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Telemarketing Regulations – DNC CANADA
Canada's National Do Not Call List: Compliance Guide for Telemarketers
If you conduct telemarketing campaigns targeting Canadian consumers, understanding and complying with Canada’s National Do Not Call List is not optional—it’s the law. The Canadian Do Not Call List (also known as the National DNCL) was established by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to protect consumers from unwanted telemarketing calls.
Telemarketers and businesses that engage in telephone solicitation must register with the National DNCL and regularly scrub their calling lists against this registry. Failure to comply can result in substantial fines of up to $15,000 per violation. This guide provides everything you need to know about the Do Not Call Canada regulations, including who must comply, exemptions, registration procedures, fees, and best practices for maintaining compliance.
Whether you’re using consumer telemarketing lists for residential campaigns or conducting B2B outreach with business telemarketing lists, understanding these regulations protects your business from penalties while respecting consumer preferences.
*as per the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission* National Do Not Call (DNC) If you engage in telemarketing for the purpose of solicitation, or hire an agency to do so for you, then you must subscribe to the List. Remember:
Who Must Register for Canada's Do Not Call List
Any individual or organization that conducts telemarketing in Canada, or hires others to conduct telemarketing on their behalf, must subscribe to the National Do Not Call List Canada. This requirement applies regardless of whether you’re calling from within Canada or from another country.
Telemarketers and Solicitors: If your business makes unsolicited calls to Canadian consumers or businesses for the purpose of selling products, services, or soliciting donations, you must register with the Canada DNC and scrub your calling lists against the registry.
Companies Hiring Third-Party Telemarketers: Even if you don’t make calls directly but instead hire a telemarketing agency, call center, or third-party vendor to conduct calls on your behalf, you share responsibility for compliance. Both the client company and the telemarketing service provider must be registered.
Cross-Border Callers: Organizations located outside Canada that make telemarketing calls to Canadian consumers must comply with the CRTC Do Not Call regulations. Geographic location does not exempt you from compliance requirements if you’re calling Canadian phone numbers.
B2B Telemarketing: While the National DNCL primarily focuses on consumer protection, businesses should still maintain ethical calling practices. Some provinces have additional regulations governing business-to-business telemarketing that may apply to your operations.
The key principle: if you’re engaging in telephone solicitation to Canadian consumers, you must register and maintain compliance with the Canadian Do Not Call List regardless of your physical location or whether you outsource the calling.
Exemptions: Who Can Still Call Registered Numbers
Not all telemarketing calls are prohibited under the Do Not Call Canada regulations. Several important exemptions allow certain organizations and relationships to continue calling consumers who have registered on the National DNCL:
Existing Business Relationship
This is the most commonly used exemption. You may call consumers with whom you have an existing business relationship even if they’re registered on the Canada DNC. An existing business relationship exists when:
- The consumer has purchased, leased, or rented a product or service from your organization within the past 18 months
- The consumer has made a written inquiry or application regarding your products or services within the past 6 months
- The consumer has entered into a contract with your organization that is still in effect or expired within the past 18 months
Important: The existing business relationship only allows you to call about products or services similar to those previously purchased or inquired about. You cannot use this exemption to promote completely unrelated products or services.
Registered Charities and Non-Profit Organizations
Registered charities can call consumers to solicit donations even if those consumers are on the National Do Not Call List Canada. However, this exemption only applies to the charity itself—if a charity hires a third-party telemarketer to make calls on its behalf, different rules apply and may limit this exemption.
Political Parties, Riding Associations, and Candidates
Political organizations, candidates, and riding associations are exempt from CRTC Do Not Call restrictions. They may call registered consumers for political purposes including fundraising, voter contact, polling, and campaigning.
Market Research and Survey Organizations
Organizations conducting surveys, polls, or market research are exempt when the call is solely for research purposes. However, if the call includes any element of solicitation or sales pitch—even after the survey is complete—the exemption does not apply.
Newspapers Soliciting Subscriptions
Newspapers and newspaper distributors may call consumers to solicit newspaper subscriptions even if the consumer is registered on the Canadian Do Not Call List.
Person-to-Person Calls Without Concealed Identity
If you’re making person-to-person calls (not using automated dialing systems or pre-recorded messages) and you clearly identify yourself, your organization, and the purpose of the call at the beginning, some additional flexibility may apply. However, this does not exempt you from the overall registration and compliance requirements.
It’s critical to understand that these exemptions are narrow and specific. When in doubt, treat the call as subject to Do Not Call Canada regulations and scrub your list accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions About Canada's Do Not Call List
As of September 30, 2008, subscription is mandatory by law for every organization engaged in telemarketing, including those who hire a third party to make calls for them. In addition, telemarketers must make sure their own calling lists are current and accurately capture the information in the National DNCL, which is updated continually.
Many kinds of calls are exempted from the National DNCL-those for charitable donations, political parties, public-opinion surveys and calls for newspaper subscriptions, for example. As well, if an organization has done business with a consumer in the last 18 months, it is free to call that individual even if he or she has registered their number on the National DNCL. Once 18 months have passed since the last transaction, however, this expires unless the consumer consents to further calls. Importantly, organizations making exempted calls often also make calls that do fall under the National DNCL, and in those cases they must subscribe. It’s not the organization but rather the type of call that is either exempt or not. Learn more about exemptions by reading Telecom Decision CRTC 2007-48.
- As of September 30, 2008, go to http://www.LNNTE-DNCL.gc.ca and register your organization. You may subscribe to the complete List or just to the area codes of regions where you wish to conduct business; you may choose to download updates daily, annually or at another interval of your choosing. The subscription models are flexible, and your fees will depend on the specifics of the one you choose.
Yes. Even if you are making exempt calls based on a business relationship, the consumer can ask not to be contacted-at which time you must add their number to your own do not call list. According to Canada’s Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules, you are obligated to respect the consumer’s wishes and maintain your own do not call list.
- Under the National DNCL, the CRTC has new enforcement powers and can penalize telemarketers found to be in violation of the National Do Not Call List legislation or the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules. Penalties of up to $1,500 for an individual and up to $15,000 for a corporation per infraction may be levied. If you are able to show that you exercised due diligence to prevent the violation, the judgment may be overturned. You are also entitled to take your case to the Federal Court. For more information on the appeal process, you can download Telecom Decision CRTC 2007-48 at http://www.LNNTE-DNCL.gc.ca.