French language rules for federal businesses

Summary#

These are proposed regulations to put the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act into practice. The Department of Canadian Heritage published the proposal in the Canada Gazette on July 18, 2026. The rules would set where and when federally regulated private businesses must offer services and work in French, and how businesses register, report and create committees to foster French.

What it does#

• Sets the size thresholds for when a business must follow the federal rules:
  • In Quebec: businesses with 25 or more employees in Quebec.
  • In regions with a strong Francophone presence (RSFPs): businesses with 100 or more employees in Canada.
• Lists the places outside Quebec to which the rules would apply (RSFPs), including:
  • All of New Brunswick.
  • 3 census divisions in Nova Scotia (Yarmouth, Digby, Richmond).
  • 8 census divisions in Ontario (including Ottawa, Prescott & Russell, Nipissing, Sudbury and others).
  • 22 specific census tracts in the Winnipeg and Edmonton metropolitan areas.
• Gives consumers the right to be informed that they can get communications and services in French at points of service in Quebec and RSFPs. "Communications" includes brochures, contracts, invoices and many other consumer documents.
• Gives employees the right to work and be supervised in French in covered workplaces. Employers must take steps (for example training or hiring) to make that possible.
• Requires some businesses to set up a committee for the fostering of French, with equal employer and employee representation, and to prepare language‑situation reports and, in some cases, action plans.
• Creates exemptions and special rules, including for:
  • Activities and workplaces located on Indigenous lands or controlled by Indigenous governments or registered Indigenous businesses.
  • Activities tied exclusively to international business, research governed by international protocols, or cultural production exclusively in another language.
• Sets a staged timeline in practice:
  • The federal regime would start in Quebec first (analysis assumes January 1, 2027).
  • The rules would extend to RSFPs two years later (assumed 2029).
• Establishes registration, annual reporting and some public lists of covered businesses. There is a comment period tied to the Canada Gazette publication (representations accepted during the first 30 days that both Houses of Parliament are sitting after publication).

Who's affected#

• Federally regulated private businesses in affected locations. The government estimates about 386 such businesses could be subject to the regime, covering roughly 1,580 workplaces and 73,329 employees across Canada.
  • In Quebec the estimate is about 261 businesses, 628 worksites and 35,307 employees.
  • In RSFPs the estimate is about 163 businesses, 952 workplaces and 38,022 employees.
• Customers who use federally regulated services in Quebec and RSFPs — for example banking, telecommunications, and passenger transportation that terminates in those places.
• Employees of those businesses who want to work and be supervised in French.
• Federal bodies that will implement and enforce the rules: Department of Canadian Heritage, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages for Canada, and (for some referrals) the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
• Indigenous governments and businesses that meet the listed exemptions. The rules say many Indigenous‑controlled activities and workplaces would be exempt.

Why it matters#

• For Francophone consumers and employees: it would make it clearer and more enforceable that services and workplace language can be in French in Quebec and in specified Francophone regions outside Quebec.
• For businesses: it creates new obligations (and paperwork) around offering French services and supporting French at work. The government estimates implementation costs over 10 years at $360.2 million ( undiscounted) and a present value of $243.0 million, mainly for training, translation and signage.
• For society: the government estimates monetized benefits over 10 years at $522.9 million (undiscounted) and a present value of $303.9 million, producing a net present‑value gain of $60.9 million and a benefit‑cost ratio around 1.25 under central assumptions.
• For small businesses: the rules spare many small firms outside Quebec by using the 100‑employee threshold in RSFPs. In Quebec the lower 25‑employee threshold matches recent provincial rules, so many Quebec businesses already comply with similar requirements.
• It is still a proposal. The regulations are not yet in force and could change after public comments and any administrative steps needed to bring the Act and regulations into effect.