“My biggest fear is that my business dies out because of a law that prevents me from working with the American market,” said Poirier, chief executive officer of Klever Programmatic Inc., a Montreal-based digital-advertising firm whose clients are all in the United States.Article content
Even so, there’s been a notable decline in the proportion of Quebeckers using French at home and at work, spurring Legault’s government into action. It’s restricting immigration to protect the language, and Bill 96 aims at enforcing more use of French in society. Parts of the new law will come into force in 2023.
And the OQLF can be called to verify the compliance of a company’s internal and external communications after a complaint, as well as issue fines of as much as $30,000 — more for multiple offenders. Executives and directors who contravene the law can be fined individually as well. After Bill 96 passed, executives at more than 150 companies — including dozens of technology firms and startups — signed a letter to Legault warning the law “is threatening to do enormous damage to the province’s economy” because it creates an unpredictable business environment. Pierre-Philippe Lortie, director of government and public affairs at the Council of Canadian Innovators, said Bill 96 is likely to scare off investors. “This is the reality,” he said.
Lawsuits challenging Bill 96 are already in the courts, including one by a Montreal school board that claims it interferes with the administration of English schools. In August, Quebec’s Superior Court temporarily suspended provisions requiring French translation by a certified translator for court pleadings drafted in English, deeming it a barrier to justice.