Global footer: Main band: Canada.ca design system

Last updated: 2023-04-06

Mandatory on standard pages

The main footer band is the primary element of the global footer. It provides links to the Government of Canada All contacts page, the directory of departments and agencies and the About government theme page. It also provides links to all the theme pages within Canada.ca.

2022 design update: We’ve recently updated this pattern as part of a new navigation strategy coming out of the Wayfinding research project. To find out more about this project, visit the Research and rationale section on this page.

When to use

The main footer band is a mandatory element for all standard pages from the Government of Canada.

It’s optional for transactional and campaign pages.

What to avoid

Don’t adjust links or content in the main band. It should stay consistent across the Government of Canada web presence. For links that are specific to an organization or program, use the contextual band.

Content and design

Content specifications

There are 2 groups of links in the main band, separated by a short dividing bar.

Global links:

• All contacts
• Departments and agencies
• About government

Theme links in the following order:

• Jobs
• Immigration and citizenship
• Travel and tourism
• Business
• Benefits
• Health
• Taxes
• Environment and natural resources
• National security and defence
• Culture, history and sport
• Policing, justice and emergencies
• Transport and infrastructure
• Canada and the world
• Money and finance
• Science and innovation
• Indigenous peoples
• Veterans and military
• Youth

Design specifications

• Background colour: Primary accent colour (#26374a)
• Text colour: white (#FFFFFF)
• Font family:
  • header: Lato
  • links: Noto Sans
• Text size (base size for the footer is 16px):
  • header: 19px or 1.2em
  • links: 14px or 0.875em
• Font weight:
  • header: 700 or bold
  • links: 400 or regular
• Silhouette image of parliament set to the lower right
• Columns: 3 column in large and medium screen formats, 1 column in small screen format

Visual examples

Text version

On large screens the main band is arranged in 3 columns and contains links to “All contacts,” “Departments and agencies,” and “About government.” There is a small decorative line as a break before continuing with links to all themes and audiences.

Text version

On small screens the main band is arranged in a single column and contains links to “All contacts,” “Departments and agencies,” and “About government.” There is a small decorative line as a break before continuing with links to all themes and audiences.