Telemarketing rules and the National Do Not Call List

What a telemarketer must tell you, what the National DNCL does and does not cover, and how to complain when the rules are broken.

Last reviewed 2026-07-26. Written for readers in Canada.

Unsolicited calling in Canada is governed federally by the CRTC under the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules, a framework introduced in 2007. The Rules come in three parts: the National Do Not Call List Rules, the Telemarketing Rules, and the Automatic Dialing-Announcing Device Rules, which cover recorded calls — what most people call robocalls. Knowing which part applies matters, because a call can be perfectly legal under one and a violation under another.

What a telemarketer must do on every call

These obligations apply whether or not your number is registered on the National DNCL, and they apply from the moment you pick up:

• Identify themselves at the start of the call. They must say who is calling and the purpose of the call at the beginning, not after a pitch.
• Give you a way to reach a human, on request. They must provide a local or toll-free telephone number, or an email address, where you can reach a representative of the organisation.
• Display a usable number. They must display the number they are calling from, or a number you can call back to reach them.
• Respect restricted calling hours. The Rules limit when telemarketing calls may be made. The CRTC publishes the current windows.

A caller who refuses to identify the organisation, or who cannot give you a callback number, is breaking the Rules regardless of what they are selling. That refusal is itself the reportable fact, and it is often easier to evidence than the content of the pitch.

The National Do Not Call List, and its real limits

You can register a home, mobile, VoIP or fax number free of charge at lnnte-dncl.gc.ca. Registration takes effect within 24 hours and is permanent — the old rule requiring re-registration every few years is gone. You can check whether your number is listed at any time, and remove it if you want to.

Two timing details explain most of the frustration people feel after registering. First, telemarketers are allowed a 31-day grace period to pick up a new registration, so calls in the first month are not necessarily violations. Second, the copy of the list a telemarketer relies on must be no more than 31 days old — so a caller using a four-month-old list is in breach, and that is worth stating in a complaint.

The larger limit is that the National DNCL does not cover every caller. Part II of the Rules sets out exemptions, which include registered charities, political parties and candidates, newspapers of general circulation calling about subscriptions, and organisations you already have a business relationship with. Those callers may lawfully ring a registered number.

But — and this is the part most people never get told — an exempt caller must still keep an internal do not call list. If you tell any telemarketer not to call you again, including an exempt one, they must add you to their own list within 14 days, and keep you on it for three years and 14 days. So the sentence “please put me on your internal do not call list” has legal force even where the National DNCL does not. Say it explicitly, and note the date.

What the National DNCL cannot help with at all

The Rules govern telemarketing — calls that sell or promote a product or service. They are not designed for outright fraud. A criminal impersonating the Canada Revenue Agency is not a non-compliant telemarketer who forgot to subscribe to a list; they are committing an offence, they are very often calling from outside Canada, and they are spoofing the number on your display. Registering on the National DNCL will not reduce those calls, and no amount of complaining to the CRTC will either. That is a fraud report, covered in reporting fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

How to complain, and what makes a complaint usable

Complaints go to the CRTC through the National DNCL website. A complaint is far more likely to be actionable if you record, at the time:

• the date and time of the call, as precisely as you can;
• the number shown on your display, even if you suspect it is spoofed;
• the name of the organisation the caller gave, or the fact that they refused to give one;
• whether you had previously asked that organisation not to call, and when;
• any callback number or email the caller offered.

Penalties under the framework are meaningful: up to $1,500 per violation for an individual and up to $15,000 per violation for a corporation, and a violation is counted per call. That structure is why a pattern of calls, evidenced with dates, is worth more than a single annoyed report.

This page describes federal rules that apply across Canada. Consumer protection law that may also bear on a sales call — cooling-off periods, contract cancellation rights — is provincial and differs by province.