If you live or do business in Quebec, you know that there are rules around when you can and can’t use English. These rules come from a law called the Charter of the French Language, also known as “Bill 101” Over the past couple years, “Bill 96” has introduced important changes to the Charter. What are the rules today?
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All topics at a glance Have you seen our infographic, Navigating Quebec’s Language Laws? It highlights the key takeaway for each of these topics so you can see them all at a glance. |
Health and social services (health care)
Anyone who is more comfortable communicating in English than in French has the right to receive health and social services in English. Factors like available facilities, human resources, and budget decide where and how health and social services are offered in English. English-speakers can ask for service in English to be directed to the right person or facility.
Provincial and municipal services
Some examples of provincial and municipal services are driver’s licenses and waste collection. Someone can receive all provincial and municipal services and information about them in English if they meet one of these requirements:
- They have been declared eligible to attend public school in English in Quebec.
- They are Inuit or a member of a First Nation.
- They immigrated to Quebec in the last six months.
- They are living outside of Quebec.
Other people can receive some provincial and municipal services and information about them in English only in certain situations. Until someone asks for English, provincial and municipal government bodies must usually communicate in French. Asking for service in English allows the service provider to switch to English to confirm the person’s eligibility.
Education
Some children can get a certificate of eligibility for public kindergarten, elementary or high school in English. To get a certificate, one of these people must have already done a major part of their schooling in English in Canada:
- the child who will receive the certificate,
- their Canadian parent,
- their sibling.
Other children can sometimes get special or temporary permission to go to school in English.
Anyone can go to CEGEP or university in English, but spots may be limited. Students who go to CEGEP in English may need to pass French courses or a proficiency test to graduate. Students who go to university in English may need to know French for some programs, and tuition fees are often higher for students who aren’t from Quebec.
Work
Employers can only hire someone to work in English if the job needs to be in English, like in a call centre that serves English speakers in the United States. French must be used for most internal documents and communications, but an English translation may be available. Employees can ask their employer to communicate with them in English one-on-one.
Employers with 50 or more employees must follow additional francization rules. They must register with the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF or office of the French language) and report on the use of French in their workplace. They must show that French is widely used within the workplace or take steps to foster the use of French if it isn’t.
Customer and client services
Freelancers, companies or organizations can serve customers or clients in English. But they usually aren’t required to offer service in English. However, they must be able to offer service in French if they have 5 or more employees.
Customers or clients can ask to be served in the language of their choice. Whether this is possible can be part of someone’s decision about where they want to go for different products or services.
Purchase agreements for products or services can be in English if everyone agrees. If it’s a standard-form contract, like for a cell phone plan, the customer or client can request an English version after receiving the French version.
Freelancers, companies or organizations must have a French version of most documents and advertising related to their products or services. Examples include order forms, receipts, websites, social media, and packaging. They can usually also have a version in another language, like English.
Access to justice
Negotiation, mediation, arbitration, criminal or civil court cases can all be in English or include English translation or interpretation.
Someone participating in a civil court case or lawyers and notaries all have the right to use English or French when submitting court forms and documents, participating in hearings, and communicating with each other. When communicating with front-line court staff, someone must meet the eligibility requirements for provincial and municipal services to be served in English.
Housing
The lease or sale agreement for a residence can be in English if everyone signing it agrees. If someone disagrees, these documents must be in French. An official French translation of sale documents in English is required for the Registre foncier du Québec (land register).
Future and end-of-life planning
Wills, protection mandates, powers of attorney, and advanced medical directives can all be in English. An official French translation of these documents may be required for Quebec’s land and property registers: the Registre foncier du Québec and the Registre des droits personnels et réels mobiliers.
The OQLF enforces the Charter’s rules
The mission of the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF or office of the French language) is to make sure that people, businesses and government bodies follow the Charter’s rules.
The OQLF has existed since 1961. At the time, its mandate was to “foster the correction and enrichment of the spoken and written language”. Throughout the years, and with Bill 96’s overhaul, the OQLF has gained more specific and far-reaching roles.
Today, the OQLF receives complaints related to the Charter and carries out investigations. It can enter workplaces, hospitals, government agencies and other organizations, take photographs, access their electronic devices and ask for information or documents. The OQLF can order that a person or an organization respect the Charter and ask the court to issue a fine.
The OQLF also issues francization certificates. All workplaces with 50+ employees must register with the OQLF and take measures to receive this certificate in order to operate in Quebec. If you’re an employer, you will have to vet your francization program by the OQLF, if applicable.
On a policy level, the OQLF analyzes how French evolves in Quebec. It must submit a report of its findings to the ministre de la Langue française (Minister of the French Language) at least every five years.
The OQLF hasn’t abandoned its initial mission to foster the enrichment of the French language. To this end, the OQLF publishes a free French guide and dictionary you can view online. It also has a hotline dedicated to answering your French questions.
Bill 96 overhauled the Charter
Bill 96, also known as Law 14, brought the most significant changes to the Charter in recent years. It made French mandatory or preferred in more contexts than before.
For example, Bill 96 made these notable changes:
- Provincial and municipal government bodies are now required to provide services in French, with some exceptions.
- English CEGEPs have a limit on the number of spots they can offer.
- Employers with 25+ employees (not 50+) will have to comply with francization rules as of June 1, 2025.
The Charter’s beginnings
The Charter first became law in 1977 and strived to make French the everyday language of work, education and business. Notably, it made French the official language of Quebec.
It also introduced many of the language rules we know today, although some have evolved since. For example, the original Charter:
- made French instruction mandatory for newcomers’ children,
- limited access to public school in English,
- required commercial ads and signs to be in French,
- required employers of a certain size to ensure that French was widely used within the workplace.