What Is Bill 96? Understand the Business Impact

What Is Bill 96? 

Bill 96 is an amendment to Québec’s Charter of the French Language (Bill 101), passed in May 2022. The legislation, officially titled “An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec,” reinforces French as the working language of the province. 

If you do business in Québec, this law affects how you operate—both online and offline. It mandates increased use of French in the workplace, in customer communications, and across your digital presence. 

Key implications of Bill 96 for businesses

• Internal and external communications must be in French. This includes emails, contracts, signage, and marketing materials. 
• By 2028, 75% of employees must be French-speaking (with a phased-in timeline that began with 50% in 2023). 
• All goods and services must be available in French, including products, websites, and customer support. 

Businesses that do not comply with Bill 96 could face fines of up to $100,000.

What Does Bill 96 Mean for Your Website? 

Your website is likely one of the first customer touchpoints affected by the new requirements. Under Bill 96, all digital content— including product descriptions, menus, checkout processes, and customer support options—must be offered in French. 

If your site only exists in English, now is the time to take action. 

The good news? Website localization doesn’t have to be difficult. With the right tools, your team can launch a compliant French-language experience without a full website rebuild. 

How Can Your Business Prepare? 

To meet Bill 96 requirements efficiently, businesses should focus on four key areas: 

1. Review All Content Channels

Audit your current communications to identify what needs translation or adaptation. This includes: 

• Website content 
• Customer service workflows 
• HR materials 
• Marketing assets 
• Internal documentation 

Start with high-impact assets and customer-facing materials. 

Build French Into Your Hiring and Training

Begin increasing the percentage of French-speaking employees now. That may mean: 

• Prioritizing bilingual candidates in hiring 
• Offering French-language training programs 
• Outsourcing specific functions to French-speaking vendors 

The 75% benchmark will take time to meet—get ahead of it early. 

3. Localize Your Digital Experience 

French-language versions of your digital content should reflect more than just translated words. Localized UX includes translated UI elements, culturally appropriate phrasing, and region-specific formats (like dates, currency, and measurements). 

Make sure your CMS or website platform can support multilingual content workflows. 

4. Plan for Ongoing Support in French

Once your content is translated, ensure your customer support systems can handle requests in French. This may involve: 

• Hiring bilingual agents 
• Implementing chat translation tools 
• Creating French-language knowledge base articles or FAQs 

How GlobalLink Web Supports Compliance 

GlobalLink Web makes it easier for businesses to comply with Bill 96 by streamlining website localization. With our platform, you can: 

• Translate content into French quickly using automated tools 

• Maintain accuracy with human review and in-context editing 

• Manage updates easily with CMS integration and translation memory 

Our advanced SEO features help ensure translated pages are properly indexed, thanks to support for hreflang tags, multilingual sitemaps, and more. 

If you’re navigating Québec’s new regulations, GlobalLink Web can help you move faster while ensuring full compliance. 

Need help aligning your website with Bill 96 requirements? 

TransPerfect and GlobalLink have helped companies across industries navigate language compliance and localization challenges in Canada and beyond.