With the next Canadian federal election slotted for later this year, you may get telephone calls from political representatives or organizations. Here’s what you need to know about the laws that speak to these calls.
Consumer Protection BC oversees BC’s telemarketing rules. These rules are in place to ensure telemarketers are contacting consumers only at appropriate hours and are keeping certain records. Under the Telemarketer Licensing Regulation, there are certain people or businesses that don’t need to be licensed – that includes charities, educational institutions, banks, credit unions, businesses conducting surveys and, finally, political organizations.
What are the rules?
When it comes to telemarketing from political entities, a set of different rules apply – they are called the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules. These are overseen by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Here are some highlights of the rules that apply to political calls – this is just our interpretation so for all the details, check out the CRTC’s website directly here.
- The CRTC’s Telemarketing Rules DO NOT apply to live voice calls that are not made for the purpose of solicitation. These could include calls to learn about your voting preferences or to inform you about local polling stations.
- The CRTC’s Telemarketing Rules DO apply to calls that are made for the purpose of solicitation. These could include calls from people asking for campaign donations.
- The National Do Not Call List Rules DO NOT apply to calls made on behalf of exempt political entities. This means exempt political parties and candidates are allowed to call you, even if you’re registered on the Do Not Call list.
We hope this information was helpful!
ADDITIONAL READING:
The Do Not Call List
Watch out for charity scams
Hang up on unwanted scam calls