The Canadian government blocked Netflix and other streaming services for federal employees after discovering workers were streaming thousands of hours of video content during work time, according to internal documents obtained by CBC News.
Government data revealed significant streaming activity across federal departments before the December 2024 ban. The Department of National Defence logged over 3 terabytes of streaming monthly, while Public Services and Procurement Canada used nearly 3 terabytes — equivalent to more than 1,000 hours of high-definition video per department.
Seven other major departments, including Global Affairs Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency, each streamed about 0.75 terabytes monthly. An additional 10 terabytes of streaming occurred on the federal government’s guest Wi-Fi network.
Shared Services Canada blocked access to Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Crave across 45 government departments in December, affecting hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
Internal emails show officials treated the streaming as a workplace conduct issue. Shared Services Canada President Scott Jones told Treasury Board officials in October 2024 that streaming represented a “people management issue” beyond just network concerns.
Jones referenced “public perception of the public service,” writing there was “value in engaging [deputy ministers] on these issues and in committing SSC to take some action.”
The agency publicly stated “streaming services are not considered work tools and offer no business value for the Government of Canada.”
One terabyte equals at least 340 hours of high-definition streaming or 1,000 hours of standard definition — meaning some departments were logging the equivalent of multiple full-time positions worth of video watching monthly.
Social media platforms including YouTube and Facebook remain accessible to government workers.
The ban took effect December 2, 2024, with employees receiving warnings in mid-November. Canada employs over 357,000 federal workers, not including military or Royal Canadian Mounted Police personnel.
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