Quebec Language Law Failing, Commissioner's Report Shows
Government websites still offer English-language access despite stricter language requirements imposed three years ago, watchdog finds.
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Quebec's French-language commissioner has concluded that the province's government agencies are failing to meet language-law requirements three years after stricter rules took effect.
Two reports published May 27 found that major provincial agencies—including Hydro-Québec, the Revenue Department, and the health insurance agency—continue to operate bilingual websites despite Bill 96, adopted in 2023, which required government bodies to communicate exclusively in French except in specific authorized situations.
The commissioner's office found that seven major provincial agencies generally remain available in both French and English, often through buttons allowing users to switch languages freely. Only one organization required users to confirm they qualified for an exception permitting English-language navigation.
"Under these circumstances, it is difficult for users to understand that French is the official language of the province of Quebec and that French is the common language," one report stated.
Under Bill 96, exceptions to French-only communication include services to people eligible for English-language schooling, Indigenous nations members, newcomers in their first six months in Quebec, and those living outside the province. However, the watchdog found many agencies offered services in both languages "without real verification or control."
Deputy Commissioner Éric Poirier noted: "It's as though the Charter of the French language is not having the effects it should have. There are no observable structural effects."
A particular concern emerged around newcomer services. Five of seven organizations reviewed had no mechanism to ensure immigrants automatically returned to French-only services once six months had passed. Some agencies said their systems couldn't track which legal exception applied to which client and that modifying those systems would be costly. The commissioner recommended requiring government agencies to verify exceptions before offering English services and implementing automatic transitions to French-only service after six months.