Michael Geist’s latest newspaper column and blog post reports the evisceration of do-not-call legislation for Canada. He writes:
Rather than leaving the specific exemptions to an open public consultation, the committee introduced several changes to the bill that dramatically reduces its effectiveness. These include exceptions for charities, political parties, polling companies, and businesses with existing business relationships. While it may come as little surprise to find politicians protecting their own ability to make unsolicited telemarketing calls, the inclusion of the existing business relationship exception is particularly damaging as it renders the do-not-call list practically useless.
The existing business relationship provision will allow businesses to contact former customers for up to a year and a half after their last communication or contract (notwithstanding the inclusion of their phone number on the do-not-call list). Moreover, even a simple inquiry will give businesses a six-month window to ignore the presence of the number on the do-not-call list.
And this makes it doubly troubling:
Not only is the new Bill C-37 a disappointing departure from the government’ s prior commitment to an effective do-not-call list, the committee hearings were also particularly embarrassing. While the bill is ostensibly designed to protect consumers, the committee refused to hear from consumer groups. Instead, with notable exception of government officials and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (whose advice was largely ignored), the committee limited its hearings to a steady stream of marketing and charitable groups.
Annoying calls aren’t a big problem for me, because my landline is a business, not personal, phone. The occasional market survey calls gets through, but that’s about it. That doesn’t stop me from being annoyed that the government is in the process of deciding that, in Michael’s words, a do-not-call list should be a do-not-hesitate-to-call list. He ends his post with the worthwhile suggestion it’s time for Canadians to call Industry Minister David Emerson and their local MP to protest.
TAGS: PRIVACY, DON-NOT-CALL, CANADA, RIGHTS
