Legislation for Canada's do-not-call list was passed in November, but it will take almost two years for the telemarketing regulations to be put into effect.
Says Canwest News:
"Last-minute changes to the Telecommunications Act, passed just before the federal election was called, will let Canadians add their phone numbers to a national do-not-call list. Telemarketers are prohibited from calling numbers on the list, and face a hefty fine if they do otherwise.
"Too bad it will take nearly two years for the law to take effect."
"Once the list is operational, Canadians who do not wish to receive calls from telemarketers will be able to add their telephone number to a single centralized list that telemarketers will be required to download regularly and respect. Both the United States and the United Kingdom have similar systems.
"Penalties of up to $1,500 per offending call for individuals and up to $15,000 per offending call for corporations would be imposed for telemarketers who fail to respect the list. Funding to operate the list will be obtained on a cost-recovery basis from telemarketers themselves."
The number of exceptions to the legislation is troubling for Ottawa law professor Michael Geist:
. . .(The) reality is that the bill has devolved into an embarrassing shell of its original self, rendered practically useless under the onslaught of lobby groups determined to thwart any attempt to limit their ability to call consumers at all hours of the day.
The exemptions include registered charities, political parties, newspapers, survey organizations and companies that people have an existing business relationship with, says Canwest.
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