The following non-exhaustive list of provincial and federal Canadian statutes and codes may apply to social media issues.
Advertising Standards of Canada Code – creates guidelines that set standards for responsible advertising in Canada and forms the basis upon which advertising is evaluated in response to consumer, trade or special interest group complaints.
Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (“CASL”) – deters damaging and deceptive forms of spam (unsolicited bulk messages) occurring in Canada. See our posts on CASL.
Charter of the French Language (Provincial) – establishes French as the official language of Quebec and prescribes the manner in which the French language is to be used in commerce and business, inter alia.
Competition Act (Federal) – contains criminal sanctions for the use of false and misleading advertising in Canada in any form of media.
Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act (Federal) – prohibits false or misleading representations on prepackaged consumer products.
Copyright Act (Federal) – sets out exclusionary rights for works of authorship.
Copyright Modernization Act (Federal) – implements the rights and protections under the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Internet treaties and addresses various challenges and opportunities to copyright owners posed by the Internet and digital media. See our posts on the Copyright Modernization Act.
Criminal Code (Federal) – provides criminal sanctions for threatening behavior.
Defamation Acts / Libel and Slander Acts (Provincial) – provincial statutes governing the use of libel and slander.
Electronic Transactions Act / Electronic Commerce Acts (Provincial) – provincial statutes governing the use and legal effect of electronic commercial activities.
Employment Standards Acts / Labour Relations Acts (Provincial) – govern the rights and responsibilities of employees and employers in the workplace.
Food and Drugs Act (Federal) – Prohibits the labelling, packaging, sale and advertising of food and drugs in Canada in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive.
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Acts (Provincial) – provincial statutes that protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by institutions and providing individuals with a right of access to that information.
Patent Act (Federal) – provides patent holders with a temporary right to exclude.
Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Federal) – supports and promotes electronic commerce by protecting personal information that is collected, used or disclosed in certain circumstances, by providing for the use of electronic means to communicate or record information or transactions.
Precious Metals Marking Act (Federal) – prohibits false or misleading representations related to precious metal articles (articles made with gold, silver, platinum or palladium).
Telecommunications Act (Federal) – governs the use of telecommunications in Canada.
Textile Labelling Act (Federal) – prohibits false and misleading representations on consumer textile articles.
Trade-marks Act (Federal) – designed to protect owners of trade-marks against the misuse of those marks by others, or against harm to the business of another owner due to unfair trade practices, and to protect consumers from confusion and deception as to the source and quality of products.
