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Stay Compliant with Quebec’s Bill 96

Bill 96 is fully in effect in Quebec. Is your business equipped to meet the ongoing requirements? 

TransPerfect’s translation and content management solutions help you stay compliant with Quebec’s language law—efficiently, accurately, and at scale.

Bill 96 Quebec Explained

Bill 96 is Quebec’s comprehensive language law, adopted in 2022 and fully in effect on June 1, 2025. It requires businesses operating in Quebec to use French (specifically, Canadian French) in nearly all aspects of their operations. 

Any company with 25 or more employees that conducts business in Quebec must provide customer-facing materials, employee communications, and digital content in French. Noncompliance can result in fines and reputational risks. 

The law also mandates French across internal systems, legal documentation, product packaging, websites, and customer service—with strict rules on prominence and equivalency.

Businesses must participate in a francization program to demonstrate full adoption of French throughout their operations.

What Changed in 2025: New Bill 96 Requirements

Bill 96 rolled out in phases, with key provisions taking effect in 2022, 2023, and 2025. 

As of June 1, 2025, the law imposes broader requirements for all businesses operating in Quebec, including: 

  • Employee and customer communications must be available in French across all channels.

  • Public signs and posters must prioritize French or ensure equal visibility with other languages.

  • Trademarks on products are now subject to stricter French-language rules.

  • Francization requirements have expanded, requiring deeper integration of French in day-to-day business operations. 

These changes raise the compliance bar and affect everything from packaging and signage to internal systems and customer service.

How to Achieve & Maintain Bill 96 Compliance

To achieve compliance with Quebec’s Bill 96, businesses must take a strategic, organization-wide approach to language requirements. This begins with conducting a comprehensive content audit to identify all materials—digital, legal, customer-facing, and internal—that must be available in French and that need to be translated from English to Canadian French. 

From there, it’s essential to ensure that all required content is accurately translated and delivered in a timely manner. 

A centralized translation process helps organizations maintain consistency and avoid duplication, especially as content volumes grow. Partnering with an experienced language services provider ensures access to expert linguists, purpose-built technology, and local market knowledge to navigate compliance efficiently and effectively.

Language Compliance Solutions from TransPerfect

Translation costs and volume can create major challenges, especially for small businesses with tight budgets and large enterprises managing vast content. 

TransPerfect helps centralize and streamline your translation workflows, reducing complexity and cost. Our solutions support both immediate Bill 96 compliance and scalable, long-term language management.

FAQs

Bill 96 applies to any business with 25+ employees that has operations, employees, or customers in Quebec. The law also applies to e-commerce sites run by businesses outside of Quebec.

Any information that is available to English speakers in Quebec by a business with 25+ employees must also be available in Canadian French. This includes:

  • Internal workplace communications

  • Contracts and legal documents

  • Public signage and advertising

  • Product labeling and packaging

  • Websites and digital content, including social media posts

  • Customer interactions (written and verbal)

As of June 1, 2025, there are broader requirements for all businesses to communicate with Quebec employees and customers in French. The new provisions involve public signs and posters, trademarks appearing on products, and requirements for francization (expansion of French language use).  

Businesses that fail to comply with Quebec’s Bill 96 may face fines ranging from $3,000 to $90,000 per day, with higher penalties for repeat offenses. The Office Québécois de la Langue Française (OQLF) is responsible for enforcing the law and may issue fines, conduct inspections, or require corrective action. In some cases, company directors can be held personally liable if due diligence is not demonstrated.

Bill 101, also known as The Charter of the French language, was enacted in 1977. Bill 101 defined French as the official language of the provincial government in Quebec and is a predecessor of Bill 96.

Yes. Bill 96 requires that all written and spoken French used in business operations be appropriate for the Quebec market, meaning it must be in Canadian French. French content created for audiences in France must be localized to reflect Quebec’s linguistic norms, terminology, and cultural context.

How TransPerfect Can Help

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AI-Powered Translation Tools

TransPerfect’s GlobalLink technology supports fast, scalable localization and multilingual content management. The AI Portal allows real-time, self-service translation with optional human post-editing and can be customized with your organization’s terminology.

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Smarter Workflows with Translation Memory

Our translation memory stores and reuses previously translated content to ensure consistency, improve turnaround times, and reduce costs. GlobalLink Connect integrates directly with your CMS and other platforms, streamlining the translation process and helping ensure your French and English content go live simultaneously.

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End-to-End Language Services

From in-person and remote interpreting to subtitling, voiceover, and transcription, TransPerfect offers solutions to help companies communicate in French across every channel. We also support training programs through translated e-learning, videos, and live sessions.

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Customer Support Solutions

Need help serving French-speaking customers? TransPerfect provides 24/7 support through bilingual contact center agents, on-demand phone and video interpretation, and real-time translation for email and chat—all helping businesses meet the verbal communication requirements of Bill 96.

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Local Expertise & Accessibility Support

TransPerfect supports Canadian organizations through offices in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. We’re also experts in digital accessibility, helping clients meet requirements under the Accessible Canada Act through alt-format content, inclusive design, and compliance consulting.

Bill 96 Resources

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TransPerfect’s AI-powered language solutions can help companies operating in Quebec ensure compliance with Bill 96.
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This blog post highlights how TransPerfect can help assist businesses with their French translations and strategy in a cost-effective way.
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Experts from TransPerfect explain how GlobalLink Web simplifies website translation and helps companies ensure compliance with Bill 96 in Quebec.
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This Quebec Bill 96 compliance checklist will help companies quickly assess whether they are meeting the law’s requirements across all key areas.
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