Quebec tells federally regulated firms to guarantee use of French among employees
CBC
The Quebec government is giving companies in federally regulated sectors one month to begin complying with new requirements to guarantee the use of French in their workplaces.
The move comes as Ottawa's plans to modernize the country's Official Languages Act, which will include new rules for federally regulated companies, are still being debated in Parliament.
Federally regulated sectors include banking, telecommunications and transportation, which were not under the legal purview of the Quebec government until the recent adoption of a new language law known as Bill 96.
According to political scientist Stéphanie Chouinard, who is an expert on language issues, the Quebec government is taking action while Ottawa continues to face criticism for its much-delayed plans to modernize federal language laws.
"Quebec is currently benefiting from a vacuum, which is to say that as long as the federal government has not issued the new directives that are called for under C-13 with regard to the language requirements of companies under federal jurisdiction, there is a possibility for Quebec to take action," said Chouinard, who teaches at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario.
According to information obtained by Radio-Canada, the provincial Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) sent a letter last Friday to more than 800 companies telling them to begin developing a formal plan to allow employees to work in French.
The OQLF has asked all companies under federal jurisdiction to provide the name of a contact person and their number of employees within 30 days.
Companies with 25 to 49 employees have three years to finalize the process, while those with 50 or more employees are given six months. Smaller companies will not have to develop a plan.
The Quebec government extended the scope of its language laws to companies under federal jurisdiction with the reform of the Charter of the French language, which came into effect last month.
The minister responsible for French in Quebec, Simon Jolin-Barrette, argues that his government has the authority to impose new obligations on all businesses located in the province.
"Quebecers have the right to earn a living in their language, namely French. It is a fundamental right and it is non-negotiable," said a spokesperson for Jolin-Barrette, Élisabeth Gosselin-Bienvenue.
Under Bill 96, companies have to provide human-resources information and other documents in French to their employees, provide training opportunities in French, post job openings in French and limit the number of positions that require employees to speak any language other than French.
A lawyer who helps companies comply with the Charter of the French language recently predicted that this case could end up in court.
"There is clearly scope for some conflict with federal legislation in the employment sphere, and one would expect that the federal Justice department could intervene in such cases to preserve federal jurisdiction," said Alexandre Fallon, a lawyer at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt.
Jennifer Curran was diagnosed with cervical cancer five years ago while she was pregnant with her daughter.
Winnipeg's 144-year-old Manwin Hotel is burning and emergency crews have shut down a stretch of Main Street to battle the flames in the vacant building.
A tiny pest and a fungus will win eventually.
Saskatchewan farmers are keeping a close eye on China as Prime Minister Mark Carney makes a trip to the country this week.
The City of Charlottetown is considering adding three apartment buildings along Mount Edward Road near the city’s bypass highway.
A new Alberta government pilot project is hoping to address a common challenge facing citizens accessing health care in a city that straddles two provinces.
The Victoria Police Department will have officers patrolling on foot for the first time since 2022, thanks to new funding from the city.
ArcelorMittal Dofasco has quietly extended its timeline by 22 years to phase out coal for "decarbonized" steelmaking, says a federal government document, aiming for 2050 instead of 2028.
In a week where President Donald Trump says the U.S. doesn’t need cars made in Canada, the Dodge Charger Sixpack — made in Windsor, Ont. — is in the running to win car of the year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this morning.
An Ontario man has reached a settlement agreement with Boeing almost seven years after six of his family members died in a plane crash.
Severe weather has lead to several highway closures across northern Ontario Wednesday morning.
Several Durham police officers diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) say they believe the service isolated them from the day they went on mental health leave and has not provided them any meaningful support.
The City of Toronto’s 2026 budget offers relief many homeowners were looking for in its property tax increase, but it also lays bare the massive amount of infrastructure work hanging over the city in the coming years which, in some cases, may be deferred.