Quebec Mandates Discoverable French Content Online

Summary#

• This Quebec law aims to make French-language cultural content easier to find and access online. It also adds a new right in Quebec’s human rights charter: the right to discoverability (easy to find) and access to original French cultural content.
• It covers streaming platforms (video and music), apps that give access to those services, and makers of smart TVs and TV-connected devices.

Key changes

• Platforms that meet government-set thresholds must register with the Ministry of Culture and Communications. A public registry will list them.
• Interfaces on platforms, smart TVs, and connected devices must be easy to set in French.
• Certain platforms and device makers must give access, on their home screens or app stores, to services that meet government criteria for French content and discoverability.
• Some TV and device makers must also include access to designated French-first platforms that mostly carry French cultural content and are public or non-profit.
• The government can set rules by regulation, including minimum amounts of French content, rules for how content is recommended or featured, accessibility for people with disabilities, and metadata standards.
• A new Bureau of Discoverability is created to enforce the law, collect non-personal data, and report every three years.
• The minister can issue orders, inspect, and apply fines or bring court actions for non-compliance. Penalties and some payments go into a cultural development fund to support French content and discoverability.

What it means for you#

• Consumers

  • TV and streaming interfaces should be simple to switch to French.
  • French movies, shows, music, and other cultural works should be easier to find in menus and recommendations.
  • Some smart TVs and devices will feature or include access to specific French platforms selected by the government.
  • More content may be available in French versions, and more content may be accessible to people with disabilities in French.
  • Your personal data is protected: platforms must share non-personal information for reporting, but the law blocks public access to those files.

• Parents and youth

  • Children may see more French cultural options highlighted on home screens and in “recommended for you” rows.

• Creators and cultural groups

  • Better placement and visibility for original French content on major platforms.
  • Possible support from a cultural fund that can finance online French content and discoverability projects.

• Streaming platforms and app stores

  • If you meet government-set criteria (like size or activity in Quebec), you must register and may need to meet minimum French content and discoverability rules.
  • You may need to adjust recommendation systems and display rules to give French content enough visibility.
  • You can negotiate a “substitution” agreement (up to four years) that swaps standard obligations for equivalent measures, if approved by the government.
  • You must respond to information requests (non-personal data) and comply with inspections, orders, and fines.

• TV and device manufacturers (smart TVs, streaming boxes, sticks)

  • Your interface must be easy to set to French.
  • You must give access to platforms that meet French content/discoverability criteria, under visibility rules set by regulation.
  • Some devices must also include access to certain public or non-profit French platforms that mostly carry French content.
  • You cannot charge platforms a fee just because you provide the required access.

• Indigenous-focused platforms

  • If a platform’s main purpose is Indigenous content, the law does not apply to it.

• Timing

  • The law takes effect on dates set by the government. Many details will come through future regulations.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

• Protects and promotes French in the digital world, where global platforms often push English content first.
• Helps Quebecers, especially youth, discover and connect with French culture, which supports identity and social cohesion.
• Sets clear, flexible tools (like quotas, visibility rules, metadata, and accessibility) that can adapt by platform and content type.
• Creates a focused office to monitor results and report every three years, using non-personal data.
• Uses penalties and negotiated payments to fund new French content and discoverability projects, reinvesting in culture.
• Allows tailored agreements so large platforms can meet goals in ways that fit their technology, as long as outcomes are equivalent.

Opponents' View#

• Could increase compliance costs for platforms and device makers, which might lead to fewer app choices or higher prices.
• Government-set recommendation or placement rules may interfere with user preferences and platform algorithms.
• Risk of legal or jurisdictional conflicts with federal rules on online streaming and broadcasting, and with international trade obligations.
• Technical enforcement may be hard with global platforms; some may limit features in Quebec rather than retool systems.
• Mandatory access to certain apps on devices may reduce design freedom for manufacturers and crowd limited screen space.
• Some worry about overreach and privacy, even though the shared data is non-personal and access to it is restricted.