2024 Highlights: Advocacy and Standards
The past year was brimming with change on the regulatory front. The CMA has been at the forefront advocating on behalf of the profession and providing guidance to empower and inform Canadian marketers across the country.
Many of our 2024 initiatives are listed below. They showcase how the CMA elevates the voice of marketing on public policy and provides practical regulatory guidance for marketers.
Advocacy
Our 2024 advocacy initiatives include:
- Championing the re-introduction of marketing as an eligible field of study for Post-Graduate Work Permits.
- Seeking clarity on the decision to close TikTok’s Canadian operations.
- Urging the Minister of Finance to revoke the Digital Services Tax.
- Calling for clear interpretation of the Competition Act’s new provisions on greenwashing.
- Safeguarding young people's data while acknowledging their need for online access.
- Recommending expansion of the federal government’s Upskilling for Industry Initiative, which funds programs such as our highly successful Digital Marketing Skills Canada (DMSC) program.
- Highlighting AI's role in fostering competition and innovation.
- Contributing to the Alberta government's deliberations on personal information protection.
- Providing input into the Office of the (federal) Privacy Commissioner's 2024-2027 strategic plan – which the Commissioner found so insightful that he shared it at a G7 meeting of privacy regulators.
- Advocating for the passage of the Consumer Privacy Protection Act with a few key targeting amendments.
- Promoting a risk-based approach to biometric data use in marketing.
In addition, we were successful in having two op eds published: one on the need to revoke the Digital Services Tax, and one on the future of privacy law.
For details on these initiatives, contact the team or read our submissions.
Standards
Our user-friendly series of guides and tools provide marketers with the information they need to protect their brand by knowing the rules and industry best practices across a wide range of marketing practices.
Highlights of what’s new in 2024:
- Updates to the Canadian Marketing Code of Ethics and Standards to:
- Protect children and youth by incorporating principles from the UK Children’s Code.
- Add key principles governing the use of AI in marketing activities (to be released early in 2025).
- Modernize and streamline the Code so that it is easier to navigate (to be released early in 2025).
- The release of new or updated Member-only guides and resources on:
- The application of Quebec Law 25 to marketing activities
- GDPR
- Trademarks
- Contests
- CASL checklists
- Privacy and CASL training
- Updates to our Compliance for Marketers on-demand course
These activities and resources ensure our members stay ahead of regulatory changes and maintain the highest professional standards.
Our outstanding Committees play a crucial role in this work, providing valuable input and expertise. We are grateful to them for sharing their perspectives and contributions, which have enhanced our initiatives.
2024 has been another highly productive year for the CMA’s Public Affairs and Governance team as we, and all our CMA colleagues, work to strengthen the impact of marketing on business success, to support marketers in achieving their goals in today’s rapidly changing environment, and to prepare marketers to be agile and successful as the landscape evolves.
We look forward to continuing to shape policies that define the future of marketing in Canada and to helping marketers achieve high standards of excellence.
Authors:
Sara Clodman | Chief Public Affairs and Governance Officer | CMA
Florentina Stancu-Soare | Director, Public Affairs and Regulatory Standards | CMA
