What are the rules around French in Quebec workplaces?

Quebec businesses are increasingly seeking French language skills from their workers, according to a recent report.
Overall, 61 per cent of companies required or desired that candidates have French language skills in 2023, reports the Office québécois de la langue française/Quebec Office of the French Language (OQLF).
That number is up from 52 per cent in 2018.
Meanwhile, the proportion of companies looking for English skills (40 per cent) remained the same between 2018 and 2023: Just over a quarter (26 per cent) of companies required English skills in 2023, while 14 per cent of employers simply wanted such skills.
Also, the proportion of municipalities seeking English skills has decreased from 24 per cent in 2018 to 16 per cent in 2023.
“While knowledge of French is generally sought to facilitate communication within the company, knowledge of English is sought to facilitate communication outside the company,” notes the Quebec Office of the French Language.
In 2023, Quebec’s Premier Francois Legault introduced strict requirements mandating that nearly all immigrants to Quebec be able to speak and write in French. That came as OQLF previously reported that the exclusive use of French in workplaces in Quebec has declined.
Can Quebec employers require workers to speak French?
In 2022, the Act respecting the official and common language of Quebec, French, which came into effect in 2022, amended the Charter of the French language.
In particular, it specified the conditions that an employer must meet before requiring knowledge of a language other than French for access to a position.
Before requiring knowledge of a language other than French, the employer must take all reasonable means to avoid requiring such knowledge and ensure that the following conditions are met. These include
- having assessed the real linguistic needs associated with the tasks to be accomplished
- having ensured that the language skills already required of other staff members are insufficient to enable the tasks in question to be carried out
- having restricted as much as possible the number of positions to which tasks are attached whose accomplishment requires knowledge of a language other than French.
“When a company requires knowledge or a specific level of knowledge of a language other than French for access to a position, it must indicate in the job offer the reasons justifying this requirement,” said OQLF.
Formal plans for French language at work
In 2022, the OQLF sent a letter to more than 800 companies telling them to begin developing a formal plan to guarantee the use of French language in their workplaces.
“Speaking the common language should not be a luxury in the workplace, it’s an important health and safety issue. It’s a necessity in performing one’s job and in communicating with colleagues,” said United Steelworkers (USW) union back in 2024. “In the longer term, it’s also a necessity if you want to settle in Quebec permanently, as all immigration programs require a good knowledge of French.”
The USW also noted that employers should “assume their responsibilities and offer paid French courses in the workplace”.
“After all, it’s the responsibility of employers to ensure the workers hired are fully capable of doing the job and speaking the common language is an essential work skill,” the union said.
“Quebec’s Charter of the French Language guarantees the right to work in French, and employers are responsible for ensuring this right is upheld.”