WhatsApp automation for businesses in Canada

• English and French in the same flow

  French is one of the 25 languages in Slide's template editor, so each template can have an English and a French version. A language question at the start of a flow branches the rest of the conversation and writes the choice to the contact, where a tag or segment carries it into later campaigns.

  Source:Automation builder guideContacts guide

• An AI agent instructed to answer in French

  An AI agent answers from your knowledge base and can look up orders in a connected Shopify store. It replies in French when its instructions tell it to, for example whenever the customer has chosen French; it does not switch languages on its own.

  Source:Automation builder guideIntegrations guide

• Unsubscribes that take effect when they arrive

  Once you add opt-out keywords such as STOP and ARRÊT, a contact who sends one is blocked and skipped on every channel from that message on, well inside CASL's 10 business days. The keyword list starts empty.

  Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23) (opens in a new tab)

• Consent type kept on the contact

  Fields and tags on each contact can record whether consent was express or implied from a purchase or an inquiry, and where it came from, so campaign segments are built from it. Track when implied consent runs out yourself.

  Source:Contacts guideAutomation builder guideCanada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10) (opens in a new tab)

• Order updates from Shopify

  Order confirmation, shipped, out for delivery and delivered events from a connected Shopify store send approved utility templates. "Delivered" reflects a successful fulfilment in Shopify, not a carrier's confirmation.

  Source:Shopify guide

• A shared inbox with handoff

  Conversations the bot or agent cannot settle land in the shared inbox with the collected answers, ready to assign to a teammate who speaks the customer's language; the team is emailed at the handoff.

  Source:Getting started guideAutomation builder guide

Requirements

• Meta business verification and a number off the apps

  Meta verifies the business portfolio before the account sends at scale, which takes several business days, and the number you connect must not be registered on the WhatsApp consumer or Business app.

  Source:Meta Business Manager guideWhatsApp Business setup guide
• Paired English and French templates

  If you serve Quebec, submit each template in both languages. Meta reviews every version; Slide submits them from its editor.

  Source:WhatsApp Business setup guide
• A record of consent type and source

  Decide which fields or tags show whether a contact gave express consent or has implied consent from a purchase or an inquiry, and where it came from. CASL's implied consent lasts 2 years after a purchase and 6 months after an inquiry.

  Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10) (opens in a new tab)Contacts guide
• Opt-out keywords in both languages

  Add STOP, ARRÊT and any other word your templates mention. The list starts empty in Slide.

• An answer on where data is held

  Quebec's Law 25 calls for an assessment before personal information leaves Quebec. Ask the Slide team where your data is hosted before you sign, so the assessment has the facts it needs.

  Source:Commission d'accès à l'information: Law 25 (opens in a new tab)

Launch sequence

1. 1

   Confirm the payment method for a US dollar workspace with the Slide team, and ask where customer data is hosted.

2. 2

   Start Meta business verification, connect the number (setup guide) and connect Shopify (Shopify guide).

3. 3

   Write each utility and marketing template in English and French, with your business name and an unsubscribe instruction in the marketing ones.

4. 4

   Put the language question at the start of each flow, give the French branch an AI agent instructed to answer in French, and end every branch in an answer or a handoff (automation builder).

5. 5

   Add opt-out keywords in both languages and check that STOP and ARRÊT each block a test contact.

6. 6

   Tag existing contacts by consent type before the first campaign, and leave out anyone whose implied consent has expired.

• CASL covers WhatsApp messages

  Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation defines an electronic address to include email, instant messaging and telephone accounts, so a commercial message on WhatsApp is in scope. Each one needs express or implied consent, must identify the sender, and must include an unsubscribe that takes effect within 10 business days.

  Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23) (opens in a new tab)

• Implied consent runs out

  An existing business relationship gives implied consent for 2 years after a purchase and 6 months after an inquiry; after that you need express consent. WhatsApp sales conversion in Canada shows how the 6-month limit shapes lead follow-up.

  Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10) (opens in a new tab)

• Quebec: French service and Law 25

  Quebec's Charter of the French language gives consumers the right to be informed and served in French; whether that reaches individual chat messages is not settled in official guidance, and French is in Slide's template editor either way. Law 25 adds an assessment before personal information is communicated outside Quebec.

  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)

• PIPEDA applies to the contact data

  PIPEDA governs personal information in commercial activity, and its consent and purpose limits apply to what a messaging platform holds about your customers. Ask the Slide team where data is hosted before you sign; this page does not state a location.

  Source:Office of the Privacy Commissioner: PIPEDA (opens in a new tab)

• North America pricing, and no outbound WhatsApp calls

  Canadian numbers share Meta's North America rate line with the United States, there is no Canadian dollar rate card, and Slide bills in US dollars. Meta also lists Canadian business numbers among those that cannot start a WhatsApp call, though customers can call the business.

  Source:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Billing and wallet guideMeta: WhatsApp Business Calling (opens in a new tab)

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.

• Sales conversionHow Canadian businesses use Slide to follow up WhatsApp leads within CASL implied-consent limits, ask for express consent in time, and hand buyers to sales.

• 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 source·Checked 11 October 2026·Canada'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.

  Official source·Checked 11 October 2026·Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10) (opens in a new tab)
• 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.

  Official source·Checked 11 October 2026·OQLF: Language of commerce and business (opens in a new tab)
• 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.

  Official source·Checked 11 October 2026·Meta: WhatsApp Business Calling (opens in a new tab)

• WhatsApp automation: overviewSlide automates WhatsApp support, lead capture, follow-up and Shopify order messages. What it needs, how Meta charges since October 2026, and its limits.
• Messaging automation in CanadaSlide for Canadian businesses: CASL consent and unsubscribes on email, WhatsApp and Instagram, Quebec French and Law 25, North America WhatsApp pricing and calling.
• WhatsApp Business setup guideStep by step, from connecting the account to the first send.
• Slide pricingCurrent plans, what each includes, and how channel usage is charged.