Today, the much anticipated Canadian "Do Not Call List" (DNCL) will launch. Early polls suggest that over 60% of the population will sign-up. Needless to say, Canadians are just as sick of telemarketers as we are.

This event prompted me to do a little research on the Canadian DNCL, to see how it stacks up against the more mature U.S Do Not Call Registry--launched by the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act of 2003.

I found many similarities between the two. For example:

- Once you register, telemarketers covered by the DNCL have up to 31 days to stop calling you.

- You may register up to three personal telephone numbers.

- Registering does not guarantee that you won't receive any telemarketing calls. Political organization, charities, surveyors, and companies that you have an existing relationship with, are all exempted from the DNCL.

However, there is one major difference. In Canada, you must renew your registration every three years. The US policy maintains that your personal number will only be removed from the list if it is "disconnected, reassigned, or you choose to remove it."

Interestingly, the media response to the Canadian DNCL has not been entirely positive. Some marketers have predicted that Canadians "...may find telemarketing calls replaced by junk mail and spam." The Montreal firm Zerospam agrees that the number of spam e-mails people receive will increase, "as companies look for other ways to reach customers."

In addition, people are irked that the DNCL has so many exceptions, as does the U.S Do Not Call Registry. Canadian privacy expert Michael Geist, has jokingly dubbed it the "do-not-hesitate-to-call list".

Despite these complaints, I am happy that Canada has implemented some measures to protect Canadian consumers against telemarketers. But as we know from experience, ultimately this is not enough. As noted by countless CallerComplaints.com users, telemarketers WILL violate the DNCL, and the government is unlikely to prosecute.

In light of all this DNCL buzz: what, if anything, do you think the U.S should do to improve its current policy?

*To find out more about the Do Not Call List visit: www.donotcall.gov/ for the U.S, and www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/ for Canada.