What to do about a fake or defamatory review in Canada
By ReputationKiln Editorial · Published
In Canada, start with the platform routes, document, flag with evidence, respond calmly, then turn to the law for the serious case. Canadian defamation treats a false statement that harms reputation, written here, as actionable, and a business plaintiff generally needs to show the statement was published to someone, referred to them, and carried a defamatory meaning to a reasonable person. Truth, fair comment and responsible communication are defences, so a truthful but harsh review is unlikely to be actionable, and you should be sure you are dealing with a false statement of fact before acting.
The routes, in order
Respond calmly on the platform to correct the record, flag it, and build an evidence file showing the statement is false, no matching customer, impossible facts, plus evidence of harm. A defamation lawyer's demand letter to the reviewer, explaining why the review is false and demanding removal by a deadline, is the usual first step. If that fails, an application for an order requiring removal, or a civil claim for damages and an injunction, follows, with a resulting order then persuasive to the platform. One practical point: limitation periods and pre-notice requirements can be tight for some forms of publication, so do not sit on it.
Extortion, and the limit
A demand for money or services backed by a threat of bad reviews is extortion under the Criminal Code, which is drawn broadly enough to cover reputational threats and carries up to life imprisonment, so do not pay, document, and report it. The honest limit, as the regulator's own blocked-data case shows, is that platform-level action is hard and slow, so the law is a deterrent and a backstop for the serious case, not a fast removal tool. Read the panic-tax page before paying any reputation firm.
Sources
- Misleading commercial representations can draw civil penalties up to the greater of CAD 10 million first occurrence or 3 percent of worldwide revenue, alongside ordinary defamation remedies. — Competition Act, ss. 52 and 74.01. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-34/ · checked 2026-06-04