WhatsApp, Instagram and email automation for businesses in Canada
In Canada one law covers every channel Slide automates: CASL treats a commercial message to an email address, a phone number or an instant messaging account the same way, so it needs consent, must identify the sender and must carry an unsubscribe that takes effect within 10 business days. Slide automates WhatsApp, Instagram and email for Canadian businesses from one contact record and bills the workspace in US dollars. WhatsApp messages to Canadian numbers are charged on Meta's North America line, which Canada shares with the United States.
Facts on this page were last reviewed on 11 October 2026. See the key facts and sources.
The buyer and the problem
Canadian businesses, including those serving customers in Quebec, that answer and follow up with customers on WhatsApp, Instagram and email, and businesses elsewhere that market to Canadians.
CASL consent is not permanent: implied consent from a purchase lasts 2 years and from an inquiry 6 months. A setup that keeps messaging everyone it ever heard from creates exposure on every channel at once, and Quebec adds questions about French and about where customer data is processed.
WhatsApp in Canada
Canada has no WhatsApp rate line of its own. Canadian +1 numbers share Meta's North America line with the United States, and utility and authentication rates on that line were lowered on 1 January 2026. There is no Canadian dollar rate card, and Slide bills the workspace in US dollars.
A Canadian (+1) business number cannot place WhatsApp calls under Meta's rules. Customers can call you, but callbacks need another channel. For marketing, CASL's electronic address includes instant messaging and telephone accounts, so a promotional template needs consent, your business identity and an unsubscribe. Add an opt-out keyword in Slide, since the list starts empty; a reply with it then blocks the contact on every channel, without waiting for the 10 business days CASL allows.
See WhatsApp automation in Canada, and the sales conversion workflow for Canada, which follows up an inquiry inside its 6-month implied-consent period.
Instagram in Canada
Because CASL counts instant messaging accounts as electronic addresses, a commercial Instagram DM falls under the same consent, identification and unsubscribe rules as an email. Slide's Instagram automation only replies: within 24 hours of the person's last message, one private reply per comment within 7 days, and no broadcast DMs.
CASL gives implied consent for 6 months after an inquiry; whether a DM question counts as one is for your adviser. In flows that promote, identify the business, give a way to stop, and record the consent basis on the contact. Instagram automation in Canada has the detail.
Email in Canada
Email is where CASL's expiry dates matter most. Implied consent from a purchase lasts 2 years and from an inquiry 6 months, after which you need express consent. Keep a field or tag on each contact that shows its consent basis and when it started, and send campaigns only to contacts whose consent is current.
Slide's campaigns include one-click unsubscribe, sequences an unsubscribe line by default, and both skip unsubscribed addresses; the automation "send email" step adds no unsubscribe, so it is for transactional mail only. Email automation in Canada and the customer retention workflow cover re-engagement while implied consent from a purchase is current, and asking for express consent before the 2 years run out.
What is specific to Canada
CASL covers every channel Slide uses
Section 6 of Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation requires express or implied consent, identification of the sender and an unsubscribe in every commercial electronic message. An electronic address includes email, instant messaging and telephone accounts, and unsubscribes must take effect within 10 business days.
Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23) (opens in a new tab)Implied consent expires
An existing business relationship gives implied consent for 2 years from a purchase or contract and 6 months from an inquiry or application. After that, CASL requires express consent before the next commercial message, and a message asking for that consent is itself a commercial message, so ask while implied consent is still current.
Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10) (opens in a new tab)Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.1(3) (opens in a new tab)PIPEDA governs the contact data
PIPEDA applies consent and purpose limits to personal information used in commercial activity, which includes the numbers, handles and addresses a messaging platform holds.
Source:Office of the Privacy Commissioner: PIPEDA (opens in a new tab)Quebec: the right to be served in French
Quebec's Charter of the French language gives consumers the right to be informed and served in French, and requires commercial publications and advertising in French; official guidance does not settle whether that reaches individual marketing emails or chat messages. French is in Slide's template editor, an AI agent replies in French only when instructed, and the dashboard is English only.
Source:OQLF: Language of commerce and business (opens in a new tab)Automation builder guideQuebec: Law 25 before data leaves the province
Law 25 requires an assessment before personal information is communicated outside Quebec, which matters when a provider processes Quebec customers' data elsewhere. Ask the Slide team where your data is hosted before you sign, because the assessment needs that answer.
Source:Commission d'accès à l'information: Law 25 (opens in a new tab)No outbound WhatsApp calls from Canadian numbers
Meta lists Canada among the countries whose business numbers cannot place WhatsApp calls. Customers can still call a Canadian business number on WhatsApp.
Source:Meta: WhatsApp Business Calling (opens in a new tab)Priced on the North America line
Canada shares Meta's North America rate line with the United States, and Meta publishes no CAD rate card. Slide bills the workspace in US dollars.
Source:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Billing and wallet guide
This is a summary of public rules for orientation, not legal advice. Slide does not certify that any business's messaging complies with local law; check your own obligations with a qualified adviser.
Channels in Canada
- WhatsApp automationHow Canadian businesses use Slide for WhatsApp support and follow-up in English and French, with CASL consent and unsubscribes, and no outbound calls from +1 numbers.
- Instagram automationHow businesses in Canada use Slide to reply to Instagram story replies, comments and DMs in English and French, and what CASL means for direct messages.
- Email automationHow Canadian businesses use Slide for email campaigns and sequences under CASL: consent and its expiry, sender identification, unsubscribes and Quebec.
What these claims rest on
- CASL requires consent, sender identification and an unsubscribe in every commercial electronic message
Section 6: express or implied consent; identify the sender; include an unsubscribe. An "electronic address" includes email, instant messaging and telephone accounts. Section 11(3): unsubscribes take effect within 10 business days.
Official sourceChecked 11 October 2026Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23) (opens in a new tab) - Under CASL, implied consent from a business relationship lasts 2 years after a purchase and 6 months after an inquiry
An existing business relationship gives implied consent for two years from a purchase or contract and six months from an inquiry or application. After that, express consent is needed.
- Quebec's Charter of the French language gives consumers the right to be served in French
Sections 5 and 50.2 give consumers the right to be informed and served in French; commercial publications and advertising must be in French. Whether this reaches individual marketing emails or chat messages is not settled in official guidance.
- Quebec's Law 25 requires an assessment before personal information is communicated outside Quebec
In force in phases from 2022 to 2024; relevant when Quebec customers' data is processed by a provider outside Quebec.
Official sourceChecked 11 October 2026Commission d'accès à l'information: Law 25 (opens in a new tab) - Canada is priced in Meta's "North America" group with the United States
Canada (+1) shares the North America line. Utility and authentication rates for this market were lowered on 1 January 2026. There is no CAD rate card.
- Business-initiated WhatsApp calls are unavailable for business numbers in some countries
Meta lists countries where a business number cannot place calls: Nigerian, Egyptian, Canadian and US business numbers are on it; Kenyan and South African numbers are not. Customers can still call the business where the Cloud API is available. Calling needs a messaging limit of at least 2,000.
How the cost is made up
Slide bills Canadian workspaces in US dollars; there is no Canadian dollar billing. Current plans and prices are on the pricing page, paid plans include a 14-day trial, and the payment method, for the plan and for wallet top-ups, should be confirmed with the Slide team before you subscribe.
WhatsApp messages are billed by Meta per message, by category, at the North America rate Canada shares with the United States, and Slide pays them from your prepaid wallet, pausing sends when it is empty. Since 1 October 2026 service replies are charged after a business number's first 1,000 each month, and conversations started from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad are free for 72 hours when you reply within 24 hours.
Check the wallet for the per-message price on your account. Email sends use your plan's email credits, and a sequence pauses if they run out.
When this fits, and what it does not do
A good fit when
- You can record when and how each contact gave consent, and act on its expiry.
- Most conversations start with the customer writing to you on WhatsApp or Instagram.
- You need templates in both English and French.
Needs a person when
- Asking for express consent before implied consent lapses: after that, an emailed consent request is itself a commercial message under CASL.
- Quebec customers who want to be served in French where your AI agent is not set up for it.
- Callbacks, since a Canadian business number cannot place WhatsApp calls.
Not established by this page
- Where customer data is hosted, which a Law 25 assessment needs. Ask before you sign.
- Whether a Canadian card will be accepted. Confirm the payment method with the Slide team.
- Any measured result for Canadian businesses.
Direct answers
Does Slide have an office or team in Canada?
Synquic, the company behind Slide, does not list a Canadian office, staff or phone number, and this page makes no such claim. Slide is sold online, with sign-up open to Canadian numbers; support is by email, with a dedicated account manager on the top plans, and a 30-minute demo can be booked. Support hours and support languages are not published, so ask about French-language support and Canadian time zones before you commit.
Source:About SynquicSlide pricingWhich currency will we pay in?
US dollars. Slide bills in rupees only for workspaces created with an Indian phone number and in dollars for everyone else, and there is no Canadian dollar option. Meta's WhatsApp pricing for Canada is the North America line, also without a CAD rate card. Confirm the payment method with the Slide team before you subscribe.
Source:Billing and wallet guideSlide pricingMeta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Which languages can our messages use?
English and French, Canada's official languages, are both in Slide's template editor, so templates can go out in either. Inside the 24-hour window replies can be in any language, and an AI agent answers in French only when its instructions say so. The Slide dashboard is English only, which matters if your Quebec team works in French.
Source:Official Languages Act (opens in a new tab)Automation builder guideDoes CASL apply to WhatsApp and Instagram messages, not just email?
CASL's definition of an electronic address includes email, instant messaging and telephone accounts, so commercial messages on WhatsApp and Instagram are covered as well as email. Each needs express or implied consent, must identify the sender and must include an unsubscribe, and unsubscribes must take effect within 10 business days. In Slide, email campaigns and sequences carry an unsubscribe; on WhatsApp, add opt-out keywords so a reply blocks the contact on every channel.
Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23) (opens in a new tab)Campaigns guideCampaigns guideHow long can we keep messaging past customers?
Implied consent from a purchase lasts 2 years, and from an inquiry 6 months; after that CASL requires express consent. Record the date of the last purchase or inquiry on each contact in a custom field, and ask for express consent before the period ends: once it has lapsed, an email or message asking for consent is itself a commercial message under CASL, so it cannot be sent either. The customer retention workflow shows a re-engagement flow built around that limit.
Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10) (opens in a new tab)Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.1(3) (opens in a new tab)Contacts guideWhat do Quebec customers change?
Two things. Quebec's Charter of the French language gives consumers the right to be served in French, and French is in Slide's template editor; whether the Charter reaches individual emails or chats is not settled in official guidance. Law 25 requires an assessment before personal information leaves Quebec, so ask the Slide team where your data is hosted and include the answer in that assessment.
Source:OQLF: Language of commerce and business (opens in a new tab)Commission d'accès à l'information: Law 25 (opens in a new tab)Can we call customers on WhatsApp from a Canadian number?
No. Meta lists Canada among the countries whose business numbers cannot place WhatsApp calls, so a Canadian +1 business number cannot call customers from Slide. Customers can still call your number on WhatsApp, and the team can follow up in the chat or on another channel.
Source:Meta: WhatsApp Business Calling (opens in a new tab)Key facts: messaging automation in Canada
Slide fits a Canadian business that wants WhatsApp, Instagram and email on one contact record, needs French and English templates, and can track each contact's consent basis and its expiry. It is a weaker fit if your sales process relies on WhatsApp callbacks or your Quebec team needs the dashboard in French; and ask where data is hosted before you begin a Law 25 assessment.
- Product
- Slide (also "Slide by Synquic"), a platform for automating customer messaging across channelsSource:About Synquic
- Company
- SynquicSource:About Synquic
- Meta pricing market
- North America, shared with the United StatesSource:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)
- Slide billing
- Workspaces created with a number outside India are billed in US dollars. Confirm the payment method with the Slide team before you subscribeSource:Billing and wallet guideSlide pricing
- WhatsApp usage charges
- Meta charges per message by category and by the recipient's country. Since 1 October 2026 service replies are charged too, after 1,000 free each month per business number. In Slide these charges come from the prepaid wallet, separately from the planSource:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Meta: Pricing for non-template messages (opens in a new tab)WhatsApp Business: FAQ (opens in a new tab)Billing and wallet guide
- WhatsApp calling
- Canadian (+1) business numbers cannot place WhatsApp calls; customers can still call the businessSource:Meta: WhatsApp Business Calling (opens in a new tab)
- Data protection law
- PIPEDA federally; in Quebec, Law 25, which requires an assessment before personal information is communicated outside QuebecSource:Office of the Privacy Commissioner: PIPEDA (opens in a new tab)Commission d'accès à l'information: Law 25 (opens in a new tab)
- Marketing consent rule
- CASL: express or implied consent, sender identification and an unsubscribe in every commercial message by email, instant message or phone; unsubscribes effective within 10 business days; implied consent lasts 2 years after a purchase and 6 months after an inquirySource:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23) (opens in a new tab)Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10) (opens in a new tab)
- Languages
- English and French are official, and both are in Slide's template editor; Quebec consumers have a right to be served in FrenchSource:Official Languages Act (opens in a new tab)OQLF: Language of commerce and business (opens in a new tab)
- Pricing source
- The current pricing page, slide.synquic.com/pricingSource:Slide pricing
- Last factual review
Where to go next
- All locationsWhere Slide works and what changes by market: Meta's WhatsApp price lines, business calling, consent law, template languages and billing currency.
- Slide pricingCurrent plans, what each includes, and how channel usage is charged.
- WhatsApp sales conversion in CanadaFollowing up inquiries on WhatsApp inside CASL's 6-month implied-consent period.
- Email customer retention in CanadaRe-engaging past customers by email, and asking for express consent, before implied consent from a purchase expires.
Map consent across channels, then automate
Record each contact's consent basis and date, connect WhatsApp, Instagram or email, and build your first flow. Or book a demo to walk through your setup with the Slide team.