Federal bureaucrats have been officially barred from watching Netflix, streaming sports, or browsing “intimate apparel” sites while on the clock, according to Treasury Board directives tabled in Parliament. Blacklock's Reporter says the orders, revealed in response to a Conservative MP’s inquiry, show just how far Ottawa has gone to control what public servants view at work.The blacklist applies to all government-issued computers and blocks dozens of popular entertainment and social media platforms, including Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, Twitch, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Access to channels like Sportsnet is also prohibited “to avoid issues with network congestion,” cabinet wrote in a formal Inquiry of Ministry.The request came from Conservative MP Kelly McCauley (Edmonton West), who asked what directives had been issued to restrict access to entertainment websites. .Departments responded with detailed accounts of just how tightly their firewalls are locked down.The Canada Infrastructure Bank said its system blocks material “clearly unrelated to infrastructure,” adding that its filters ban categories such as violence, swimsuits, nudity, pornography, adult content, cults, illegal drugs, and “questionable skills.”The Canada Revenue Agency said all entertainment sites are off-limits unless staff receive written authorization for specific work purposes. “A customized internet access group was created to allow users to access television and video streaming websites for specific work-related duties through an approved exception process,” the agency wrote.The Department of Agriculture confirmed that it blocked streaming video platforms last December, while the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions said it limits employee access to sites like LinkedIn unless there’s “a proven business need” approved by the Chief Information Officer..Despite the restrictions, not everyone in government has followed the rules. The Public Sector Labour Relations Board reported in an April 20 ruling that Canada Revenue Agency managers routinely watched live sports in the office during business hours. “Employees were advised by word of mouth that games were being broadcast in the boardroom and did not have to account for the time they spent watching a broadcast,” the Board found.
