Petition Seeks 10-Minute Limit for Telecom Hold Times
A new House of Commons petition calls on the CRTC to enforce stricter customer service standards for Canadian providers.
Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Telecommunications
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A House of Commons petition is requesting that the CRTC implement a maximum 10-minute hold time for human customer service among telecommunications providers. The initiative comes as Canadian telecom complaints have surged by nearly 80 percent over the past year.
Why it matters
The petition aims to address the growing frustration Canadians face regarding long wait times and limited access to human representatives. Advocates argue that outsourcing and staffing cuts have degraded customer service, necessitating regulatory intervention.
The petition proposes a 10-minute maximum telephone hold time for human customer service, pointing to Spain's mandate that requires providers to answer calls within three minutes 95 percent of the time. Proponents seek to ensure meaningful consequences for firms failing to meet these benchmarks.
The players
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the primary legislative chamber in Canada where elected members debate and vote on national policy and legislation.
CRTC
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is the public regulatory body responsible for overseeing the telecommunications and broadcasting industries in Canada.
The details
The proposal asks the CRTC to establish enforceable standards that force providers to connect customers with human representatives immediately rather than relying on automated systems. It also calls for proportional penalties for companies that persistently fail to meet these mandated service levels.
Timeline
The House of Commons petition was filed in October 2026.
The House of Commons petition closes on November 26, 2026.
The Tech Race
The proposal draws directly from Spain's Telecommunications Customer Service Law, which mandates that telecoms answer calls within three minutes 95 percent of the time. This push suggests a move toward replacing current industry-led service models with strict, state-enforced performance standards.
If adopted, these regulations would mandate that providers connect callers to a human representative within 10 minutes, significantly reducing time spent on hold. This would shift the current experience of navigating automated systems toward faster, direct access for resolving billing or technical issues.
The takeaway
Customers struggling with long wait times can participate in the legislative process by reviewing and signing active House of Commons petitions. This effort highlights how international regulatory models are increasingly used as templates for domestic consumer protection reforms.
What happens next
The House of Commons petition is open for signatures and will officially close on November 26, 2026.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest regulatory developments in Telecommunications.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MobileSyrup.
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Should the government mandate maximum wait times for telecommunications customer service?
