Bill 96 in Quebec is a 2022 overhaul of the province’s language law, formally titled “An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec.” It strengthens French as the dominant language in business, government services, courts, and education, and it reaches further than any previous Quebec language legislation. It received royal assent in June 2022, with some provisions in force immediately and the biggest business and signage requirements landing on June 1, 2025.
The law applies to anyone operating in Quebec, and in many cases to businesses outside Quebec that sell into the province. What follows is what has actually changed on the ground.
What Bill 96 Changed for Businesses in Quebec
Bill 96 touches almost every part of how a company operates, from storefront signs to internal emails. Smaller businesses are not exempt from the core customer-facing rules.
Francization and the New 25-Employee Threshold
Before Bill 96, only businesses with 50 or more employees had to register with the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) and go through a formal francization process. As of June 1, 2025, that threshold dropped to 25 employees. Businesses with 25 to 49 employees now register with the OQLF and track their compliance. Those with 50 or more face a more rigorous assessment, and companies with 100 or more must form a francization committee that meets at least every six months and submits minutes to the OQLF.1Publications du Québec. An Act Respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Quebec
Businesses with fewer than 25 employees do not register, but they remain subject to OQLF complaints and inspections. No business operating in Quebec sits fully outside the law.
Signage, Trademarks, and Product Labeling
Since June 1, 2025, any non-French trademark on a sign visible from outside a business must be accompanied by French text that is “markedly predominant.” The OQLF interprets this to mean the French text occupies at least twice as much space as the non-French text, and both appear in the same visual field so a passerby can read them at once without moving.
The trademark exemption also narrowed sharply. Previously, businesses could display any recognized trademark in English or another language on signage without accompanying French, whether or not the trademark was federally registered. Bill 96 ended that. Only trademarks registered under the federal Trademarks Act now qualify for any exemption, and even registered marks still need markedly predominant French alongside them on exterior signs. Unregistered non-French trademarks can no longer appear exclusively in another language on signage or commercial advertising.1Publications du Québec. An Act Respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Quebec
Product packaging must be in French, and any other-language text cannot be more prominent than the French. If a registered English-only trademark contains a generic description of the product, like “Speedy Oil Change,” the descriptive portion must also appear in French elsewhere on the product. Products manufactured before June 1, 2025 may be sold until June 1, 2027 even if their labeling does not fully comply, provided no corresponding French version of the trademark was registered before June 26, 2024.
Contracts
Since June 1, 2023, standard-form contracts (insurance policies, phone plans, franchise agreements, and other contracts of adhesion) follow a two-step process. The business must present the French version first. Only after the customer has examined that French version can both parties agree to use a version in another language. If no French version is offered first, the customer can demand that the contract be voided or that a non-compliant clause be struck.1Publications du Québec. An Act Respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Quebec
Public contracts with the civil administration must be exclusively in French. Freely negotiated private contracts can still be in whatever language the parties choose, but any standard-form elements embedded in them remain subject to the French-first rule.
Hiring and the Workplace
Employers cannot require knowledge of a language other than French as a condition for hiring, transfer, or promotion unless the job genuinely demands it. Even then, the employer must first show that all reasonable steps were taken to avoid imposing the requirement. Job postings that call for a non-French language must include a justification. If a posting runs in another language, a French version must appear at the same time through comparable channels reaching a similar audience. Employment contracts, training materials, and internal communications all must be available in French.1Publications du Québec. An Act Respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Quebec
Websites, Software, and Apps
Commercial websites accessible in Quebec must have a French version available under conditions at least as favorable as any other language version. Burying French content behind extra clicks while English loads by default would not comply. Software and mobile applications distributed in Quebec need a French user interface, and if voice commands are available they must respond accurately to French. Any on-screen text appearing in another language must also appear in French, at the same size or larger. These rules apply to e-commerce platforms, shopping carts, and product descriptions aimed at Quebec customers.1Publications du Québec. An Act Respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Quebec
What Bill 96 Means for Businesses Outside Quebec
Bill 96 does not stop at the provincial border. A company in another Canadian province or another country that offers products or services to Quebec customers is expected to comply with the law’s language requirements. The OQLF can intervene against out-of-province or foreign businesses that sell non-compliant products or services into the Quebec market.
In practice, a U.S. franchisor with Quebec locations, an Ontario supplier distributing products in Quebec, or an online retailer shipping to Quebec addresses must make sure customer-facing communications, product labeling, and adhesion contracts meet the French-first requirements. Websites aimed at Quebec customers need a French version, and non-French trademarks shown on those sites must be handled the same way as physical signage if they are not federally registered in Canada.
What Bill 96 Means for Everyday Life
Government Services
Government departments, municipalities, health institutions, and school boards communicate and provide services in French. Exceptions are narrow. They apply to Indigenous communities, individuals who already communicated with the government in English before the bill was tabled on May 13, 2021, and people eligible for English-language schooling in Quebec. Newcomers can receive services in a language other than French, but only for their first six months in the province. After that, French is the default. Exceptions can also be made where health, public safety, or principles of natural justice are at stake.1Publications du Québec. An Act Respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Quebec
The six-month window drew significant criticism, since a person who immigrates to Quebec may still need to interact with healthcare providers, housing agencies, or government offices well past that mark while learning French.
Courts
Pleadings and other judicial documents filed in Quebec courts must be in French. A document originally in another language must come with a certified French translation at the filing party’s expense, and without it the court will not accept the document.1Publications du Québec. An Act Respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Quebec Judges appointed to higher courts in Quebec are also now required to demonstrate knowledge of French.
Education
Bill 96 caps enrollment at English-language CEGEPs (Quebec’s post-secondary colleges) at 17.5 percent of the total CEGEP student population, roughly matching enrollment at the time the law passed. English CEGEPs must prioritize students who hold eligibility certificates for English-language instruction, meaning students whose parents attended English school in Canada. Francophone and allophone students can still apply, but they will be admitted only after eligible anglophone students.
Students at English CEGEPs who do not hold an English eligibility certificate must now pass the French ministerial exit exam (l’Épreuve Uniforme de Français) rather than the English exit exam to graduate. It is the same exam francophone CEGEP students take, and it is a graduation requirement. No pass, no diploma.
At the primary and secondary levels, the strict criteria for eligibility to attend English-language public schools remain in place and were reinforced. Access is limited mainly to children whose parents received their own elementary education in English in Canada.
Fines and How Enforcement Works
The OQLF is the primary enforcement body. Anyone can file a complaint about a business or organization that appears to violate the Charter of the French Language, and the OQLF can also conduct its own inspections. Businesses that receive a complaint or inspection notice are generally given time to fix the issue before penalties are imposed.
When penalties do apply, fines for organizations run from $3,000 to $30,000 per offense. Amounts double for a second offense and triple for subsequent violations. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense, so an uncorrected non-compliant sign can generate separate fines for every day it remains up. Fines for individuals are lower but follow the same escalation pattern.1Publications du Québec. An Act Respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Quebec
The Constitutional Shield and the Challenges Still Pending
Bill 96 pre-emptively invoked Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the notwithstanding clause. That shields its provisions from being struck down by courts on the basis of certain fundamental rights under the federal Charter, including freedom of expression. The notwithstanding clause must be renewed every five years to stay in effect.
Challenges are still moving through the courts. The English Montreal School Board secured a partial stay from the Quebec Superior Court in 2024, suspending certain provisions that required English school boards to communicate exclusively in French when dealing with other English-speaking community organizations. The Quebec government’s attempt to overturn that stay was rejected by the Court of Appeal. The EMSB’s challenge was joined with cases filed by other parties, and a ruling on the merits was expected to be heard in 2025.
Separate challenges target the mandatory French translation requirement for court documents, arguing it violates Section 133 of the Constitution Act, 1867, which guarantees the right to use either English or French in Quebec courts. Because the notwithstanding clause does not apply to language rights under Section 133 (which predates the 1982 Charter), those particular challenges have a potential path forward that broader freedom-of-expression arguments do not. The litigation is expected to continue for years.