French Use Rules for Federally Regulated Businesses

Summary#

These are proposed Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Regulations published in the Canada Gazette, Part I on July 18, 2026. They spell out how the federal Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act would work in practice — including where it applies, who must follow it, what businesses must do, and some exemptions — and are open for public comment for 30 days after the Canada Gazette notice period begins.

What it does#

• Sets the employee-size tests that trigger the federal rules:
  • In Quebec: businesses with 25 or more employees in the province are covered (unless they choose the provincial Charter of the French Language instead).
  • In regions outside Quebec deemed to have a strong Francophone presence (RSFPs): businesses with 100 or more employees in Canada are covered.
• Lists which places count as RSFPs:
  • The whole province of New Brunswick;
  • 3 census divisions in Nova Scotia (Yarmouth, Digby, Richmond);
  • 8 census divisions in Ontario (including Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Prescott and Russell, Ottawa, Nipissing, Sudbury, Greater Sudbury, Timiskaming, Cochrane);
  • 22 census tracts in Winnipeg, Manitoba and 1 census tract in Edmonton, Alberta.
• Requires federally regulated private businesses (FRPBs) in Quebec and RSFPs to:
  • Actively offer services and communications in French at their points of service.
  • Ensure documents for consumers are available in French at least to the same degree as any other language.
  • Allow employees to work and be supervised in French and to establish internal committees to foster the use of French (committee size and which businesses must form one depend on staff totals).
• Sets rules for registration, annual reporting and publishing of lists of registered businesses.
• Lists exemptions and special cases, including for:
  • Activities on Indigenous lands and businesses controlled or registered by Indigenous organizations under modern treaties;
  • Some international business, research or cultural activities that operate primarily in another language (with a requirement to notify the Minister every 5 years to keep the exemption).
• Clarifies who enforces and supports the regime:
  • The Minister of Canadian Heritage would administer the regulations and provide guidance and certificates.
  • The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages for Canada would handle complaints and investigations.
  • The Canada Industrial Relations Board may handle complex language-of-work disputes referred by the Commissioner.
• Phased implementation: the Act and regulations apply first in Quebec, then in RSFPs two years later (the text sets the timing rules and links to the Act’s coming-into-force steps).

Who's affected#

• Federally regulated private businesses (FRPBs) in industries such as banking, passenger transportation, communications and interprovincial transport. The regulatory analysis estimates roughly 386 businesses could be within scope, with many worksites and employees concentrated in Quebec and the listed RSFPs.
• Consumers in Quebec and the RSFPs who want service or documents in French.
• Employees of FRPBs in those places who may gain or clarify the right to work and be supervised in French.
• Government bodies that will implement and enforce the rules: Department of Canadian Heritage, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages for Canada, and the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
• Small businesses: the rules exempt many small FRPBs outside Quebec by using the 100-employee threshold for RSFPs; in Quebec the threshold matches the provincial regime at 25 employees.

Why it matters#

• It would create a clearer, enforceable right to French-language service for customers and the right to work in French for employees at covered federally regulated businesses in Quebec and the selected Francophone regions outside Quebec.
• The government’s cost-benefit analysis estimates total monetized benefits over 10 years at $522.9 million (undiscounted) with a present value of $303.9 million, and total costs of $360.2 million (undiscounted) with a present value of $243.0 million; the projected net present benefit is $60.9 million and the benefit-cost ratio about 1.25 (using a 7% discount rate). The analysis also says net impacts are negative in the first two years and become positive by 2030.
• Practical impacts for businesses include costs for language training, translation, signage and setting up committees. For consumers and employees it means more predictable access to French services and workplaces where French is supported.
• The rules include a number of exemptions (notably for Indigenous territories and some international or specialized activities), and the final scope and timing depend on the Act’s coming-into-force steps and any agreements with Quebec.
• These are proposed regulations. The public can comment during the Canada Gazette consultation window (see the Gazette notice for how to submit comments).