Editing Negative option billing (section)

==Canadian law==
In [[Canada]], [[Canadian parliament|Parliament]] attempted to outlaw the practice in 1996 after a public outcry the previous year when most [[cable television]] companies added a package of new [[specialty service]]s to their lineups in this manner without customers signing up for the package. This had previously been the standard manner of adding new channels to cable television service, but had not previously attracted the type of controversy that was raised by the 1995 channel launch, in part because the 1995 launch entailed a large number of channels which launched concurrently, whereas previous additions had only involved one or two channels at a time.

MP [[Roger Gallaway]] introduced a private-member's bill in 1996 to ban the practice which passed first reading, but died on the order paper when the House was dissolved for the 1997 elections. It was raised again in 1999, and was passed. Michael Janigan of the [[Public Interest Advocacy Centre]] stated:
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The concern associated with the practice of negative option billing has its origins in the nature of a [[contract]] of purchase and sale, as recognized in [[common law]]. As every first year law student learns, such a contract consists of [[offer and acceptance|an offer and an acceptance]]. The history of [[consumer protection]] [[statute]]s is a chronicle of legislators attempting to ensure that the offer is conveyed without misrepresentation by the vendor to a purchaser who has an opportunity to make an informed choice to accept or refuse the offer. This is because a contract that is made with a consumer who is unaware of key elements of the contract such as price, quantity and quality of the goods to be delivered is subversive of the efficiency of the market as a whole.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.piac.ca/financial/negative_option_marketing/ |title=Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PAIC) notes on Bill C-276 |access-date=2007-11-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209112946/http://www.piac.ca/financial/negative_option_marketing/ |archive-date=2012-02-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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The [[Ontario government]] also outlawed the practice in July 2005.<ref>[http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_02c30_e.htm Ontario Consumer Protection Act, 2002]</ref> Ontario's regulations prohibiting negative option billing do not protect consumers from owing for goods or services that they have agreed to receive.<ref>[http://www.gov.on.ca/mgs/en/ConsProt/STEL02_045943.html Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services]</ref>  Additionally, Alberta has outlawed negative billing in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fair Trading Act|url=http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Acts/F02.pdf|website=Queens Printers|publisher=Queens Printers|accessdate=6 July 2017}}</ref>