Canada RCS compliance guide

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RCS Business Messaging (RBM) in Canada is administered and monitored by Google. It must comply with the Canadian A2P Messaging Best Practices Guide (August 2023)(opens in new tab), Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), and applicable wireless carrier requirements. All RCS launch requests must be approved by the Canadian Telecommunications Association (CTA) and must be compliant with the regulations presented in this guide.

This guide is for information only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult your legal counsel for specific guidance.

Call-to-action (CTA)

Call-to-action must be clear, precise, and free from misleading or ambiguous language. User consent must be affirmatively and explicitly provided. It cannot be presumed based on user actions or behavior. The mechanism by which consent is obtained (such as QR codes, SMS keywords, deep links, or web-based opt-ins) must be thoroughly and transparently described.

CTA guidelines

Consumers must opt in to receive messages associated with a specific program. Enrolling a consumer in multiple programs based on a single opt-in is prohibited.

Opt-in details must not appear obscurely in terms and conditions related to other services.
Disclosures must confirm that the consumer consents to receive messages and understands the nature of the program.
When a user provides their mobile number, clear language adjacent to the entry field must disclose that providing the number constitutes agreement to be contacted.

CTA requirements

Product description
Message frequency disclosure
Complete terms and conditions or link to complete terms and conditions
Privacy policy or link to privacy policy
STOP and ARRET keywords
HELP and AIDE instructions, or this information must be present in the terms and conditions
Standard message and data rates may apply disclosure (or for data/Wi-Fi-based RCS programs, data rates may apply)

RCS use case restrictions

Prohibited

Sexually explicit material
Hate speech, profanity, depictions and endorsements of violence, or any unlawful content
Deceptive or misleading promotion/advertising to gain participation

Restricted

These programs are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and approval is not guaranteed for any sender.

Age-restricted content: Programs involving alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, gambling, or nudity must verify that each user is of legal age in their province or territory before participating. A robust age-verification mechanism must be in place.
Standard for approval: Brands must have established messaging traffic and no history of compliance-related issues.
Political messaging: Must comply with all applicable laws. Messages that are libelous, defamatory, or contain hate, violent, or racist rhetoric must be strictly avoided. A2P opt-in and opt-out consent rules apply; sharing of lists is not recommended.
Purchased debt collection: Programs must verify with their ASP or aggregator the position of each wireless carrier. Content providers must be informed of each province's debt collection regulations, identify both themselves and the original creditor, and provide a phone number, email, or URL that can be vetted and validated online.
Lotteries and raffles: Must comply with applicable provincial laws and receive explicit carrier approval. Users must verify their age by submitting their date of birth.

Terms and conditions

Terms and conditions must be either fully displayed beneath the CTA or accessible using a clearly labeled link near the CTA. If the program is offered in both English and French, the terms and conditions must be available in both languages.

T&C requirements

Program (brand) name
Message frequency disclosure
Product description
Customer care contact information (HELP/AIDE contact)
Opt-out information (STOP/ARRET)
Message and data rates may apply disclosure

Privacy policy

No selling, renting, or sharing of end-user data, or
Data is only shared with messaging operators or vendors

Privacy policy requirements

Must be well maintained, conspicuously displayed, and easily accessible to consumers
Must be referenced in and accessible from the initial CTA
Must clearly describe how customer information is collected, used, and shared
Must comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and all applicable Canadian privacy laws
PII data must be stored in and accessed from inside Canada only

Opt-in confirmation

Messaging programs require a single opt-in confirmation message, sent promptly and ideally within 48 hours. The message must include:

Program (brand) name or product description
Customer care contact information (HELP/AIDE)
Message frequency disclosure
Message and data rates may apply disclosure
Opt-out instructions (for example, Reply STOP to opt out / Repondez ARRET pour arreter)

Double opt-in

For web-based, written, or verbal opt-ins to recurring alerts, use a double opt-in to confirm subscriber consent. The double opt-in must include:

Confirmation instructions (for example, To accept reply YES)
Customer care contact information (HELP/AIDE)
Opt-out information (STOP/ARRET)

Required keyword responses

The following five keywords are required for all RCS programs, regardless of price point, intended audience, message frequency, or commercial availability. Keywords must be promoted in capital letters, available in both English and French, no more than 160 characters, and delivered free of charge. Keywords are not case sensitive.

Keyword	Language	Required content	Example
HELP	Texting HELP returns an English response.	Program or brand name Contact information (email, URL, and/or phone number) Message and data rates may apply disclosure Message frequency disclosure (if a subscription) Opt-out information using STOP	Infobip: For more information call us at 888-949-9540 or email us at [email protected]. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. Reply STOP to cancel.
AIDE	Texting AIDE returns a French response.	Program or brand name Contact information (email, URL, and/or phone number) Message and data rates may apply disclosure Message frequency disclosure (if a subscription) Opt-out information using ARRET	Infobip : Pour plus d'informations, appelez-nous au 888-949-9540 ou envoyez un e-mail à [email protected]. Des frais de messagerie et de données peuvent s'appliquer. La fréquence des messages varie. Répondez ARRET pour vous désinscrire.
INFO	Texting INFO returns a bilingual response (English and French).	Program or brand name Contact information for the brand or content provider If a URL is included, data rates disclosure is mandatory	Infobip: For support, contact 888-949-9540 \| Infobip : Pour de l'aide, appelez le 888-949-9540
STOP	Texting STOP returns an English response.	Program or brand name Confirmation that the user will receive no further messages For non-subscription services (such as 2FA), confirmation that the service is not a subscription	Infobip: You have successfully unsubscribed and will not receive any further messages.
ARRET	Texting ARRET returns a French response.	Program or brand name Confirmation that the user will receive no further messages (in French) For non-subscription services (such as 2FA), confirmation that the service is not a subscription	Infobip : Vous avez été désabonné et ne recevrez plus de messages.

NOTE

If a phone number is the only customer support option, it must be toll-free. URLs and email addresses used in keyword responses must clearly identify the brand and domain name. Broken links and inactive email addresses are not allowed.

RCS agent launch requirements

Agent experience (messaging flow)

The agent experience submission must document the following:

Opt-in method (for example, QR codes, deep links, and web)
Message triggers and frequency
User interactions and UI design (chips, NLU, and more)
Opt-out messaging process that meets compliance requirements

Video recording

A video recording of the RCS messaging flow is required. The recording must cover the full user experience across all supported use cases, including:

Opt-in process (if applicable)
Confirmation message
HELP and AIDE messages
Opt-out: STOP and ARRET messages

The video must accurately reflect supported use cases and required actions. The URL must be publicly accessible.

Additional Canadian requirements

Quiet hours: Marketing messages are permitted between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. only. Transactional messages (fraud alerts, 2FA, appointment reminders) are exempt.
Bilingual keywords: All five mandatory keywords (STOP, ARRET, HELP, AIDE, INFO) are required regardless of the program language.
Subscriber list transfers: Subscribers may only be transferred from another A2P channel with valid opt-in mechanisms. A notification from the original number must include the program identity, a note that the number is changing, the new number, and customer support information.
Bilingual message examples: If a client selects campaigns in both English and French, message examples must be provided for both languages.
Deactivated number scrubbing: Mobile numbers must be removed from subscriber lists after messages have been undeliverable for 30 consecutive days because the number is inactive.

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