Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the official and common
language of Québec ("Bill
96"), assented on June 1, 2022, made significant
changes to the Charter of the French language (the
"CFL"), seeking to promote the
use of the French language in Québec and to further affirm
that the only official language of Quebec is French. Among other
important business-related changes made to the CFL, Bill
96 will require many business owners to make changes to the way
they use and display their non-French trademarks. These pertinent
amendments to the CFL will come into force on June 1,
2025.
Product Inscriptions
The general rule in Québec with respect to product
inscriptions, which remains unchanged under the amended
CFL, is that inscriptions on products, on its container or
its wrapping, or a document or object supplied with it, must be in
French. While non-French inscriptions may appear alongside the
French, there operates an equivalency rule that provides
