Brian Masse M.P. (Windsor West), NDP Innovation, Science, Economic Development Critic, heard witnesses at the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and technology in relation to his motion on stopping robocalls in Canada. I have heard from numerous constituents and Canadians who are fed up with the constant barrage of unsolicited nuisance calls and fraud calls coming to their homes and cell phones at all hours of the day, said Masse.

Ottawa - Mar. 11, 2020: Brian Masse M.P. (Windsor West), NDP Innovation, Science, Economic Development Critic, heard witnesses at the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and technology in relation to his motion on stopping robocalls in Canada.

“I have heard from numerous constituents and Canadians who are fed up with the constant barrage of unsolicited nuisance calls and fraud calls coming to their homes and cell phones at all hours of the day. Back in 2004, we began the process at this same committee of creating the National Do-Not-Call list to curb these calls. However, with the advancement of technology and newer options for criminals to spoof calls over the internet, new means are necessary to stop these unwanted calls,” said Masse. “It’s vital that we are working on behalf of Canadians and trying to address these complaints that impede their everyday lives.”

Witnesses at committee today included the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Bell Canada, Rogers Communications and TELUS. Another full day of hearings is scheduled for Thursday, March 12, 2020, with the witnesses to be determined.

After much discussion, the CRTC has mandated that Telecommunications Service Providers (TSPs) implement the STIR/SHAKEN method by September 2020. Today the major telecom companies testified and provided their thoughts on the process saying that they will be ready to move forward with the STIR/SHAKEN technology but suggest unless Canadians have compatible devices, that the program will not protect them from robocalls and fraud callers any more than the current technologies. Current technologies include universal call blocking for all carriers, unless they provide a call filtering option to their consumers. See these links for clips of Masse questioning the big telecom companies today: HERE and HERE

March is Fraud Prevention Month in Canada and Masse met last week with the local leaders on how they can work together at the local level to ensure residents of Windsor have the knowledge to avoid scammers and fraudsters. From robocalls, to online fraud scams, and digital identity theft, Masse believes that Canadians need to be aware of what is happening out there, be aware of their rights, and how to resolve their complaints.