It seems inhabitants of the ‘true north, strong and free’ are none too happy about receiving calls from marketers, selling this or that.

So resistant in fact are they to the after-supper calls, the country’s do-not-call website crashed on its first day of business.

It’s obvious. Rather than ask who doesn’t want to receive marketing calls, ask who does want to receive them. The list would be much shorter, and it’s unlikely anxious Canadians eager to be called would crash the system as they rushed to get their names on a do-call list.

The site, and a toll-free do-not-call number, came crashing down under the weight of hundreds of thousands of Canadians trying to get their names on the list. By Tuesday afternoon, more than a million call-weary people had called one of the service’s two toll-free numbers, only to find the lines engaged.

Officials say that at one point, more than 40,000 callers were trying to get through at the same time.

Well, at least we know how Canadians feel about marketing calls. At this rate it won’t be long until the entire country has joined the do-not-call list.

The ban, of course, won’t stop all calls. Exceptions have been made. They include newspapers, charities, political parties and companies that have conducted business with people being called during the previous 18 months.

But there’s little doubt the service will grow in popularity. Lives are busy and time is short.

When people get home, they more than likely want to spend it with family or by themselves, putting their feet up and relaxing after a long, hard day. Commerce has to stop at some point, and based on the initial response to the do-not-call list, that point is the front door.

Within a short time, millions of Canadians will have added their names to the list. In the meantime, there’s always call display to vet phone calls. Either that, or simply unplug the thing.

It’s a pretty enterprising marketer who finds a way of calling you when the phone is out of service. If that does happen, take the call because this is one person who may have something to say.

By the way, the website can be located by clicking the link provided – phone numbers are: 1-866-580-3625 and 1-888-362-5889 for the hearing impaired.