Bill 96 Compliance for Quebec Businesses: What You Must Do Now

Worried about whether your business complies with Quebec’s language laws? You’re not alone. Many business owners assume that because they’ve operated successfully in Quebec for years, they’re already compliant. However, recent changes have expanded French-language requirements for thousands of organizations. This workshop will help you understand exactly what applies to your business and what actions you may need to take.

Understand Your Obligations Before Problems Arise

Every business in Quebec is subject to the Charter of the French Language, but compliance requirements depend on your workforce size, business activities, and how you communicate with customers, employees, and suppliers.

A four-person business, a growing agency, and a larger employer can each face very different obligations. Understanding which requirements apply to your organization today—and which may apply as you grow—is essential to avoiding costly surprises.

What You’ll Learn

• What French-language requirements apply to all Quebec businesses
• Which obligations take effect at specific employee thresholds
• How compliance requirements evolve as organizations grow
• What the June 2025 changes mean for small and medium-sized businesses
• How an OQLF complaint typically unfolds
• Common misconceptions about language law compliance

Why This Matters More Than Ever

The final phase of Bill 96 came into force on June 1, 2025, bringing thousands of small and mid-sized businesses under requirements that previously did not apply to them.

Many employers mistakenly believe that language compliance is only a concern for large organizations. Others assume that because they have never received a complaint, they are fully compliant. Unfortunately, these assumptions can lead to unexpected challenges.

Beyond fines that can increase with repeated offences, non-compliance may require businesses to make operational changes under tight timelines or respond to OQLF orders when there is little opportunity to prepare. When addressed early, compliance is largely administrative. When addressed after a complaint, the process can become significantly more costly and disruptive.

Who Should Attend?

• Business owners and entrepreneurs operating in Quebec
• Self-employed professionals serving Quebec clients
• Managers responsible for day-to-day operations
• HR managers and HR teams
• Retailers responsible for signage, packaging, and labelling
• Service providers using contracts, customer documents, and business communications

Whether you have a handful of employees or are approaching one of the larger workforce thresholds, this workshop will help you understand your current obligations, identify potential compliance risks, and prepare for future growth with confidence.

Workshop Details

Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2026
Time: 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Location: Online
Cost: $20

Speaker: Me Oumaima Mouncef, Lawyer, Avens Avocats S.A.

Pre-registration is required. This workshop is available online and is available in English.

About the speaker:

Me Oumaima Mouncef is a lawyer at AVENS in Montreal, practising in business law and civil and commercial litigation, with a focus on real estate, commercial leases, and shareholder disputes. She holds an LL.B. and an MBA in law from Université de Sherbrooke and was called to the Barreau du Québec in 2020. 

Her practice spans both sides of the table. She has represented clients before the courts of general jurisdiction in commercial lease and co-ownership disputes, including extraordinary remedies such as injunctions and safeguard orders, and handles a broad range of contractual and corporate litigation. She also acts in international arbitration proceedings, principally in matters before the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), involving complex cross-border contractual and jurisdictional issues. 

Once you register for the online workshop, you will receive an email with instructions on how to log in. If you haven’t received the email an hour before the workshop starts, please check your Spam/Junk folder.

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*This low registration fee is only possible thanks to our generous funders and partners.