CLF - About Us

About - CIOB	About - TBS

Purpose

This Web site is to assist federal departments and agencies with the implementation of the Treasury Board Common Look and Feel (CLF) Standards on their Internet Web sites. It is designed to provide a common understanding of the CLF standards and guidelines together with the tools and techniques necessary for government-wide implementation.

The implementation of the CLF standards by departments and agencies is mandatory while the guidelines can be implemented at the discretion of the institution.

The Treasury Board Secretariat communicated this decision in a letter to Deputy Ministers and Heads of Agencies the first of June 2000.

Application

These standards apply to all federal institutions listed in Schedule 1, 1.1 and 2 of the Financial Administration Act.

Implementation Date

As of January 1, 2003, all Government institutions identified in Schedules 1, 1.1 and 2 of the Financial Administration Act are required to provide information and services on their Internet Web sites in accordance with the TB-approved Standards for Common Look and Feel.

Audience

The audience for this Web site is primarily those who are tasked with building, enhancing or revamping Internet Web sites within the Government of Canada (GoC) environment. This includes Web developers, content providers, Web technologists and communications personnel.

Overview

The Government of Canada delivers hundreds of programs and services through more than 10,000 locations. Now, with advanced technologies, the opportunity exists to exponentially broaden its reach and meet the needs of Canadians by providing information and services on demand - when and where it is most convenient for them. With the implementation of the Common Look and Feel standards across Government of Canada Internet Web sites, Canadians will be able to distinguish federal programs and services from others and successfully navigate from one federal site to another to find information relevant to their circumstances.

A list of all of the Common Look and Feel Standards and Guidelines is available for viewing in HTML, RTF and PDF formats.

CLF Standards and Guidelines - HTML Print Version
CLF Standards and Guidelines - RTF Version
 CLF Standards and Guidelines - PDF Version

Note: to read the PDF document you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system. If the Adobe download site is not accessible to you, you can download Acrobat Reader from an accessible page.

Background on how and why the Common Look and Feel initiative was undertaken.