National Do Not Call List

The National Do Not Call List (DNCL) is a list administered by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) that enables Canadian residents to decide whether or not to receive telemarketing calls. It was first announced by the Government of Canada on December 13, 2004.

The DNCL has been labelled a "disaster" by Michael Geist and a "success" by polling conducted by a telemarketer (All polling firms are telemarketers, by the definition of the Telecommunications Act, having specifically been listed as telemarketers which have been granted an exemption from the DNCL)

The DNCL continues to receive heavy criticism, the latest being from Senator Percy Downe who referred to it as "totally useless", due to the costly but totally ineffective enforcement, the large number of exempt groups and the ability for anyone from anywhere in the world to purchase sets of phone numbers for relatively low fees, and then abuse the Do Not Call List as a calling list. Senator Downe cited multiple examples of constituents, whom he had personally added to the list, receiving a sudden increase in telemarketing calls three months later.

On April 20, 2009, the CRTC announced that telephone and fax numbers on the list would be listed on the DNCL for five years, extended from the three years at the list's inception. Numbers are now on the list indefinitely.

Legislation entitled Bill C-37, An Act to amend the Telecommunications Act [17], introduced in the House of Commons, was given first reading on December 13, 2004. It addressed telemarketing calls in Canada and would allow people to sign up to prevent certain telemarketers from contacting them. It received royal assent on November 25, 2005 and came into force on 30 June 2006.

The legislation gives the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) authority to establish a national do not call list, to establish procedures to administer the Act and to levy penalties for violations.

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