No deadline extension for businesses to conform to Bill 96 rules: Roberge
Quebec is turning down a request from business groups to extend the deadline to comply with provisions of Bill 96.
Quebec is turning down a request from the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) to extend the deadline to conform to new language laws.
With just two days until provisions of Bill 96 come into effect, they say businesses need a 'reasonable delay' to iron out details and change all signs and labels, as per the government's initial commitment.
'The last thing we want to do is criticize a measure related to the protection of the French language. On the contrary, we want to defend, promote and spread the French language. But to achieve this, we must also provide retailers with a clear and realistic path forward,' Michel Rochette, president of the RCC for Quebec, said in a news release.
The CFIB has a countdown to when the new provisions for businesses regarding public signs and posters, trademarks appearing on products, and francization will come into effect in large red lettering on its website.
When Bill 96 was introduced in 2022, a three-year transition period was promised but the specific rules were only announced in the summer of 2024.
'This leaves businesses with barely a few months to adjust to significant requirements, particularly in terms of signage, municipal authorizations, validation by the (Office québécois de la langue française), and the management of cultural, specialized, and short-lived products,' Rochette laments.
'They had enough time' to adapt: Roberge
But Language Minister Jean-François Roberge dismissed their concerns while speaking to journalists at the National Assembly Thursday.
'I think they had enough time,' he said, adding that 'the important thing is to show the OQLF that they are moving forward, and they will follow the law.'
Roberge said he is aware that not all stores are conforming to Bill 96's provisions, but 'they will in the next few months.'
But the organizations say the francization process is a headache for small and medium-sized businesses. Filling out a 20-page document can take up 54 hours of work, said the RCC. Chains have to make changes in several branches, which the RCC and CFIB say is expensive and 'some are already in the millions of dollars.'
They say these extra costs for stores jeopardize the competitiveness of local businesses when online retailers are not subject to equivalent constraints.
'It is not by imposing unrealistic deadlines that we strengthen French, but by focusing on clarity, predictability and the commitment of businesses to a promising collective project,'' said François Vincent, CFIB Vice-President for Quebec.
The Official Opposition remains divided on the issue.
Parti Québécois MNA Joël Arseneau echoed Roberge's comments, saying, 'They can do it, they can do it quickly, and they have to do it. It's a matter of respect of the official language of Quebec and they are just trying to stretch the limits, and we don't agree with that.'
Interim Quebec Liberal leader Marc Tanguay called Bill 96 'a bad piece of legislation' and said the government should be listening to retailers and helping them out.
'This is not what's going to protect the French language,' he said.
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