Can your Quebec business website be in English? What Bill 96 allows

The basic rule: your site must exist in French

Section 52 of the Charter of the French Language covers commercial publications: catalogues, brochures, flyers and any similar document available to the public. Since the Bill 96 reform, it's clear this includes a business's websites and social media pages.

For a contractor offering services in Quebec, that means one thing: your website must be available in French.

Yes, you can have an English version

The Charter doesn't ban English. It requires that French never be put at a disadvantage. Two approaches are allowed:

• A bilingual site on the same page: the French text must be at least equivalent to the English, notably in size, placement, font and colour, and accessible on terms just as favourable.
• Two separate versions (one French, one English): the French version must be accessible on terms at least as favourable and be of at least equivalent quality.

What that means in practice

• The French version must be complete. If a page, article or package only exists in English, that's a problem.
• French must not be hidden. A tiny "FR" button at the bottom of the footer, while everything else pushes visitors toward English, is not "as favourable".
• Same quality on both sides. A sloppy machine translation into French next to polished English doesn't meet the equivalent-quality test.
• Your social media too. An English-only business Facebook page is a commercial publication like any other.

The fines

For a business, an offence can bring a fine of $3,000 to $30,000, doubled for a first repeat offence and tripled after that. Prosecutions over websites do happen: businesses have already been convicted for a site offered only in a language other than French.

Why it's also good for your visibility

Done right, a bilingual site is an advantage:

• You reach English-speaking clients (Montreal, the West Island, the Outaouais, the Eastern Townships) who search in English
• Google can show each client the right version, as long as the two versions are linked to each other (hreflang tags)
• Every article exists in two languages — two doors into Google

In short

• Your site must exist in French, in full
• An English version is allowed if French is at least equivalent
• Don't let any part of the site exist only in English

This article summarizes the general rules and is not legal advice. For a specific situation, contact the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) or a lawyer.

The sites we deliver at Kapsim are French first, with a complete English version as an option. See our packages or book a free call.