Quebec’s Bill 96: A Practical Guide for Canadian Organizations

Quebec’s Bill 96 has changed how many organizations use French in the workplace, customer communications, contracts, websites, product packaging, signage, and other materials.

Most of the law’s major requirements are now in effect. For organizations doing business in Quebec, this is a good time to review where and how French is being used—and correct any gaps before they create problems.

Here is what organizations need to know and how they can make compliance more manageable.

What Is Bill 96?

Bill 96 is the commonly used name for Quebec’s Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec. Passed in 2022, it strengthened the province’s existing Charter of the French Language.

Bill 96 is a Quebec law, not an amendment to Canada’s federal Official Languages Act. The federal law was modernized separately through Bill C-13 in 2023.

Bill 96 affects several areas of business activity, including:

• Customer service and commercial communications
• Websites, advertising, and social media
• Product packaging and labeling
• Public signs
• Employment documents and workplace communications
• Standard-form contracts
• Communications and contracts involving the Quebec government

The Government of Quebec’s Bill 96 overview explains the law’s broader purpose and current requirements.

Which Organizations Need to Pay Attention?

The Charter of the French Language applies broadly to businesses operating in Quebec. Organizations do not need to have 25 employees before every French-language requirement applies.

For example, customer communications, commercial publications, websites, social media, product information, and public signs may be covered regardless of a company’s size.

The 25-employee threshold applies primarily to Quebec’s formal francization process. Since June 1, 2025, a business employing 25 or more people in Quebec for six months must register with the Office québécois de la langue française, commonly known as the OQLF.

The OQLF then evaluates whether French is used throughout the organization. If it is, the organization may receive a francization certificate. If gaps remain, the OQLF may require a formal francization program.

The OQLF’s business guidance provides more information about registration and certification.

Businesses with five to 24 employees also have a newer reporting obligation. When filing certain updates with Quebec’s enterprise register, they must report the proportion of employees who cannot communicate in French at work. The Government of Quebec explains this requirement on its enterprise-registration website.

What Changed in 2025?

June 1, 2025, was an important implementation date for Bill 96. Three changes are particularly relevant to businesses.

More Businesses Must Enter the Francization Process

The registration threshold was lowered from 50 employees to 25. Organizations with 25 to 49 employees in Quebec are now covered by the formal OQLF process.

Registration is the beginning of the process. It does not mean that an organization must immediately translate every document it possesses. The goal is to assess how French is used across the business and develop a reasonable plan for any necessary improvements.

New Product and Trademark Requirements Took Effect

French was already required on most product information in Quebec. Since June 1, 2025, certain generic or descriptive wording contained within a trademark must also appear in French on the product or on something permanently attached to it.

That can include wording describing a product’s ingredients, flavor, color, fragrance, or other characteristics. A product name or company name may still be displayed only in another language when the applicable conditions are met.

The OQLF’s product and trademark guidance includes examples that can help organizations evaluate their packaging.

French Must Be More Prominent on Certain Signs

Public signs and commercial advertising in Quebec generally must be in French. Other languages may also appear, but French must meet the law’s visibility and prominence requirements.

When a non-French trademark appears on an exterior sign, French wording that describes the business, product, or service may need to be “markedly predominant.” The OQLF’s signage guidance explains how these rules work.

What About Websites and Digital Content?

Commercial content directed at customers in Quebec should be included in an organization’s compliance review. That may include:

• Website pages
• Online stores
• Mobile applications
• Customer portals
• Social media posts
• Digital advertising
• Downloadable brochures
• Product instructions
• Customer emails and notifications

A common mistake is to translate a homepage while leaving product pages, forms, help content, or customer communications available only in English.

Organizations should look at the entire customer journey. If someone begins an interaction in French, they should be able to continue through the important steps in French.

What Does Bill 96 Mean for Employees?

Employees in Quebec have the right to work in French. Employers generally need to make employment documents, internal communications, training materials, and tools required for an employee’s work available in French.

Bill 96 does not simply require every employee to speak French. It does, however, place additional responsibility on employers that require proficiency in English or another language for a position. The employer must be able to demonstrate that the requirement is genuinely necessary.

The OQLF’s language-of-work guidance provides a helpful overview of employee rights and employer responsibilities.

What About Federally Regulated Businesses?

Banks, telecommunications providers, airlines, railways, and certain other organizations are federally regulated. A separate federal law—the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act—will create additional rights to work and receive services in French.

As of August 2026, the federal government has published proposed regulations, but that regime is not yet in force. The proposed rules would generally cover federally regulated private businesses with at least 25 employees in Quebec. Qualifying businesses would also have a mechanism for choosing Quebec’s provincial language regime.

Federally regulated organizations should follow the federal process rather than assuming that every Bill 96 requirement automatically applies to them. The Government of Canada’s summary of the proposed regulations provides the latest details.

A Practical Approach to Compliance

Bill 96 compliance becomes easier when it is treated as an ongoing business process rather than a one-time translation project.

Start by identifying every place employees, customers, and business partners encounter language. That includes websites, forms, contracts, packaging, signs, training, customer support, and internal systems.

Next, prioritize materials according to visibility, usage, and risk. Customer-facing content, employee documents, contracts, product information, and public signage will usually require early attention.

Organizations should also establish a consistent French terminology library. Approved terms for products, services, departments, and technical concepts can improve accuracy and prevent different teams from translating the same language in different ways.

Finally, build language review into normal business workflows. New web pages, products, forms, campaigns, and employee materials should be evaluated before they are released, rather than corrected afterward.

How LanguageLine Can Help

Understanding the requirements is one thing. Applying them across websites, contracts, packaging, employee materials, customer service, and day-to-day operations is another.

• Our translation and localization services can support everything from individual documents to large, ongoing content programs. We translate and localize websites, contracts, forms, product information, packaging, employee communications, training materials, marketing campaigns, and other business-critical content. We can also help organizations establish consistent French terminology, manage recurring updates, and create workflows that make translation part of the normal publishing process.

• Compliance also extends beyond the written word. Our interpreting services provide on-demand access to professional interpreters in more than 270 languages, including French. Available by phone and video, these services help organizations communicate clearly with customers, patients, employees, students, and community members whenever language assistance is needed.

• For organizations facing high content volumes, tight timelines, or frequent updates, our AI solutions can add speed and scale. LanguageLine can help determine when AI is appropriate, when professional review should be added, and when content calls for fully human translation or interpretation. The result is a smarter language strategy based on the purpose, complexity, audience, and risk of each interaction.

Visit our industries page to see how we support organizations across healthcare, government, financial services, education, insurance, legal services, retail, and many other fields.

We invite you to contact us today for a free consultation.