OTTAWA-GATINEAU — With the federal election campaign officially underway, the CRTC announced Monday it is now accepting registrations via the Voter Contact Registry from anyone who will be using calling service providers or robocall systems to call voters during the election.
In the wake of the robocall scandal that emerged during the 2011 federal election, when the Fair Elections Act was enacted in June 2014, new provisions were introduced for the regulation of voter contact calling services through the Voter Contact Registry. The registry is intended to protect Canadian voters from rogue and misleading telephone calls during federal elections, and to help to ensure that anyone who contacts voters during an election does so transparently.
Candidates, political parties, corporations, trade associations and any other persons or groups who use the services of a calling service provider to contact voters during the federal election, for any purpose related to the election, must register with the CRTC within 48 hours of making the first call. The calling service provider will also have to register with the CRTC.
In addition, anyone using their own internal services to make calls to voters using an automatic dialling and announcing device (i.e., anyone making robocalls to voters) are also required to register with the CRTC within 48 hours of making the first call.
“Our objective is to ensure those making calls are familiar with the new Voter Contact Registry requirements, given that we will have the ability to impose monetary penalties for violations. The Commission is implementing the regime entrusted to it by Parliament pursuant to Bill C-23, the Fair Elections Act,” CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said in a news release.
For each violation of the legal requirements regarding the Voter Contact Registry, the CRTC has the authority to impose monetary penalties of up to $1,500 for individuals and up to $15,000 for corporations.
However, with the exception of third parties who are corporations or groups, anyone who makes live calls to voters using their own internal services will not have to register with the CRTC. That is to say, candidates, nomination contestants, registered political parties, registered electoral district associations and individuals who use their own internal services to make live calls to voters will not be required to register on the Voter Contact Registry, the CRTC explained.
Registrations to the Voter Contact Registry must be submitted at: https://services.crtc.gc.ca/pro/VCR
Canadians who think the Voter Contact Registry requirements are not being followed can submit a complaint at: http://crtc.gc.ca/eng/question.htm
More information about the Voter Contact Registry can be found here.
