Steven Harroun, Vice-President, Compliance and Enforcement
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
Check against delivery
Good afternoon.
Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people.
I am joined this afternoon by my colleague, Scott Hutton, Vice-President, Consumer, Analytics and Strategy.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you as part of your study on financial fraud and scams in Canada.
As you know, the CRTC is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates the Canadian communications sector in the public interest. We hold public consultations on telecommunications and broadcasting matters, and we make decisions based on the public record.
The CRTC is also part of a broader federal effort to address unwanted telephone calls, emails, and text messages. In this context, we administer civil regulatory regimes.
Because the CRTC does not have the mandate to assess or investigate conduct that may be criminal in nature, we encourage Canadians to report suspected fraud to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. In limited circumstances, we may share information with those authorities, in accordance with applicable legal and privacy requirements.
Today, I will touch on our civil roles under both the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules and Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation. Under these regimes, we help protect Canadians by setting clear rules, helping businesses follow the rules, addressing non-compliance through enforcement, and educating Canadians.
Turning first to unwanted telephone calls, the CRTC administers the National Do Not Call List, which is free for Canadians to use. In recent years, we have put in place a robust strategy to prevent unwanted calls from reaching Canadians in the first place. Because this is a complex and evolving challenge, there is no single solution.
Instead, our approach combines both regulatory and technical measures.
For example, telecommunications service providers are required to block calls that display numbers that could not normally be dialed, such as 000-000-0000. Providers may also offer call-filtering services, giving Canadians greater control over the communications they receive.
We are also taking action on caller ID spoofing, where the caller disguises their phone number from the person receiving the call. To address this, we required service providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN. This technology helps verify whether a call is actually coming from the number displayed on the caller ID screen, making it easier for Canadians to identify which calls can be trusted.
New technologies are also playing an increasing role. Artificial intelligence, for example, can be a useful tool. In 2021, the CRTC approved an application by a Canadian telecommunications provider to implement an AI-based solution that can stop suspicious calls in the provider's network before they reach Canadians. Billions of these calls have already been blocked to date.
Let me now turn to the CRTC's role under Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, or CASL. We work alongside the Competition Bureau and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner to promote and monitor compliance with CASL.
We also raise awareness to help Canadians better protect themselves and reduce the effects of spam. We collaborate with partners and stakeholders in this effort.
In closing, the CRTC will continue to work, within its mandate, to help protect Canadians from unwanted calls and spam emails and text messages.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today, and we are happy to answer your questions.
