Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman.
As you already likely know, the CRTC administers and maintains the national do-not-call list as a tool to protect the privacy of Canadians, but also to reduce the number of unsolicited calls that they receive from telemarketers.
To date, the national do-not-call list includes over 12 million telephone numbers that are registered to the list. There are also over 10,000 telemarketers who have registered. In the nearly six years that the do-not-call list has been in effect, the CRTC has helped those telemarketers both understand what the requirements of the regulations and rules are and comply with those rules and register with the list.
We have received to date over 800,000 complaints and conducted over 1,300 investigations under the unsolicited telecommunications rules, and we have levied over $4 million in administrative monetary penalties in relation to those violations.
I mention all of those accomplishments not only because the CRTC takes great pride in these accomplishments but also because new responsibilities that would be given to us under the new bill, if it were proclaimed into law, would follow a similar model as we have under the unsolicited telecommunications rules.
Under such a scenario, we would be able to leverage our experience and expertise in the administration and enforcement of those rules and apply them to the new provisions of the bill.
For instance, the CRTC has significant experience in building and overseeing lists of registered telephone numbers and telemarketers. We could draw on that experience if it was required to build a similar record to meet the requirements of Bill C-23.
We also maintain rigorous processes for investigating possible violations of the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules. Under the process, complaints submitted by Canadians are assessed and used to prioritize investigations and determine whether or not the rules were complied with.
Finally, our methods for ensuring compliance with the rules—such as issuing citations and notices of violations, imposing administrative monetary penalties, and working with violators to correct improper practices—can be adjusted to suit new purposes.
Mr. Chair, it would be imprudent of us to suggest that we could simply and quickly adapt our National DNCL systems and processes to suit the requirements of Bill C-23. No new law can be administered with that degree of simplicity.
New tools would need to be purchased and processes likely created to handle complaints. We would also need to ensure candidates and telephone service providers were aware of their new responsibilities, and provide timely information to the public.
Yet we, at the CRTC, are confident that we have the expertise to meet any new responsibilities given to us under the bill.
Thank you, and we would now be pleased to answer your questions.