in both French and English, of equal quality. Videos will be posted simultaneously in both official languages - in English on the  Health Canada channel, and in French on  Santé Canada channel.

Users should be aware that some links direct users to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the  Official Languages Act and that these sources are only available in the language in which they are written.

The YouTube interface is available in multiple languages including English and French. To change the interface's language settings, select either “English” or “French” from the language selection menu available in YouTube's website footer (the bottom of the website).

Privacy

The Health Canada YouTube channel is not a Government of Canada website. YouTube is a third-party service provider we use to distribute our videos. All information associated with subscribing to the Health Canada channel is collected by YouTube and subject to its privacy policy and guidelines. Subscribers to the Health Canada YouTube Channel are encouraged to read  YouTube's privacy policy and guidelines before subscribing.

Users are strongly advised not to post personal information, such as home addresses and telephone numbers, videos containing images of identifiable individuals, and any other information consisting of personal information as defined in  Section 3 of the  Privacy Act. Please note that Health Canada does not intend to collect any personal information that may be submitted via YouTube. Should you have any questions about your privacy rights as explained in this notice, please contact the departmental Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator.

Links to Other Websites

Links to websites not under the control of the Government of Canada from Health Canada's YouTube channels are provided solely for the convenience of users. Neither Health Canada nor the Government of Canada is responsible for the accuracy, currency or reliability of the content on these sites. The Government of Canada is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse the organizations hosting these sites, their products and services, the sites themselves and their content.

Additional Information

If you are looking for more information about the Department, please consult our Health Canada website.

The usual ways of contacting us for official correspondence are detailed in the Contact Us section of the website.

Thank you for taking the time to read this Protocol. If you have questions about this policy, please contact the Social Media Team.