Introduction
Members, persons seeking membership, and vendors of the Great Dane Club of Canada (“we,” “our,” “us,” or “the Club”), are expected to act lawfully, honestly, ethically, and in the best interests of the Club while performing duties on behalf of or acting as Ambassadors for the Great Dane Club of Canada. This Code provides some guidelines for conduct required of those members along with the Great Dane Club of Canada Code of Ethics, Great Dane Club of Canada Constitution & Bylaws, the Canadian Kennel Club Bylaws, and the Canadian Kennel Club Code of Ethics (Including any other provincial jurisdictions guidelines). Persons who are unsure whether their conduct or the conduct of other members complies with this Code should contact the Club. This Code is subject to change and may be amended, supplemented, or superseded by one or more separate policies.
If any part of this Code conflicts with local laws or regulations, only the sections of this Code permitted by applicable laws and regulations will apply. Any policies that are specifically applicable to your jurisdiction will take precedence to the extent they conflict with this Code.
Integrity
Our reputation as a Club that our members can trust is our most valuable asset, and it is up to all of us to make sure that we continually earn that trust. All of our communications and other interactions with our users should increase their trust in us.
Communication
You should take care to ensure that all communications, including electronic communications, social media and any other media types accurate. The Club may have obligations to preserve communications and other information in connection with existing or reasonably foreseeable legal or ethical matters. Listed are guidelines for communications (focusing but not limited to social and regular media types).
1. Be Nice, Have Fun and Connect – Consistent with our Code of Conduct, every Club member must be respectful to others. Even when you are on a personal account, your social media activity could be seen by others members, clubs or the public. We are always ambassadors of the club and the breed and should conduct all interactions (club related or not) with respect and dignity of ourselves and others. The Great Dane Club of Canada has zero tolerance for racism, bigotry, misogyny, express or implied threats of harassment or physical harm, or hate speech. “Hate speech” includes any speech – or endorsement or promotion of speech – that is derogatory toward a group of people based on a protected classification. This can include race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexuality, caste, gender or disability. For example, speech that dehumanizes, ridicules, or condones or promotes violence against a protected class of people is hate speech. How you say something can matter as much as what you say. You should not bully, harass or threaten violence against anyone on or outside of social media. If you find yourself in a disagreement on social media, use a respectful tone or disengage.
2. Be Transparent and Disclose – When you talk about The Great Dane Club of Canada on social media, you should disclose that you are part of the Club. Your friends may know, but their network of friends and colleagues may not, and you don’t want to accidentally mislead someone. You should use the #Great Dane Club of Canada, #Great Dane Club of Canada MidWest, #Great Dane Club of Canada West, or #Great Dane Club of Canada East hashtag in any post that discusses The Club.
3. Be Responsible & Respectful – All members are encouraged to speak about the Club and share news and information. Always remember that anything posted in social media can go viral or be screenshotted, re-shared or reposted as there is very little privacy protection for anything shared on social media, no matter what your privacy settings may be. If you mistakenly post something on a social media platform, it will be hard to delete completely. You should avoid posting content that might contain legal conclusions, intellectual property that belongs to others, or defamatory or inflammatory language. Everything you post online can be traced back to you, so be sure what you post is appropriate before you post it. Your post might be shared with others and archived even if you delete it later. Even if you put something in your bio about your content being just your own, that might not stop someone else online from complaining about your activity and noting that you are a member of the Club.
Harassment
As was previously stated in communication the Club does not tolerate harassment or any mistreatment any of its members, or vendors that represent the Club, on the basis of sex, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, ancestry, citizenship, religion (or belief, where applicable), age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member), or any other category protected under applicable federal, provincial, or local law. If you suspect harassment, discrimination, or retaliation has occurred, you are encouraged to notify the National President or the National Secretary.
Privacy
There maybe some situations where we will need to keep certain things private and confidential. We will respect and protect the privacy of our members, vendors, judges and any other persons or groups working with or associated with the Club. We will also respect and protect others privacy. Do not share private personal or confidential information without the authorization of the Club or the vendor, person, or group.
Reporting Violations
If you learn about or suspect a violation of this Code, you shall promptly report it to the National President or National Secretary. In cases in which an individual reports a suspected violation of policy or law in good faith and is not engaged in the reported conduct, the Club will attempt to keep its discussions and actions confidential to the greatest extent possible. The Club will not retaliate against anyone making a good-faith report of a potential violation. The Club will appropriately investigate any report of a violation. You must cooperate fully with any investigation.