, on May 12, 2021. The new bill notably aims to increase the use of French in workplaces and public spaces.
As a reminder, currently, Bill 101 declares that French is the official language of Québec. French is therefore to be “the normal and everyday language of work, instruction, communication, commerce and business.” Bill 101 currently applies only to provincial jurisdiction businesses operating within Québec. With respect to the workplace, Bill 101 requires that an employer address written communications to its employees in French. In addition, an employer is prohibited from making the knowledge of a language other than French (e.g., English) a condition of the obtaining of employment, “unless the nature of the duties requires such knowledge.”