What to Know About Entering the Canadian Market and French Language Laws
Entering the Canadian market is a natural progression for most large companies, especially those based in the US. The proximity of Canada to the United States makes shipping easy, and Canadians generally follow the consuming habits of their neighbours to the south.
The only significant speed bump companies can hit when entering the Canadian market is the country’s French language laws. These laws are being significantly boosted by the province of Quebec, where the last stages of a new French language legislation, most commonly known as Bill 96, will come into effect in June of 2025.
There are laws already in place for all of Canada that require at least some bilingual packaging and labeling, even if it is not to the extent of what is required for Quebec. If a company wants to sell goods in Canada, most national retailers will only accept products that meet the Quebec language requirements, making it necessary for companies that currently sell into the Canadian market to upgrade their product packaging, advertising, and marketing to adhere to the new regulations.
Selling everywhere in Canada except Quebec is not the solution, as the province has too much to offer in terms of consumer spending – and it is Canada’s second most populated province, with over seven million primary French speakers in Quebec alone.
Why entering the Quebec market is a profitable proposition
Quebec has three things going for it that attract people to the province: low cost of living, reasonable real estate prices compared to the rest of Canada, and plentiful jobs. As of September 2023, the unemployment rate was at 4.4 percent, a whole point below the national average of 5.5.
Immigration is also robust and is responsible for most of the province’s population growth, especially in Montreal and Quebec City. If French is not already their native language, immigrants planning to live in Quebec must learn the language to obtain permanent residency in the province.
The real data of interest to businesses is the per capita spend in the province. Despite some short-term setbacks, such as strikes and economic decline in some sectors, Quebecois household spending did not slow down. In fact, it grew by 5.6% in 2023, and “by 4.8% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023”, and TD forecasts that rate as holding steady for the foreseeable future. This is a direct result of the lower cost of living and high rate of employment.
Can European French be used for Canada?
While European French can technically be used in Quebec, it is strongly recommended to use local language norms and variations to maximize opportunities in the market. Quebecois French is a very unique variant, with a combination of “legacy” French from colonial times and imports from the neighboring US language adapted to the local accent and pronunciation.
There is an important context around localizing for Quebec. French is one of Canada’s official languages, and there is a significant history of French people being treated as “less than” by English-speaking Canadians, a stain in their past that the country is trying to repair. French Canadian culture and history are very important to Canada’s francophones, and serving them in their native language is key to winning over this market.
Are there any considerations for the rest of Canada?
The importance of French should not be ignored outside of Quebec. There are over half a million French speakers in Ontario and over 230,000 French speakers in New Brunswick. There are over a million native French speakers outside of Quebec, bringing the national total to eight million.
When it comes to native English speakers, they will generally accept American English spelling on product packaging and marketing collateral. However, Canadians like to emphasize their uniqueness in regards to their neighbours, and enjoy seeing that part of their identity recognized—after all, if Canadians know one thing about themselves, is that they are not American!
Canadian English has some unique characteristics, such as using British spelling for words such as “colour” instead of the American “color.” However, it uses US spelling for words such as “realize” instead of the British “realise.” Generally, any word that may have a “u” after an “o” has one, while the US spelling is retained for any word that uses a “z” in place of an “s.” While English Canadians like to see their quirky blend of UK and US English reflected in product packaging and marketing collateral targeted at them, they are usually willing to let things slide.
High-quality language services with native French Canadian speakers are key
Machine translation and AI have their place, and they are used by many content partners as a means to reduce costs and shorten time to market. However, they are just the first step and should never be the final one. AI is not yet at the point where it can capture nuance and localize French for the Quebec market.
When entering into the Quebec market, it is essential to look for high-quality services and not to cut any corners, as you might be used to in other markets that don’t have the same emotional attachment to their language and dialect.
Anik Pelletier is an expert in adapting content for a French-speaking audience in a process known as “francization” and knows exactly what to do when it comes to the new language laws. She has consulted with a number of businesses that have already been operating in Quebec and those looking to enter the market. Anik actively works with OXO Innovation to serve our clients who want to “francisize” their offerings.
The use of French in public-facing materials was already law in Quebec. The new legislation coming into force in June 2025 introduces enforcement and potentially high fines for companies selling in Quebec that are not using the French language on customer-facing marketing, websites, packaging, signage, or anything a member of the public may see. In addition, any social media posts that pertain to Quebec, such as a sale happening in the province, must also be offered in French. While this was the law before, the high fines are new.
“Quebec’s regulation around language is one of the strictest in the world,” explains Anik. “Companies have to abide by certain laws, which have become more stringent in the last few years with the passing of Bill 96.” She further breaks down the new legislation and outlines what companies have to do to be in compliance: “We can rule the obligations into two buckets. One is anything that pertains to the public, not just their customers, but the public in general. So anything that is public-facing needs to be in French. Regardless of what it is, any commercial document, any advertising, any marketing efforts need to be in French.”
“The second bucket is the ‘language of work’ for companies physically operating in Quebec, which requires them to enforce the use of French for companies that have over 25 employees,” says Anik.
Companies that aren’t physically operating in Quebec need to be concerned mostly about the adaptation of their marketing materials and digital properties to meet the province’s regulations. Those that have physical locations in Quebec with over 25 employees, or plan to do so in the future, however, must ensure that French is the “language of work.” This means having internal documentation in French, which includes training materials, employment contracts, job offers/descriptions, policies and procedures, written communications and more. These internal considerations are more nuanced and can be difficult to navigate. For companies which are physically operating in Quebec, internal-facing communications, software, and anything else an employee in Quebec may use or see must also be in French. For example, an employee’s login screen for their computer must be displayed in French.
Among other things, software being used in the company must be made available in French, as well as any internal documentation and communication. The same rules around internal company communications also pertain to Canadian federally-regulated industries.
Whatever the situation you are facing, we can help. Localizing your content for the French Canadian market goes hand-in-hand with the relative ease of entering the rest of the Canadian market. If your company makes the effort, you will not just avoid hefty fines. You will inspire loyalty in a potential national market of eight million francophones in Canada, with just over seven million of them being in Quebec. This market segment has an intrinsic emotional attachment to their language and culture, and they reward genuine effort by opening their wallets to the brands that do it right.