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What Every Commercial Text Must Include Under CASL

Reviewed October 24, 2026 · 4 min read

The identification, contact information and unsubscribe wording Canada’s anti-spam law requires in every commercial text, with examples that fit in one message.

Consent lets you send a commercial text. It doesn’t decide what the text has to say. Canada’s anti-spam law also sets out information every commercial text must carry, and it applies even to messages that don’t need consent, like booking confirmations. Here’s what that information is, and how to fit it into a message.

1. Who is sending it

Section 2 of the regulations requires every commercial message to identify:

• The sender, by the name it carries on business under if that differs from its legal name. “Harbourline Heating” works even if the company is legally “Harbourline Mechanical Ltd.”
• Anyone the message is sent on behalf of. If a marketing agency texts for your business, both must be identified. A texting platform that only delivers messages and has no say in their content or recipients doesn’t need to be named.

2. How to reach the sender

The message must give contact information for the sender, and for anyone it’s sent on behalf of:

• A mailing address, and
• one of: a phone number that reaches a person or voicemail, an email address, or a website.

The CRTC says the mailing address can be a street address, a post office box, a rural route or general delivery, and it must remain valid for at least 60 days after the message is sent.

3. How to unsubscribe

Every commercial text must include an unsubscribe mechanism that:

• costs nothing to use;
• is readily performed: the regulations require it to be simple and quick, with no hoops. The CRTC’s own example for texts is replying STOP or Unsubscribe, or following a link to an opt-out page;
• keeps working for at least 60 days after the message is sent;
• takes effect within 10 business days, without the person having to do anything else.

The law doesn’t name specific keywords. Accepting STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE and, for French-speaking customers, ARRÊT is the practical standard in Canada.

Fitting it into one text

All of that won’t fit comfortably in 160 characters, and the regulations recognize it. When it isn’t practicable to include the information in the message, you can post it on a web page and include a clear and prominent link to that page in the text. The page must be readily accessible and free to reach. The CRTC’s FAQ points to exactly this approach for text messages.

A message built this way might look like:

That example is 133 characters, so it fits in a single text. Your info page should list your business name, mailing address, phone number or email, and how to unsubscribe, and it should load quickly on a phone.

A note on French texts

Carriers split long texts into segments, and characters like ê, ç or ô force the whole message into a format that holds 70 characters per segment instead of 160. The French version below is 148 characters, short enough for one segment in plain text, but its accents push it to three. If your texting service bills per segment, your French texts cost more. That’s a pricing choice by the provider, not a CASL rule.

4. Make it clear and prominent

Section 3 of the regulations says the information and the unsubscribe mechanism must be set out clearly and prominently. In a text, that means:

• name the business at the start, not hidden at the end of a long message;
• use a readable link, not one disguised among promotional text;
• don’t split the opt-out wording into a second message that might arrive separately or not at all.

Common mistakes

• No business name. “Hi! Your discount expires Friday” doesn’t say who it’s from.
• An unsubscribe that needs a login or a call during business hours. It has to be readily performed and free.
• Opt-outs that only work in one place. If someone replies STOP to your bulk number, they shouldn’t still get promotions from a staff member’s number.
• Info pages that disappear. The link and the page must keep working for at least 60 days after each message.
• Assuming confirmations are exempt from everything. Booking and transaction texts may not need consent, but they still need identification and an unsubscribe mechanism.

Checklist for every commercial text

• Starts with your business name.
• Names anyone else it’s sent on behalf of.
• Includes your contact details, or a clear link to a page that has them.
• Includes opt-out wording, like “Reply STOP to opt out.”
• Your STOP handling works immediately and across all your numbers.
• Your info page and opt-out stay live for at least 60 days after you send.

Sources

• Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, S.C. 2010, c. 23
• Electronic Commerce Protection Regulations (CRTC), SOR/2012-36
• CRTC Compliance and Enforcement Information Bulletin 2012-548
• CRTC frequently asked questions about CASL

This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws and guidance change, so check the sources below or ask a lawyer about your situation.