How CPG Helps You Comply with Quebec’s Bill 96

Quebec’s Law 14 (Bill 96) represents a major shift in how businesses must operate within the province. As of June 1st, 2025, this law is in full effect, imposing significant new requirements on how companies communicate internally and market externally, all with French now as the legally prioritized language. 

If your company has yet to comply with these new market demands, it’s not too late to get started. While the full enforcement of the law went into effect this past June, there’s a built-in grace period for certain requirements—this allows businesses to make necessary adjustments without facing immediate penalties. However, this grace period won’t last forever. 

That means now is the time to act. At CPG Documentation, LLC, our expertise goes well beyond just technical documentation and translation. We can also help you make sure your documents and marketing materials are compliant with new regulations, just like those of Law 14. 

What is Bill 96?

Bill 96 is a reform to the Charter of the French Language (which is commonly known as Bill 101), and it’s designed to reinforce French as Quebec’s sole official and common language, touching almost every area of business communication. As of the moment, this directly affects companies with 25 or more employees, or those who sell their products within the province. 

This bill was adopted back in June of 2022, but has recently passed its major compliance date of June 1st, 2025, when stricter rules around documentation have taken effect. 

How Does Bill 96 Affect Your Business? 

• Internal Documentation: All internal documents, such as service manuals, contracts, job postings, internal bulletins, and so on, must be available in French. 

• Marketing Materials: All marketing materials, such as catalogs, brochures, order forms, websites, etc., must be in French. Other languages are only allowed if French is equal to or more prominent than them, and at a similar or better level of accessibility. 

• Manuals and Packaging: Any product sold in Quebec requires that all accompanying documentation be in French. If content is also written in another language, the French text must be equally visible and accessible. 

• Advertising: Public signs and posters must have French display predominantly over any other languages (at least twice the size). If a sign includes a non-French trademark or brand name, French must still be prominently displayed. 

• Trademarks and Branding: Only registered non-French trademarks are exempt from translation. Even then, general terms within that trademark must appear in French. 

How CPG Helps You Comply

At CPG, we understand the looming stress of compliance with new guidelines and the fear of audits. Here’s how we help you ensure you meet these new requirements: 

• Regulatory Guidance and Implementation: We stay up-to-date with current requirements from the Office québécois de la langue française, so you don’t have to. We help make sure that any compliance updates needed are correctly and accurately implemented. 

• High-Quality Canadian French Translation: Our top-of-the-line translators ensure that your content is both accurately translated and translated in a culturally appropriate way that will help your audience connect with your content while staying compliant. 

• Brand Consistency: We help you to preserve your brand tone and image within your French translations. Our goal is to make sure that your translations will keep your voice consistent across languages.

Don’t let the work of compliance with Bill 96 become a roadblock for your business. The time to act is now, before the grace period ends and enforcement of the new rules tightens. At CPG, we’re ready to help you ensure that your documentation and marketing materials meet every requirement without compromising your brand identity.