Bill 96 and your small business: the essential obligations

Bill 96 in a nutshell

Bill 96, adopted in 2022, strengthened the Charter of the French language (CQLR, c. C-11). Its obligations came into force in waves — 2022, 2023, then June 1, 2025 — and several of them hit very small businesses directly: your website, your contracts, your signage. Here is what matters, section by section.

Your website and social media

Businesses serving the Québec market must make their commercial publications — catalogues, brochures, order forms and documents of the same nature — available in French. The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) applies this requirement to commercial websites and social media. The French version must be accessible on conditions at least as favourable as any other language version (Charter, s. 52).

This is not theoretical: OQLF enforcement practice confirms websites are covered, with several convictions between 2024 and 2026 for English-only commercial websites — including Waterco (2025) and Pokoloko Kreative (2026), prosecuted after OQLF orders. Consumers also have the right to be informed and served in French (s. 5).

Standard-form contracts: French first

Since June 1, 2023, contracts of adhesion — non-negotiable standard-form contracts, including consumer contracts — and their related documents must be drawn up in French. The parties may be bound by a version in another language only if the French version was first given to the adhering party and the parties then expressly stated that wish (Charter, s. 55; OQLF).

Public signage: French must be "markedly predominant"

Since June 1, 2025, on public signage visible from outside premises that displays a non-French trademark or business name, French must be "markedly predominant": within the same visual field, the space devoted to French text must be at least twice as large as the space devoted to text in the other language, with equivalent legibility and permanent visibility — for example by adding French generics, descriptors or slogans (OQLF; Québec.ca).

Since the same date, non-French trademarks on products must also have their generics and descriptors translated into French (s. 51.1).

25 or more employees: francization

Since June 1, 2025, an enterprise employing 25 or more persons in Québec during a six-month period must register with the OQLF within six months of the end of that period, then send an analysis of its linguistic situation within three months of receiving its registration attestation — the start of the francization process. The previous threshold was 50 employees (Charter, s. 139; OQLF). If generalized use of French isn't achieved, a francization program follows; at 100+ employees a francization committee is also required.

For a solopreneur or a micro-team this chapter doesn't apply yet — but it becomes relevant the day you cross 25 people.

Fines: how it actually works

Since June 1, 2022, the Charter provides fines of $700–$7,000 for natural persons and $3,000–$30,000 for corporations, per offence. Fines are doubled for a first repeat offence and tripled after that; when an offence continues for more than one day, each day constitutes a separate offence, and fines for directors and officers are double the natural-person amounts (Charter, ss. 205, 207, 208, 208.0.1).

In practice, for most violations (websites, signage), the OQLF first issues an order — the prosecutable offence is typically failing to comply with it. Repeated violations can also lead to the suspension or revocation of government permits (s. 204.28).

Where to start

1. Check that every commercial page of your site has a genuinely equivalent French version — including sales pages and newsletters.
2. Review your standard-form contracts: the French version must be provided first, before any English version.
3. If you have a storefront or sign visible from outside with a non-French trademark: measure. French must take up at least twice the space, within the same visual field.
4. Put the 25-employee threshold in your growth plan — OQLF registration becomes mandatory there.
5. If you receive a letter from the OQLF, don't ignore it: failing to comply with the order is what gets expensive.