Some Quebec businesses will soon have to change their signs to display two times more French than English.
The province has drafted its latest batch of regulations, clarifying parts of its controversial language law known as Bill 96. While the bill was adopted into law in 2022, some parts have yet to be implemented.
The province’s latest draft regulation concerns the section of the law on signage and product labelling, which is set to come into effect in June 2025.
Starting then, businesses will have to change their outdoor signs and will have to make sure all individual product labels include French descriptions. They will be given a two-year grace period to sell off non-compliant products manufactured before that deadline.
“Most stores, restaurants or other businesses already respect the law and the new regulations,” Jean-François Roberge, Quebec’s minister of the French language, told Media in an interview. “Most of them will have simply nothing to do — even if they have an English name.”