As anticipated, too many people tried to get their phone numbers onto Canada’s do-not-call list Tuesday.

The registration was so popular that the website crashed and the toll-free telephone line was busy.

“We’re victims of our own success,” said Denis Carmel, a spokesperson for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

More than a million consumers had called one of two phone lines to register by early afternoon.

At one point more than 40,000 callers were trying to get through “at the same instant,” Carmel said.

Just over 334,000 consumers had succeeded in getting on the list by 4 p.m., Carmel said. Most of them had signed up by 9 a.m., when the system became overwhelmed. Only a few thousand were able to get through after that, he said.

Technology experts have criticized the ban, which doesn't apply to charities, newspapers, political parties, and companies with whom the person has done business in the past 18 months.

The phone numbers are 1-866-580-3625 and 1-888-362-5889 for the hearing impaired. A link is provided to the website.

- With files from Torstar News Service