Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice

Ethical Practices

• Marketers must be clear and truthful. Marketers must not knowingly make a representation to a consumer or business that is false or misleading.
• Marketers must not participate in any campaign involving the disparagement or exploitation of any person or group on the grounds of race, colour, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or age.
• Marketers must not participate in the dissemination of unsolicited material that is sexually explicit, vulgar or indecent in nature, except where required to do so by law, such as a common carrier.
• Marketers must not participate in the dissemination of any material that unduly, gratuitously and without merit exploits sex, horror, mutilation, torture, cruelty, violence or hate, except where required to do so by law, such as a common carrier.
• Marketers must not knowingly exploit the credulity, lack of knowledge or inexperience of any consumer, taking particular care when dealing with vulnerable consumers. The term "vulnerable consumer" includes, but is not limited to children, teenagers, people with disabilities, the elderly and those for whom English or French is not their first language.
• Marketers must not engage in marketing communications in the guise of one purpose when the intent is a different purpose.
• Marketers must not claim to be carrying out a survey or research when their real purpose is to sell a product or service, or to raise funds.
• Marketers must not mislead or deceive consumers or businesses into believing that a marketing communication is news, information, public service or entertainment programming when its purpose is to sell products or services or to seek donations to causes or charities.
• Marketers must not use inaccurate information to attack, degrade, discredit or damage the reputation of competitors' products, services, advertisements or organizations.