Do Not Call List

The National Do Not Call List (DNCL) is now in effect. Canadians can now add their phone numbers (land lines, cell phones and fax numbers) to the list to prevent annoying telemarketing calls. Consumers can register, free of charge, up to three Canadian telephone numbers. The registration is for the number, not the person, and the numbers stay on the list for three years. Registrants will not be notified when the three-year term expires. People who change their number must register the new number with the DNCL. Consumers can call 1-866-580-DNCL (3625) from the telephone number that they wish to register or de-register, or they can register online at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/ENG/dncl.htm

Telemarketers must register with the CRTC, and pay a subscription fee to receive regular downloads of the list. They must keep call lists current and in line with the DNCL so that they don’t call a DNC-registered number. All telemarketers must maintain their own do-not-call lists even if they’re making calls that are exempt from national DNCL rules, and they must comply if consumers ask to have their numbers removed from these internal lists. Telemarketers can only make calls and send faxes at certain times of the day, and they must identify themselves at the beginning of every call. 

The exemptions to the list likely to be most relevant to brokers include consumers who have given consent to being called, calls to consumers who have existing business relationships with the caller, and calls to business consumers (that is, business telephone numbers). An existing business relationship is defined as:

• The consumer purchased or leased a product from the organization within the past 18 months,
• The consumer had a written contract with the organization that expired within the past 18 months, or

For information on the above: Trudy Lancelyn, IBABC, 604-606-8008, or click here.