On May 24, 2022, the Québec National Assembly, the
provincial legislature, adopted Bill 96, An Act respecting
French, the official and common language of Québec.
Bill 96 is the most significant piece of legislation in respect of
language rights to be passed in Québec since the initial
adoption of the Charter of the French Language in 1977.
Bill 96 brings significant changes to the use of the French
language in the province, with new requirements and potential
liability for a failure to comply with them.
New private right of
action
Bill 96 makes a number of amendments to the Charter of the
French Language, most of which came into force on June 1,
2022. It also affects other important legislation, most notably,
the Québec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms,
which now stipulates that every person in Québec has a right
to live in French to the extent provided for in the Charter of
the French Language. This change to the Charter of Human
Rights and Freedoms is
