Quebec Bill 96 and Your Website: A Plain-English Guide for Canadian Businesses

Quick answer: Under Quebec's Bill 96, a commercial website aimed at Quebec consumers should offer French that is at least as prominent as any other language. Businesses outside Quebec can be caught if they actively market to people there. Rules and enforcement details change, so check current guidance with the OQLF or a lawyer. This is general information, not legal advice.

Why this is a website problem, not only a legal one

Bill 96 is the common name for Quebec's reform of its French-language charter. Most of the headlines were about signs and workplaces, but the law also reaches websites, apps and online stores that serve Quebec customers. A Montréal agency's 2026 guide to the rules describes the core requirement this way: French must be at least as prominent as any other language on commercial publications aimed at Quebec consumers. A tiny "FR" link tucked into the footer of an English-first site would not meet that standard.

Who is affected

The same guide says the rules apply to businesses operating in Quebec and also to businesses elsewhere that actively market to Quebec consumers. So a Toronto store with a French-speaking customer base in Montréal, or a US company running Quebec-targeted ads, should pay attention. Timing matters too. The same source notes that requirements tightened for larger employers first, then reached businesses with fewer than 25 employees, including website visibility, from June 2025. It also says the language office (OQLF) is actively investigating complaints in 2026, and that consumers and competitors can file them.

What the penalties look like

The guide lists written warnings and compliance orders as the usual first step, with fines for businesses from $3,000 to $30,000 per violation, up to $100,000 for organisations, and higher amounts for repeat offences. Treat these as indicative and confirm current figures yourself, but the message is plain: warnings come first, and ignoring them gets expensive.

What a compliant site tends to include

According to the same source, a complete French version should cover navigation, buttons, forms, product pages, pricing, terms and privacy policy, not placeholder text or half-translated pages. It also warns against relying on raw machine translation for public-facing content.

In practice, that means:

• A visible language switcher in the header, not the footer.
• French pages for every customer-facing step, including checkout, confirmation emails and error messages.
• Prices, dates and currency formatted the Canadian French way.
• Customer support and policies available in French.
• Correct language tags and hreflang annotations, so search engines show the French page to French speakers (fr-CA).

Do it in the right order

You do not need to translate everything on day one. Start with the pages that sell: homepage, key product or service pages, cart and checkout, contact, shipping and returns, privacy and terms. Then add the blog and secondary pages. Keep French and English on the same domain, using a /fr/ folder, so search authority is shared.

A French site is also an SEO opportunity

Quebec searchers type in French, and many English pages simply do not match their queries. A good French version, written by a Quebec-based translator or editor and optimised for how people there search, can bring in traffic your English pages never could. Local vocabulary matters: French from France is not always the best fit for Quebec readers.

Mistakes to avoid

• Translating only the homepage.
• Leaving checkout, emails or PDFs in English only.
• Using automatic translation with no human review.
• Forgetting that the French page needs its own title tag and meta description.
• Assuming that a sales focus on the rest of Canada keeps you out of scope.

FAQs

Does Bill 96 apply if my business is outside Quebec?
It can, if you actively market to Quebec consumers. Ask the OQLF or a lawyer about your specific situation.

Is an English site with a French toggle enough?
Not if the French version is hidden or incomplete. The standard described is French that is at least as prominent as other languages.

Can I use Google Translate?
Raw machine translation is a poor idea for customer-facing pages. Use it only as a starting point and have a Quebec-based professional edit it.

Should French live on a subdomain?
A subfolder such as /fr/ usually works better for sharing authority.

Related reading: Selling Online in Canada in 2026: What the Real Numbers Say and What Your Store Needs

Selling to Quebec?

Websigntist designs and develops bilingual websites and online stores. If you want a French and English site that is built correctly from the start, contact us.

Source: MTL Digital Lab, Bill 96 and Your Website. This article is general information and not legal advice.