For marketing services looking to engage consumers or businesses in Canada through phone calls or SMS, the allure of readily available “phone number lists” can be strong. Canada, with its distinct legal framework for telecommunications and electronic messages, offers a unique set of opportunities and, more importantly, stringent compliance requirements. Simply acquiring a list without understanding these rules is a recipe for significant penalties and reputational damage.
This article will outline the key legal considerations for phone-based marketing in Canada and guide marketing services on legitimate and compliant ways to build and utilize phone number lists.
The Canadian Regulatory Landscape
Canada boasts some of the strictest malta phone number list anti-spam and telemarketing laws globally. The primary pieces of legislation governing phone-based marketing are:
National Do Not Call List (DNCL) and Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules (UT Rules):
CRTC Mandate: Administered by the clean email Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the DNCL allows Canadians to register their residential, mobile, and fax numbers to opt out of unsolicited telemarketing calls.
Telemarketer Obligation: If your marketing service conducts telemarketing, you must register with the DNCL, pay applicable fees, and regularly scrub your calling lists against the DNCL.
Violations can lead to significant
Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs) – up to $1,500 for an individual and $15,000 for a corporation per violation, with penalties escalating for repeated breaches.
Exemptions: Some organizations are exempt from the DNCL, such as registered charities, political parties, and newspapers soliciting subscriptions. Also, calls understanding iphone call blocking for marketing services: a user’s perspective to businesses (B2B) are generally exempt, and calls where an “existing business relationship” (EBR) or “express consent” exists.
Existing Business Relationship (EBR): Generally, an EBR allows calls if a consumer has purchased goods/services within the last 18 months, or made an inquiry/application within the last 6 months.
Express Consent: This is the safest ground for calling, even for numbers on the DNCL. It requires clear, verifiable permission from the individual to receive telemarketing calls from your specific entity.
Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL):