The Charter of the French Language and Language Laws: Frequently Asked Questions

“Historic Anglophone” is not a term that is used in the Charter of the French Language or other language laws. It’s a term that was used by politicians to refer to people who would still have access to English services when changes to the Charter were being discussed.

This means historic Anglophones don’t benefit from specific exceptions in the Charter of the French Language or other language laws.

However, different groups of people that are more comfortable speaking in English than in French have access to certain services in English. For example, anyone in Quebec who is more comfortable speaking English than French has the right to receive health care in English. Indigenous people, newcomers and other people can also access provincial and municipal services in English.

Yes. Your organization still has to respect the Charter of the French Language.

Historic Anglophones aren’t a group defined by the law, which means they don’t benefit from specific exceptions. Even if some individuals may access some English services, like certain provincial and municipal services, organizations don’t benefit from those same exceptions.

Yes. No matter the size of your organization, you have to respect the Charter of the French Language. Its rules apply to all enterprises, which includes both non-profit organizations and for-profit businesses.

The 25-employee count applies to francization rules only.

For more information, read the following articles: Francization Rules for Employers and Charter of the French Language.

Yes. As a general rule, all enterprises doing business in Quebec must respect the Charter of the French Language when carrying out activities in the province.

But there are exceptions. For example, federally regulated private businesses can choose whether the law applies to them.

For more information, see the following article: Language Laws and Doing Business in Quebec.

If you’re an immigrant or newcomer to Quebec, you can receive English services from provincial and municipal government bodies during your first 6 months in Quebec.

You could also get services in a language other than French or English during this time, but it depends on how much demand there is for that specific language.

While access to English services by government bodies may be limited to your first 6 month in Quebec, you could still receive English services in other areas, such as health care.

For more information, read the following articles:  Access to Provincial and Municipal Services in English and Access to Health and Social Services in English.

Yes. Enterprises in Quebec with at least 5 employees that sell or offer services and products to customers must be able to serve them in French.

This means that a sufficient number of employees on shift must have adequate knowledge of French to communicate with customers. However, employees can continue to serve customers in another language if the customer prefers.

For more information, read the following article: Language Laws and Doing Business in Quebec.

Yes. The rules regarding language in the workplace in Quebec are the same for all enterprises. This is the case even if all employees prefer English over French.

This means that certain work-related communications such as offers of employment or transfer, training documents, and collective agreements need to be available in French.

Communications of a public nature that are meant for multiple employees must also be in French, like a notice posted in the employee break room. However, it is possible to have translations of these communications in other languages.

But there are exceptions. Enterprises can communicate with their staff directly in a language other than French in some situations. These exceptions are the same for all enterprises, regardless of the preferred language of employees.

For more information, read the following articles: Language Used in the Workplace in Quebec and Francization Rules for Employers.

It depends on the type of document or communication.

Individual work contracts in a language other than French that existed before June 1, 2022, do not need to be translated into French. Employees had until June 1st, 2023, to request a translation.

Some other documents must be translated if they’re still in use. For example, training documents meant for employees and documents relating to conditions of employment must be available in French, even if they were created before Bill 96 came into effect.

Websites and social media accounts used by an enterprise operating in Quebec to market products and services must be available in French. This rule already existed before Bill 96 came into effect. Any commercial publication that is still available to the public, whether online or not, must be available in French.

The Charter of the French Language says that French translations of texts or documents must be understandable on their own, without having to refer to a version in another language.

According to Quebec’s office of the French language, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), this means that the French version must include the same information available in other languages.

See the following question for more information on the possible consequences of differences between versions of a same text or document.

In most cases, like for group insurance contracts for workers, contracts of adhesion or consumer contracts, the person who did not write the text or document can choose the version of the text or document they prefer.

For texts and documents prepared by the government, like laws and regulations, the French version applies if there are differences between the French and English versions.

It depends.

According to Quebec’s office of the French language, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), your public must be able to access the French version without having to change their device, browser, or social media account settings, and without having to sign in to their account. The translation must also be available on all Web browsers.

For example, an enterprise can’t rely on the automatic translation tool of a specific browser, since it wouldn’t work if the user was using a different browser.

Yes. While most publications, public signs and commercial advertising generally require a French translation or French to appear alongside the other language, there are cases where they can be fully in a language other than French.

For example, advertising and publications in English media can be done fully in English. Signs and advertising for cultural products or activities can also be done fully in a language other than French.

For more information, see the following article and infographic: Language Laws and Doing Business in Quebec and Quebec Language Laws for Non-French Publicity.

No. While the general rule is that social media and website posts must be in French or have a French translation, some exceptions exist.

One of these exceptions states that posts concerning educational or cultural activities and products that are offered in a language other than French can be exclusively in that language. Whether an event is educational or cultural is a question of interpretation.

For more information, see the following article and infographic: Language Laws and Doing Business in Quebec and Quebec Language Laws for Non-French Publicity

According to Quebec’s office of the French language, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), there is no requirement for a website to load in French by default when it is opened.

An adhesion contract is an agreement in which one party sets the main terms. The other party cannot negotiate those terms. An adhesion contract must first be given to someone in French. The parties can then decide to have the contract and its related documents in another language, like English. They have to clearly express that they want these documents to be in that other language.

Common examples of adhesion contracts include:

• insurance policies,
• phone or Internet service plans,
• a contest entry form that a participant must fill out.

In some specific exceptional cases, adhesion contracts don’t need to be made available in French first. For example, an adhesion contract that is only available in another language could be used if the other party is outside Quebec.

For more information, visit the website of Quebec’s office of the French language, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF): Entreprises : contrats d’adhésion (French only)

It depends on the document.

For example, if everyone signing agrees, a lease or a contract for the sale of a residence can be exclusively in English.

However, if a contract for the sale of a residence is in English, an official French translation of the document will be needed to record the sale in Quebec’s land register, the Registre foncier du Québec.

Wills, protection mandates, powers of attorney, and advanced medical directives can also all be in English. An official French translation of these documents may be required for Quebec’s land and property registers, called the Registre foncier du Québec and the Registre des droits personnels et réels mobiliers.

For more information about other documents that can be in English, see the following article: Charter of the French Language.

Anyone who is aware a rule is not being followed can make a complaint to Quebec’s office of the French language, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF). The OQLF can also make inspections and investigations on its own, without receiving a complaint.

The OQLF takes false complaints and information very seriously and can issue fines of $20,000 for individuals and $250,000 for enterprises.

For more information on the OQLF’s role, see the following article: Charter of the French Language

If you or your enterprise don’t respect the Charter of the French Language, there can be different consequences.

If an employee’s rights were not respected, they could make a complaint with the labour board, called the CNESST, and eventually sue you before Quebec’s labour tribunal.

In other cases, if someone suffered harm because the rules weren’t respected, they could go to court to ask that parts of a contract or a decision be declared invalid or changed to their benefit.

Quebec’s office of the French language, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), could also order you to respect the rules and give you a certain timeframe to comply. If nothing is done to fix the problem following the warnings and reminders, the OQLF can suspend or revoke any permit or authorization given to your business by any government agency, as well as take measures with courts to give you important fines.

For people, fines range between $700 to $7000, while the amounts for enterprises range between $3000 to $30,000. If it’s not a first offence, the amounts are doubled or tripled for any additional offense.

If you don’t respect francization rules, your enterprise could also be put on a public list of non-compliant enterprises. While on the list, you won’t be able to receive subsidies or contracts from the government.<h2 class= »h2_bg » id= »website »>Websites, social media and public communications</h2>