Open for signatureElectronice-7863 · Parliament 45

Set 10-minute hold limit

Sign on the House of Commons website

Petitioners ask the CRTC be directed to set an enforceable telecom customer‑service standard requiring meaningful access to a human representative within a maximum 10‑minute telephone hold, with reasonable measurement rules, exceptions and penalties.

Why we would sign this petition

  • Creates a measurable right to timely human customer service, helping consumers reach representatives who can resolve billing, cancellation or service issues.
  • A 10‑minute cap gives customers predictable maximum wait times and discourages long holds, dropped calls and unnecessary transfers.
  • Enforceable standards and proportional penalties create incentives for providers to fix staffing, routing and automated-system problems that block access.

Why we wouldn’t sign this petition

  • Meeting a 10‑minute target could require substantial staffing and operational costs that may be passed to consumers through higher prices.
  • Defining and measuring 'meaningful access' and appropriate exceptions could be complex, causing compliance disputes and uneven enforcement.
  • A strict human‑access rule may reduce incentives to improve cost‑saving automated services; alternative measures might better balance accessibility and efficiency.

The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled Canadians increasingly rely on telecommunications providers for essential services, including mobile, internet and telephone services; Consumers can face lengthy telephone hold times, repeated transfers, dropped calls, automated systems refusing calls because of high call volumes, and difficulty reaching a representative capable of resolving concerns; Existing consumer-protection rules establish important rights relating to contracts, billing, cancellation and other matters, but do not establish a clear maximum time for consumers to obtain meaningful access to customer service; A consumer's ability to exercise rights is significantly reduced when they cannot reasonably reach their provider; and Timely access to human customer service should be considered a basic component of consumer protection, particularly when routine transactions are increasingly handled through online self-service and automated systems. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to: 1. Direct the CRTC to establish a clear, measurable and enforceable customer-service access standard for telecommunications providers; 2. Establish a maximum 10-minute telephone hold time for customers seeking access to human customer service, while allowing the CRTC to determine appropriate methods of measurement and reasonable exceptions for extraordinary circumstances; 3. Ensure meeting the standard requires meaningful access to a human representative capable of beginning to address the concern, rather than merely connecting to an automated system, unnecessary transfer, or further waiting; and 4. Establish meaningful and proportional consequences for providers that persistently fail.

Government response

No government response is available yet.