Bill 96 and your website: what professional firms need to know
Most professional firms in Quebec believe their website complies with Bill 96. Most are wrong.
Not out of negligence. Usually, it's because they have a bilingual site and consider the matter settled. But having a French version of your website is not enough. The law requires that French be at least as accessible, as complete, and of at least equivalent quality as any other language version. And the line between "available in French" and "compliant" is finer than most people realize.
What the law actually requires
Let's start with a fact many people overlook: the obligation to offer a website in French is not new. It has existed since the Charter of the French Language of 1977. Section 52 of the Charter requires that all commercial publications — including websites — be drawn up in French.
What Bill 96 (passed in 2022) changed is that it explicitly confirmed that websites and social media fall under the commercial publications regime. It also strengthened the powers of the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) and raised the visibility of these obligations. The result: the risk of complaints has increased considerably since June 2025.
In practical terms, if your firm has an establishment in Quebec and offers services to Quebec clients, your website must:
- Be entirely available in French — not just the homepage, but all content: service pages, bios, blog, privacy policy, terms of use.
- Offer a French version that is at least as accessible as any other language version. If a visitor has to click to access French while English loads by default, that's a problem.
- Present French content of at least equivalent quality — same level of detail, same freshness, same care in the writing.
The 5 most common compliance failures
After auditing dozens of professional firm websites in Quebec, here are the issues we encounter most often.
1. The site loads in English by default
This is the most common failure. The site detects the browser language or defaults to English, and the visitor has to manually switch to French. The Charter requires that the French version be accessible under conditions at least as favourable. If a client has to hunt for the "FR" button to read your content in French, the conditions are not equivalent.
2. Some content only exists in English
A "Careers" page with no French equivalent. A blog published exclusively in English. Client testimonials in English only. Each page that exists only in English is a distinct compliance gap. The French version must be as complete as the English version.
3. The French version is incomplete or neglected
The site does have two versions, but the French one has less content, shorter text, or content that's clearly been hastily translated. The law requires quality that is "at least equivalent." French text riddled with errors or visibly rushed does not meet this standard.
4. Metadata and technical elements are in English
Page titles (<title> tags), meta descriptions, image alt text, URLs — all of these are content visible to search engines and, in some cases, to users. If your URLs look like /en/about-us but you don't have a matching /fr/a-propos, or if your meta tags are in English, your technical compliance is incomplete.
5. Downloadable documents are in English only
Brochures, forms, guides, white papers — if a document is available in English on your site, it must also be available in French. This is a frequent blind spot because firms think about their website but forget about the PDF files hosted on it.
How to check your own site in 5 minutes
You can run a quick diagnostic yourself. Open your site in a private browsing window and check these points:
-
Default language. Does your site display in French on first load? Open a private window (to clear cookies) and navigate to your site. If the page loads in English, that's a problem.
-
Content completeness. Browse the French version. Does every page that exists in English have a French equivalent? Pay special attention to the blog, careers, testimonials, and resources sections.
-
Translation quality. Read your French content. Is it written with the same care as the English? Text that sounds like machine translation doesn't meet the equivalent quality standard.
-
Downloadable documents. Click on links to your PDFs, forms, or guides. Are they available in French?
-
Technical elements. Look at your browser tab: is the page title in French? Also check that the URL includes a French language indicator (e.g.
/fr/).
If you answered "no" to even one of these points, your site has a compliance issue.
How to fix it
The good news: for most professional firms, getting compliant is neither complex nor expensive. Here are the concrete steps.
Set French as the default language. This is often a simple setting in your CMS or site configuration. Quebec visitors should see French first, without having to click anything.
Complete the missing French content. Inventory every page and document available in English but not in French. Prioritize main pages (services, about, contact), then secondary content (blog, resources).
Invest in quality. An approximate translation does more harm than good — to your professional image as much as to your compliance. Have your French content written or reviewed by someone who writes well in French, not just someone who translates.
Fix technical elements. Meta tags, hreflang tags, URLs structured with /fr/ — these are technical adjustments that any competent developer can implement quickly.
Establish a process. Compliance is not a one-time project. Every new piece of content published in English must have a French equivalent. Build this habit into your workflow.
Who enforces this — and what's the real risk?
The OQLF is the body responsible for enforcing the Charter of the French Language. It can act on its own initiative or following a complaint. And filing a complaint is simple — anyone can do it online.
For a professional firm, the risk is particularly tangible. Your name is public. Your website is easy to find. Your clients, your competitors, your former employees — any of them can check and report a compliance gap.
In cases of non-compliance, the OQLF first issues a notice giving you a deadline to fix the situation. But if it remains uncorrected, fines can reach $3,000 to $30,000 per day of violation.
Beyond fines, there's the image issue. A professional firm whose website doesn't comply with the Charter sends a contradictory message to its Quebec clientele. It's a credibility issue as much as a compliance one.
Compliance is also an opportunity
A compliant website is not just a risk avoided — it's a competitive advantage. A site that's fully in French, well written, with quality content, ranks better on Google in Quebec, inspires more trust with your francophone clientele, and projects a professional image.
Most of your competitors haven't done this work yet. Now is the time to stand out.
Our free health check includes a complete review of your website's language compliance. In 24 hours, you'll know exactly where you stand — and what needs fixing.