What rules govern alcohol advertising in Canada, and what do they mean for placements?
Part of US and Canada targeting
The short answer
Alcohol advertising in Canada follows the CRTC Code for Broadcast Advertising of Alcoholic Beverages, applied by Ad Standards Clearance Services, plus provincial rules. Ontario's AGCO guidelines cover all alcohol advertising, British Columbia applies the CRTC Code to every medium, and Quebec requires preclearance. Placements must not be directed at people under the legal drinking age.
Key takeaways
- The CRTC Code dates from August 1996 and lists clauses (a) to (q); Ad Standards has reviewed alcohol broadcast advertising against it since 1997.
- Ad Standards says the CRTC Code covers all alcohol advertising in British Columbia, including digital, and the AGCO guidelines cover all alcohol advertising in Ontario.
- Ontario does not permit alcohol ads in media targeted at people under the legal drinking age, and Quebec's regulation bars advertising directed at minors.
- The CRTC Code, the AGCO guidelines and Quebec's regulation address the intended audience as well as the message, so a placement review checks who a site or channel is made for, not only what it publishes.
What rules govern alcohol advertising in Canada?
Canada has no single alcohol advertising statute. Several layers apply at once, depending on the province where the ad runs and the medium that carries it: the CRTC's code for broadcast, each province's liquor regulator, and the ad platforms' own policies.
Definition
- CRTC Code for Broadcast Advertising of Alcoholic Beverages
- A code dated August 1996 that lists what commercial messages for alcoholic beverages shall not do, in clauses (a) to (q), with interpretation guidelines. Ad Standards reprints the code and guidelines in its Alcoholic Beverage Advertising Clearance Guide (opens in a new tab).
Ad Standards Clearance Services has reviewed alcohol advertising for Canadian radio and television since 1997 and gives compliant ads an approval number that broadcasters look for. Its guide adds that the authority for the code's contents rests with the CRTC itself.
| Layer | Who sets it | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| CRTC Code | CRTC, applied by Ad Standards | All broadcast alcohol advertising in Canada; all media in British Columbia |
| Liquor Advertising Guidelines | Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) | All alcohol advertising in Ontario by liquor sales licensees and manufacturers |
| Regulation P-9.1, r. 6 | Government of Quebec | Advertising of alcoholic beverages in Quebec, with preclearance by the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux |
| Other provincial rules | Each province's liquor regulator | Ad Standards notes each province has its own rules, and only Quebec requires preclearance |
| Platform policy | The ad platform, for example Google | Which countries, formats and networks may carry alcohol ads |
Do broadcast alcohol rules apply to digital ads?
Sometimes, depending on the province. The CRTC Code is written for broadcast, but Ad Standards' clearance guide sets out a market and media matrix that reaches well beyond television and radio. For print, out of home, streaming audio and video, banners, social media posts and websites, the applicable framework changes with the market.
| Market | Television and radio | Print, out of home, streaming, banners, social, websites |
|---|---|---|
| Anywhere in Canada | CRTC Code | None listed in the matrix |
| Ontario | CRTC Code and AGCO Guidelines | AGCO Guidelines |
| British Columbia | CRTC Code | CRTC Code |
| Quebec (from the guide's note) | Provincial preclearance | Provincial preclearance for all alcohol advertising |
The guide states it plainly for British Columbia: the CRTC Code applies to all advertising of alcoholic beverages there, for example broadcast, print and digital. In Ontario, the AGCO Guidelines apply to all alcoholic beverage advertising, and Ad Standards will review broadcast, print and digital work against them on request. Quebec is the outlier, because the province requires preclearance of all alcohol advertising that appears in Quebec.
How do provincial alcohol advertising rules differ?
Ontario's rules sit in the AGCO's Registrar's Interim Standards and Requirements for Liquor (opens in a new tab), which say no one may advertise or promote liquor except under the Registrar's advertising guidelines. That standard was marked amended in July 2026. The guidelines (opens in a new tab) make manufacturers and licensees responsible for all authorized advertising done on their behalf, including advertising others place on their behalf.
Quebec's Regulation respecting promotion, advertising and educational programs relating to alcoholic beverages (opens in a new tab) bars advertising that is directed at a person of minor age or induces one to drink, that uses a person of minor age, or that uses or alludes to a fictitious or real character associated with minors. Section 7 also bars manufacturers and permit holders from advertising on clothing and equipment meant for minors' sports and activities.
| Point | Ontario (AGCO) | Quebec (P-9.1, r. 6) | British Columbia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main text | Liquor Advertising Guidelines, appended to the Interim Standards | Provincial regulation under the Act respecting liquor permits | CRTC Code applied to all media, per Ad Standards |
| Audience rule | Not placed in media targeted specifically at people under the legal drinking age | Not directed at a person of minor age | Messages directed to persons of legal drinking age, per clause (b) guidelines |
| Characters | No children's songs or fictional characters, or imitations | No fictitious or real character associated with minors | No mythical or fairy tale characters appealing to children |
| Outdoor | Stationary outdoor ads not within 200 metres of a primary or secondary school | Not stated in the regulation | Not stated in the code |
| Preclearance | Optional, through Ad Standards | Required, through the provincial regulator | Optional, through Ad Standards |
Legal drinking ages are provincial too, so a campaign that crosses provinces crosses age lines. The CRTC Code's contest guidance limits participation to people of legal drinking age in the province where the message airs.
What audience age rules apply to alcohol placements?
Three rules bear directly on where an alcohol ad may run. CRTC clause (b) says messages shall not be directed at persons under the legal drinking age. Clause (c) bars portraying the product in relation to an activity, performance or event whose audience is expected to be predominantly underage. The AGCO adds that the use of a medium targeted at persons under the legal drinking age is not permitted.
The AGCO's examples help planners: no ads in magazines targeted specifically at people under the legal drinking age, and none run with movies whose intended audience is under that age. A children's concert attended by many adults is still off limits for alcohol endorsements.
Audience age checks for an alcohol site or channel list
- Each site or channel on the list is made for an adult readership, judged from its own pages and stated audience.
- No site, channel or section is aimed at teens, students under drinking age or children, even if adults also visit.
- Event, concert and gaming content is checked for an audience expected to be predominantly underage.
- Sports and celebrity content does not pair the brand with a person likely to be a role model for minors.
- Platform age targeting is set to the legal drinking age of every province in the campaign.
Platforms add their own floor. Google's alcohol policy (opens in a new tab) lists Canada among allowed countries, says ads must not target or be designed to appeal primarily to those under the legal purchase age, and requires compliance with local laws and industry codes. On the Display Network, alcohol ads show only on partner properties that opted in.
Which content should alcohol ads avoid in Canada?
No Canadian alcohol rule publishes a list of banned website categories. The avoidance list comes from reading the rules against the inventory: some content is off limits because of who it is made for, some because of what the rules say about the message, and some only because a brand chooses to avoid it. Keep the three apart.
| Content type | Why it is flagged | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Children's, teen and youth media | Media targeted at people under the legal drinking age | AGCO Guidelines; CRTC clauses (b) and (c); Quebec s. 2(1) |
| Concerts, festivals and games aimed at young audiences | Audience expected to be predominantly underage | CRTC clause (c) guideline |
| Athlete and celebrity content with youth appeal | Endorsement by a likely role model for minors, who stays one for 10 years after retirement | CRTC clause (d) guideline |
| Driving and motorsport content | Clause (l) bars linking the product with operating a vehicle in the message; adjacency itself is a brand choice. In Ontario, race vehicles may carry liquor ads without product graphics | CRTC clause (l); AGCO Guidelines |
| Addiction, recovery and alcohol harm reporting | A brand suitability choice, not a stated legal bar | Brand policy |
Rules on the creative also shape where an ad sits comfortably. Clause (q) bars scenes in which the product is consumed, so Ad Standards asks that all bottles and glasses be full, and it recommends that actors be, and appear to be, over 25. Party and binge drinking content works against both.
What does a compliant alcohol site list look like on a real brief?
Fictional example
A St. John's distillery plans its first national display flight
A fictional craft gin distillery in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, wants display ads beside food, travel and cooking content at home, in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, in English and French. Its agency maps each market to its framework before choosing any site.
The planner builds one adult food and travel list, removes a student lifestyle site and a family festival guide because their audiences skew young, and leaves out motorsport content. Quebec creative goes for provincial preclearance and age targeting is set for each province.
Five steps from brief to an alcohol placement list
- List every province in the flight. Each brings its own regulator, legal drinking age and, in Quebec, preclearance.
- Match each market to its framework. The Ad Standards matrix shows whether the CRTC Code, the AGCO Guidelines or provincial preclearance applies.
- Screen candidates for audience, not only topic. Remove sites and channels made for minors or for events with young audiences.
- Separate legal flags from brand flags. Record which exclusions come from a rule and which from brand policy.
- Set age and location in the buying platform. The list chooses where ads may run; platform settings decide who sees them.
How can PlacementGraph help build an alcohol brand's site list?
PlacementGraph builds the site list.
Frequently asked questions
Does Ad Standards approval cover alcohol ads in Quebec?
Ad Standards' clearance guide says each province has its own alcohol advertising rules but only Quebec requires preclearance, from the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux, for all alcohol advertising appearing there. An Ad Standards approval number does not replace that step.
What is the difference between alcohol advertising and sponsorship messages?
Ad Standards treats a message as advertising when it names a drink and adds descriptive or qualifying claims, such as a tagline. A sponsorship message only names, illustrates or identifies the drink or its price. An event sponsorship ad that shows any alcoholic product counts as alcohol advertising.
Can an alcohol ad in Canada show people drinking?
Clause (q) of the CRTC Code bars scenes in which the product is consumed or that give the impression it has been consumed, which Ad Standards reads as requiring full bottles and glasses. Clause (o) also bars showing people who appear to be under the influence.
How long does a retired athlete count as a role model for minors?
Under the CRTC Code's guideline to clause (d), a person established as a role model for minors remains one for 10 years from retirement. Clause (d) bars endorsements by anyone who is or is likely to be a role model for minors, through public trust, achievement, children's charities or media exposure.
Sources
- Alcoholic Beverage Advertising Clearance Guide (with the CRTC Code and its interpretation guidelines) (opens in a new tab)Ad Standards, August 2025
- Alcoholic Beverage Advertising Clearance (opens in a new tab)Ad Standards
- Guidelines for Liquor Sales Licensees and Manufacturers (opens in a new tab)Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario
- Registrar's Interim Standards and Requirements for Liquor: 2. Advertising and Promotions (opens in a new tab)Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario
- Regulation respecting promotion, advertising and educational programs relating to alcoholic beverages (P-9.1, r. 6) (opens in a new tab)LégisQuébec, Government of Quebec
- Alcohol (opens in a new tab)Google Advertising Policies Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.