Safe and Secure Communications

The CRTC’s goal is to support a safe and secure communications system that Canadians can trust. To help do so, the CRTC provides education and outreach, works with partners and examines ways to implement effective regulatory policies to respond to constantly evolving conditions.

Partnership and Outreach

Educating Telemarketers and Working with Stakeholders

To help telemarketers and clients of telemarketers comply with the Rules, the CRTC hosted several compliance outreach sessions for industry representatives across Canada.

The CRTC also developed guidance material for specific industries. These tools are to help individuals, companies and organizations understand how to comply with the Rules.

Policy Development and Implementation

As one of the measures to reduce spam calls, the Commission approved the deployment of a call traceback process to determine the origin of unsolicited calls made in non-compliance with the Rules. The Commission stated that although it considers the traceback process to be a success, the participation is voluntary and only a limited number of telecommunications service providers are participating.

The Commission further noted that the call traceback process would be most effective if all telecommunications service providers participated. Among other things, the call traceback process provides valuable data that the Commission utilizes to analyze call traffic patterns and identify the entry point of nuisance calls in the country. This information is crucial for developing effective strategies to prevent and address nuisance calls.

Therefore, the Commission initiated a proceeding to obtain public comments on its proposal to require telecommunications service providers providing voice telecommunications services in Canada to participate in the traceback process as a condition of offering and providing telecommunications services pursuant to sections 24 and 24.1 of the Act.

Bringing the Message to Canadians

In 2023-2024, the CRTC:

continued to use X, Facebook, and LinkedIn to inform and educate Canadians and telemarketers about issues related to telemarketing;
used X, Facebook, and LinkedIn on a regular basis to remind Canadians that the DNCL offers a chat service to guide Canadians on how to report unsolicited calls;
used X and Facebook, to remind Canadians how to report complaints;
ran a social media campaign warning Canadians to stay vigilant during the holiday season; and
promoted Fraud Prevention Month by highlighting a “scam of the week” that sought to help Canadians recognize, reject and report fraud.

Numbers of Posts

Post Impressions

45%

38%

17%

International and Domestic Cooperation

The CRTC continually works on building strong partnerships with industry and domestic and international enforcement agencies, which helps the CRTC be more effective in promoting compliance with the Rules.

Presently, the CRTC works with members from over 26 countries to fulfill its mandate, to promote international cooperation and to address problems relating to compliance and enforcement.

Within Canada, the CRTC has established information sharing partnerships with the Competition Bureau (CB), the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC), and the Consumer Protection Authority of British Columbia. Outside of Canada, the CRTC has them established with the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO); Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications; the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP); and New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA).