Quebec’s Charter of the French Language, which you’ve probably heard referred to as Bill 101 in Quebec, has been in place for over 40 years. That sounds like a long time, but it may surprise you to find out that many businesses operating in Quebec are yet to achieve compliance with Bill 101. Many businesses simply aren’t aware of all the requirements included in Bill 101 in Quebec requires. Furthermore, Quebec recently enacted Bill 96, a new amendment to the Charter that introduced additional language requirements for businesses to navigate.
We understand that Bill 101 can be hard to make sense of. In this article, we’re going to focus on one of the key aspects of the Charter of the French Language for businesses–francization. But first, let’s take a broader look at Bill 101.
What is the Charter of French Language / Bill 101?
The Charter of the French Language, commonly known as Bill 101 in Quebec, is a law that was passed by the Quebec government in 1977. In Quebec, Bill 101 establishes French as the province’s one and only official language and “the normal and everyday language of work, instruction, communication, commerce and business.” Bill 101’s ultimate goal is to protect and preserve the status of the French language throughout Quebec.
How does Bill 96 affect businesses?
Introduced in June 2022 as an amendment to Bill 101 in Quebec, Bill 96 adds a new layer of language requirements for businesses, which will continue to go into effect until June 2025.
Some of the amendments to Bill 101 in Quebec include higher expectations for the use of French while conducting business. For example, your business should be prioritizing French for customer service interactions, marketing, signage and labelling, and employment documents.
One of the key requirements for anyone operating a business in Quebec is the concept of francization. While Bill 101 in Quebec introduced the concept, Bill 96 further expanded francization requirements for small businesses. Let’s go over what that means for you.
What does the Francization of businesses mean in Quebec?
For the purpose of Bill 101 in Quebec, “francization” means making sure that French is the primary language used in the workplace for all communications, internal and external.
The term francization is also used to refer to the process of people learning French in Quebec. Francisation Quebec is the official government access point for French learning services. It offers French classes and learning resources in collaboration with the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF). Francisation Quebec also works with employers to provide French learning services for employees. If you or your employees need to up your French skills, Francisation Quebec is a great (and free!) resource.
How to start the francization process in your workplace?
Before Bill 96, the Charter only regulated francization for businesses with over 50 employees. But as of June 2025, certain francization requirements will also apply to businesses with 25-49 employees.
These businesses still have a couple of years to prepare, but it’s never too early to get the process going. We’d suggest doing a self-assessment to find out what you need to improve and work with a reliable translation firm (like us!) to help get your communication materials up to code.
For businesses with 25-49 employees
Businesses with 25-49 employees will have to register with the OQLF by June 1, 2025, to undertake a francization process. Some francization activities for businesses include:
- Making all job and promotion offers available in French
- Offering work tools (such as software and databases) in French by default
- Sending internal communications (such as memos, directions, and forms) in French
- Offering suggestions and opportunities for improvement for staff members with limited French skills
- Making sure that package labelling and menus are in French
- Being able to welcome and serve customers in French
- Posting to business social media accounts in French (for activities within Quebec)
- Making your website and advertising materials available in French
- Providing French invoices and receipts to customers
- Posting all public signage in French
For businesses with 50-99 employees
In addition to the list above, businesses with 50-99 employees must also register with the OQLF. Within three months of receiving a certificate of registration, businesses must provide the OQLF with an analysis of their linguistic situation. The Office will use this analysis to decide whether or not to issue a francization certificate.
For businesses with 100+ employees
According to the Charter, any business with over 100 employees that operates in Quebec must form a francization committee to report on the status of French in the workplace. A francization committee is responsible for analyzing your business’s language situation, implementing a francization plan, and reporting to the OQLF.
Complying with Bill 101 in Quebec
Bill 101 in Quebec may make francization seem complex. But if you operate a business in Quebec (or you’re planning to start), don’t worry. LAT Multilingual’s team of Quebec-based translators and advisors is here to help you reach your localization (and francization) goals.
