Ability to Communicate in French: Disclosure to the Quebec Enterprise Registrar Now in Effect

As of June 1, 2023, any person or entity required to be registered with the Quebec Enterprise Registrar that has five to 49 employees and whose workplace is within the province of Quebec is legally obligated to disclose the proportion of such employees who are not capable of communicating in the French language. This obligation is pursuant to the Act respecting the legal publicity of enterprises (Quebec), amended by Quebec’s Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec.

This information will be available for public consultation through the Quebec Enterprise Registrar. It will also allow the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) — the province’s regulator for ensuring compliance with the Charter of the French Language — to identify businesses in need of French language learning services. The Quebec government defines being capable of communicating in the French language as follows:

[Unofficial translation] Being capable of communicating in French at work means that an employee is able to accomplish their tasks in French. Depending on the employment category and the tasks assigned to an employee, this may be evaluated in verbal or written exchanges with the employee’s colleagues, superiors or clients. Communicating in French implies, for example, the ability to understand work instructions, participate in meetings, receive training, write or share work documents (memos, reports, forms, etc.) and serve clients in French.

As of June 1, 2025, this requirement will be reduced to apply to those with five to 24 employees whose workplace is within the province of Quebec.
 
For further information, please contact:
 
Patrick Menda         +1-514-982-5051
Shane Goldman      +1-514-982-4022
 
or any other member of our Corporate & Commercial group.
 
For any questions in relation to the application of the Charter of the French Language to employees, please contact:
 
Natalie Bussière      +1-514-982-4080
 
or any other member of our Employment & Labour group.