How to text customers in Canada: numbers, CASL and French

To text customers in Canada, send from a verified toll-free number or a short code, hold express or implied consent under CASL, put your business name and a way to reach you in every commercial text, and honor STOP and ARRET at once. Answer HELP and AIDE, and write to French-speaking customers in French.

This guide puts the Canadian pieces on one page: which numbers reach Canadian mobiles, what CASL asks of each text, French opt-outs and HELP replies, language and Quebec, sending hours, and a checklist for the first send. It is part of our business texting rules for the US and Canada. It summarizes public rules as checked on 2026-10-14. It is not legal advice; ask a lawyer about your own program.

Which numbers can text Canadian mobiles?

Canada has no registry like 10DLC for ordinary local numbers. Business texts to Canadian mobiles usually go out from a toll-free number that has passed toll-free verification, or from a short code. 10DLC registration is the US carriers' system for texting US recipients.

Number type	Reaches	What it takes	Typical use
Verified toll-free, such as (833) 555-0142	US and Canadian mobiles	Toll-free verification for each number, typically one to two weeks	Conversational texting and follow-up to Canadians
Short code, 5 or 6 digits	Canadian mobiles	An application to the carriers under Canada's short code rules	High-volume alerts and marketing
10DLC (US local number)	US mobiles	Brand and campaign registration through The Campaign Registry	Texting US recipients

That time is typical: the carriers set the pace and publish no guaranteed turnaround. Canada's short code programs are run by the Canadian Telecommunications Association, which enforces "the wireless carriers' requirements" for them (Canadian Common Short Codes Compliance Policies v2.1, 2026). Our 10DLC and toll-free registration guide lists what to prepare for both countries.

Texting reaches most Canadians where they are: 85% of Canadians aged 15 and older used a smartphone to go online in 2022 (Statistics Canada, 2024).

What does CASL require for each text?

Consent, identification and an unsubscribe. Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation covers texts directly: an "electronic message" includes "a text, sound, voice or image message", and an "electronic address" includes "a telephone account" (CASL, S.C. 2010, c. 23, s. 1(1)). It also covers US senders, since the Act applies when "a computer system located in Canada is used to send or access the electronic message" (s. 12(1)).

For every commercial text:

1. Consent, express or implied (s. 6(1)). Implied consent covers two years after a purchase and six months after "an inquiry or application" (s. 10(10)). Express consent lasts until the person withdraws it.
2. Your identity and contact details (s. 6(2)): your name, your mailing address, and a phone number, email or web address, valid for at least 60 days (SOR/2012-36, s. 2). Where that doesn't fit in a text, it may sit on a web page reached through "a link that is clearly and prominently set out in the message" (s. 2(2)).
3. An unsubscribe mechanism that works by "the same electronic means by which the message was sent" and takes effect "without delay, and in any event no later than 10 business days" (s. 11).

Two points trip up teams new to Canada. A text can't be used to ask for consent: a request for consent is itself a commercial message (s. 1(3)), and the CRTC has said a text message "cannot be used to elicit express consent" (CRTC Bulletin 2012-549). Get consent on a form, in person or on a call, then text. And the CRTC's guidance for texts says the person "should have the choice between replying to the SMS message with the word 'STOP' or 'Unsubscribe' and clicking on a link" to unsubscribe (CRTC Bulletin 2012-548).

A commercial text that carries all three, with the opt-out line after it:

Northwind: Hi First name, want a spring slot? Info: northwind.ca/sms

The linked page shows your mailing address, a phone or email, and a way to unsubscribe. The maximum penalty is "$10,000,000" per violation for a business (s. 20(4)). Our CASL text message guide reads the Act section by section, including the exemptions for quotes, confirmations and account messages.

How do French opt-outs work?

Treat ARRET exactly like STOP, on every number. Canada's short code rules make STOP and ARRET mandatory keywords and say: "Texting ARRET must return a French response" (Canadian Common Short Codes Compliance Policies v2.1, 2026). They add that "Other universal opt-out commands should be recognized, such as END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, QUIT or FIN, ANNULER, QUITTER, DESABONNER in French", and that STOP ALL and ARRET TOUT "should also be active".

Reply	Language	Treat as
STOP, STOP ALL, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, QUIT	English	Opt-out
ARRET, ARRET TOUT, FIN, ANNULER, QUITTER, DESABONNER	French	Opt-out
HELP	English	Help request: send your name and contact
AIDE	French	Help request, answered in French
INFO	Either	Your name and contact, in both languages

Those rules govern short codes, and most Canadian business texts go out from toll-free numbers. They are still the closest written carrier standard in Canada, and CASL's requirement that an unsubscribe work by the same electronic means points the same way: a French reply to your text has to work. The short code rules also allow one confirmation after an opt-out and nothing more. A French confirmation can be short:

Northwind : désabonnement confirmé. Vous ne recevrez plus de messages texte de notre part.

Our guide to STOP and opt-out rules covers the US side and the FCC order adopted on 2026-09-30.

What should HELP and AIDE replies say?

Your business name, how to reach you, and how to opt out. The short code rules ask HELP and AIDE replies to identify "the message sender or program name, customer support information, price, and opt-out information", in "No more than one message segment or 160 characters", and say these keywords must be "Available in both English and French regardless of the intended audience". For 10DLC and toll-free texting, CTIA asks that the opt-in confirmation include customer care contact or "HELP command instructions" (CTIA, 2023, section 5.1.2.1).

English HELP reply:

Northwind: for help, email help@northwind.ca or call 1-833-555-0142. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.

French AIDE reply:

Northwind : pour de l'aide, écrivez à aide@northwind.ca ou appelez le 1-833-555-0142. Répondez ARRET pour vous désabonner.

Both fit in one segment. A HELP or AIDE reply leaves the person's consent as it was.

Should you text Canadian customers in French?

Text each customer in the language they use with you. French was the first official language spoken by more than 7.8 million Canadians in 2021, or 21.4% of the population, and by 82.2% of people in Quebec (Statistics Canada, 2022).

Three habits make this easy:

1. Keep a language column. Record the language each customer chose on your form or used with your team.
2. Run one campaign per language. Have a French speaker write each text the way they would say it, and keep the same steps and waits.
3. Watch the accents. French letters such as é, è, à and ù are in the basic GSM-7 alphabet, so a text using them stays at 160 characters a segment. Letters such as ê, â, î, ô, û and a lower-case ç are outside it and switch the whole text to 70 characters a segment (3GPP TS 23.038). "Être", "français" and "à bientôt" all trigger it. Our guide to SMS segments explains the counts.

A first text in French that stays in one segment:

Bonjour First name, ici Sam de Northwind. Un appel cette semaine?

What about Quebec?

Quebec's Charter of the French language sets its own rules for the language of commerce and business, separate from CASL. We could not read its current text on the province's legal site when we checked on 2026-10-14, so we don't summarize it here. Before you text Quebec customers, ask a Quebec lawyer or the Office québécois de la langue française whether your texts must be in French. Writing to French-speaking customers in French, with ARRET, AIDE and the other French keywords working, is the simple choice either way.

What hours can you text Canadians?

CASL sets no sending hours. The CRTC's Do Not Call rules were written for telemarketing calls, and in 2008 the CRTC declined to widen a review of them to text messages (CRTC letter, 2008). Courtesy still applies: send in daytime hours in the recipient's time zone, as you would for US recipients, where federal rules bar telephone solicitations before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m. local time (47 CFR 64.1200(c)). Canada spans several time zones, so group customers by zone and set sending hours for each group. Our texting quiet hours guide covers the US states with tighter windows.

How do the Canadian rules compare with the US?

Rule	Canada	United States
Number	Verified toll-free or short code	Registered 10DLC, verified toll-free or short code
Consent	Express or implied for every commercial text (CASL s. 6(1))	Prior express written consent for autodialed marketing texts (64.1200(a)(2)); carriers expect an opt-in for every text
Identify yourself	Name, mailing address and contact in every commercial text (s. 6(2))	Expected by carriers
Opt-out words	STOP and ARRET, plus French and English variants	Stop, quit, end, revoke, opt out, cancel, unsubscribe (64.1200(a)(10))
Opt-out deadline	10 business days (s. 11(3))	10 business days (64.1200(a)(10))
Hours	None in CASL	8 a.m. to 9 p.m. for telephone solicitations (64.1200(c))

What should you check before the first text to Canada?

Seven checks before you launch:

1. A verified toll-free number for Canadian recipients, or a short code for high-volume programs.
2. A consent record for each customer: express consent with the date, page and wording, or the purchase or inquiry date that gives implied consent.
3. The implied consent date in a column, so you can see when the two-year or six-month window ends and ask for express consent before it does.
4. Your name in the first line of every text, and a link to a page with your mailing address, contact details and an unsubscribe.
5. ARRET working like STOP, and a French confirmation and AIDE reply ready.
6. A language column, with French texts written natively and checked for accents that change the segment count.
7. Sending hours set by time zone.

Where does Textually fit?

Textually registers your numbers as part of setup: 10DLC for US recipients and verified toll-free numbers for Canadian ones. A text step sends only when the lead has a consent record or the campaign has a campaign-wide consent confirmation, and a consent statement must be ticked when you import a list, push leads to a campaign and launch. Every text carries the registered opt-out line until the person replies. STOP, ARRET and the other opt-out words stop texts at once, and HELP returns your business name and how to reach you. Sending days and hours are set per campaign, each lead stays on one number, and a reply ends that lead's sequence and lands in one shared inbox. Your business name and contact link go in the text you write. See how the rules are built in, or apply for access.

Questions

Do I need 10DLC registration to text Canadian customers?

No. 10DLC is the US carriers' registration system for texting US recipients from ordinary local numbers. Canadian mobiles are usually reached through a verified toll-free number, which can text both countries once verified, or a short code.

Does CASL apply to a US company texting Canadians?

Yes. The Act applies when a computer system in Canada is used to send or access the message (s. 12(1)), so texts received on phones in Canada are covered wherever the sender is based.

What does ARRET mean in a text message?

ARRET is the French word for stop. Canada's short code rules make it a mandatory opt-out keyword with a French response, and it should stop texts the same way STOP does on any number you use.

Do I have to text Quebec customers in French?

Quebec's Charter of the French language has its own rules on the language of commerce; we haven't summarized them here because we couldn't read the current text. Ask a Quebec lawyer. Writing to French-speaking customers in French is the simple choice, and 82.2% of Quebecers had French as their first official language in 2021.

How long does toll-free verification take?

Typically one to two weeks. The carriers set the pace and publish no guaranteed turnaround, so verify the number before you plan a launch date.

Can I text a Canadian to ask for consent?

No. Under CASL, a message asking for consent to send commercial messages is itself a commercial message (s. 1(3)), and the CRTC has said a text cannot be used to elicit express consent. Ask on a web form, in person or on a call, and record it.