The general principles of consent are that it must be:

Free: Individuals who participate in research should do so voluntarily, free of coercion or pressure to consent. If a prospective participant decides against participating or chooses to withdraw from the study, their decision must be respected. Under no circumstances may researchers conduct research with anyone who has refused to participate.
Informed: The decision to participate must be based on an understanding of the purpose of the research, its foreseeable risks and potential benefits. Prospective participants must be given full disclosure of all information relevant to their decision, sufficient time to consider it, and the opportunity to ask questions or seek clarification about the study.
Ongoing: Whenever any new information arises that affects participants in a study, researchers are obligated to inform them. If the new information may affect whether they wish to participate, the participants must be asked whether or not they wish to continue in the study. Once consent is given, it can also be withdrawn.

Obtaining consent involves the following:

Recruitment: Prospective participants must not be recruited using materials that create a false impression of study conditions, or the foreseeable risks and/or potential benefits of participation. Recruitment materials (i.e., posters, emails, social media bulletins, advertisements) must provide accurate information. Some REBs require that recruitment materials clearly state whether the study has received REB approval.

Information: Prior to signing a consent form, prospective participants must be given a detailed description of the study in lay language including, but not limited to:

general purpose of the study and clear description of what the participant is expected to do
foreseeable risks and potential benefits
alternatives to participation (e.g., other treatments, other activities)
contact information of the researcher
contact information of the relevant REB
assurance that the participant can choose to end their involvement at any time

Documenting Consent: The informed consent tool/form

Debriefing (when required): When a study protocol uses deception or partial disclosure, participants must be debriefed once their involvement in the study has ended. Depending upon the complexity of the study, this may be done verbally or with the provision of a written explanation. A debriefing should include:

a clear statement of the research question
disclosure of any deception involved in the study and the rationale for its use
an explanation of how the participants' data will be used to seek an answer to the question
the opportunity for participants to ask questions and/or seek clarification
contact information for the researcher and the REB that approved the study