October 2026Dataset Refreshed: Expanded to 15.17M+ Unique Contacts
[email protected]+1 727-617-0017

What is CASL, and how does it affect emailing Canadian healthcare professionals?

Also called: Canada anti-spam law, CASL

CASL is Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation. It generally requires consent, express or implied, before sending commercial electronic messages, along with sender identification and a working unsubscribe, and it applies to B2B email sent to recipients in Canada.

By John Britton, VP of Marketing, MedicalProspects · Updated November 4, 2026 · Compliance

Why it matters for healthcare sales and marketing

Unlike the U.S. CAN-SPAM Act, CASL is largely a consent-based law, and penalties can be significant. Teams emailing Canadian clinicians or hospitals need a different approach from their U.S. campaigns.

How it works

  • Consent: express (they agreed) or implied (for example, an existing business relationship within set time limits).
  • Published address exception: implied consent can apply when someone conspicuously publishes their business email without saying they don't want marketing, and the message relates to their role.
  • Every message: identify the sender, include contact information and a working unsubscribe.
  • Unsubscribes: must be processed within 10 business days.
  • Enforcement: led by the CRTC.
CASL requirements: consent (express or implied), sender identification, contact information, unsubscribe processed within 10 business days.
CASL generally requires consent before commercial email, plus identification and unsubscribe. General information, not legal advice.

Example

Illustrative scenario. A U.S. device company expanding into Canada separates its Canadian contacts, emails only those where it can document consent or a valid exception, and invites others to opt in through events and its website.

Common mistakes

  • Applying U.S. rules to Canada. CASL needs consent in most cases.
  • Not recording consent. You may need to prove it.
  • Assuming B2B is exempt. CASL covers B2B messages.

Related terms

  • Opt-In and Opt-Out (Email Consent)Opt-in means a person agrees before you email them; opt-out means you may email them until they ask you to stop. U.S. law (CAN-SPAM) is an opt-out system, while Canada's CASL is largely opt-in and the UK and EU have their own rules.
  • CAN-SPAM ActThe CAN-SPAM Act is the U.S. law that sets the rules for commercial email, including business-to-business email. It doesn't require prior consent, but it does require honest sender information and subject lines, a physical postal address, a working opt-out, and handling opt-outs within 10 business days.
  • UK GDPR and PECRIn the UK, B2B email marketing is governed by PECR, which sets the rules for electronic marketing, and by UK GDPR, which governs the personal data involved. Emails to corporate addresses don't need prior consent under PECR but must identify the sender and offer an opt-out; individual and sole-trader addresses generally need consent.
  • Suppression ListA suppression list is the set of email addresses you must never send to, such as people who unsubscribed, addresses that hard-bounced and people who marked your email as spam. It should apply across every tool and campaign you send from.

Put it to work

Sources

  1. Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, CRTC
  2. Fight Spam, Government of Canada

← Back to the healthcare GTM glossary