An Act to support the use of French

On this page

• Objectives of Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act
  • Coming-into-force date
  • Types of businesses in scope
    • Exclusions
  • Rights of consumers
  • Rights of employees
• Proposed regulations on use of French in federally regulated private businesses
  • Objectives of proposed regulations
  • Regions in scope
  • Regulatory exemptions
    • Full exemption
    • Exemption from language-of-work provisions
  • Key milestones in regulatory process
• Complaints process
• For more information on the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and its regulations

Upon receiving royal assent on June 20, 2023, the Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada’s Official Languages enacted the new Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act (UFPBA). That new statute introduces new duties for federally regulated private businesses (FRPBs) and establishes rights for consumers and employees.

Objectives of Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act

The purpose of the UFPBA is to foster and protect the use of French in FRPBs in Quebec and in regions with a strong Francophone presence.

It affirms the right of:

• consumers to communicate in French with and obtain available services in French from FRPBs in Quebec or a region with a strong Francophone presence
• employees of FRPBs in Quebec or a region with a strong Francophone presence to work in French
• current employees, job applicants, former employees and unions to receive communications and documents in French from such businesses

This Act has no impact on the duties of Government of Canada institutions with respect to communications with and services to the public under the Official Languages Act, nor on the positive measures to be taken by federal institutions to enhance the vitality of official language minority communities across Canada and support and assist their development.

Coming-into-force date

The UFPBA has been enacted by Parliament but is not yet in force. In Quebec, it will come into force by order-in-council; in regions with a strong Francophone presence, it will come into force two years later.

The specific date to be fixed by order-in-council has yet to be determined.

Types of businesses in scope

The new Act will apply to FRPBs, that is, businesses as defined in section 2 of the UFPBA. The federally regulated private sector encompasses a number of strategic industries, such as:

• telecommunications, including Internet, telephone and mobile-data service providers
• banking
• broadcasting
• postal, parcel and courier services other than Canada Post
• interprovincial transportation, including road, air (except Air Canada), rail (except CN Rail), marine (except Marine Atlantic), coach, ferry and pipeline transportation
• specialized industries, such as feed, flour, seed and grain
• technical and energy sectors, such as atomic energy, mining, oil and gas

Exclusions

Not all FRPBs will be subject to the new Act. Private businesses and federal institutions (including federal Crown corporations) that are already subject to the Official Languages Act will be excluded from the UFPBA regime, as will Indigenous organizations and entities authorized to act on their behalf. Broadcasting undertakings are also excluded from the Act, as they are covered by the Broadcasting Act, which contains provisions related to official languages.

Rights of consumers

Under the UFPBA, consumers of services provided by FRPBs operating in Quebec or in a region with a strong Francophone presence would have the right to:

• communicate with the business in French
• obtain services from the business in French
• obtain documents and communications from the business in French

Note that the business and the consumer may agree to use a language other than French, such as English.

Rights of employees

Under the UFPBA, employees of FRPBs assigned to positions in workplaces in Quebec or in regions with a strong Francophone presence would have the right to:

• carry out their work and be supervised in French
• receive all communications and documents from the business in French, for example, documents related to offers of employment or promotion, conditions of employment, or labour relations
• use regularly and widely used work instruments and computer systems in French

However, the UFPBA does not prevent an FRPB from providing an employee with communications or documents in English or another language other than French, if the business and the employee agree to this.

Proposed regulations on use of French in federally regulated private businesses

Objectives of proposed regulations

The primary objective of the proposed regulations is to implement the UFPBA by establishing a regulatory framework that allows for the application of the new rights provided for in the Act.

Specifically, this framework would:

• establish a list of regions with a strong Francophone presence (RSFPs)
• establish the minimum number of employees required for a business to be subject to the UFPBA
• clarify the provisions on service delivery and signage requirements
• clarify the specific provisions on the right of employees to work in French
• clarify the administrative obligations of businesses
• grant exemptions to specific industries or activities, where necessary

For consumers, the framework would guarantee the right to communications and services in French from FRPBs in Quebec and RSFPs, and for employees, the right to work in French in such businesses.

In Quebec, the proposed regulations would support the legal framework established by the UFPBA, which offers FRPBs in that province the choice between the UFPBA regime and the Charter of the French Language regime. For consumers and employees in Quebec, the proposed regulations would harmonize the requirements of the two regimes, to the extent possible. To that end, the proposed regulations would establish a certification process for businesses subject to the UFPBA in Quebec.

By defining these key elements, the proposed regulations would make the regime more effective and easier to administer while keeping it in line with the legislative framework. This would contribute to the smooth operation of the UFPBA, both in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada.

Regions in scope

On coming into force by order-in-council, the UFPBA would be rolled out in two stages:

• Initially, it would apply to the province of Quebec in its entirety.
• Two years later, it would be extended to RSFPs in the rest of Canada. The proposed regulations contain the following list of regions with a strong Francophone presence:

New Brunswick

Entire province

Nova Scotia

The following census divisions:

• Yarmouth
• Digby
• Richmond

Ontario

The following census divisions:

• Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
• Prescott and Russell
• Ottawa
• Nipissing
• Sudbury
• Greater Sudbury
• Timiskaming
• Cochrane

Manitoba

21 census tracts located in the eastern and southern portions of the Census Metropolitan Area of Winnipeg

Alberta

In the Census Metropolitan Area of Edmonton: the census tract that encompasses the University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean

Regulatory exemptions

The proposed regulations include the following exemptions:

Full exemption

• FRPB activities in an “Indigenous territory,” as defined in the proposed regulations
• Production of cultural property in a language other than French

Exemption from language-of-work provisions

• “Indigenous businesses”^{Footnote 1}
• Conduct of international business in a language other than French
• Activities that must be conducted in a language other than French (for example, under protocols or agreements)

In addition, since the proposed regulations would specify that “consumer services” refer only to transportation services offered in Québec or elsewhere in Canada, international flights would not fall within the definition and would therefore be excluded from the UFPBA. Furthermore, because the proposed regulations would specify that means of transportation are not considered “workplaces”, they would not be subject to the rights and obligations for the purposes of language-of-work requirements.

Key milestones in regulatory process

Stakeholders have had opportunities to express their views by way of consultations at different stages of the regulatory process. For example, during the preconsultations, the Department of Canadian Heritage sought the views of the general public by way of an online questionnaire that was open from May 9 to July 17, 2024. A number of organizations representing employees or employers of FRPBs and representatives of Canada’s two official language communities were also consulted. Lastly, Canadian Heritage carried out several phases of Indigenous engagement, and the dialogue with the organizations that were consulted will continue when the proposed regulations are pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I.

The draft regulations were tabled in Parliament on April 15, 2026. In accordance with the UFPBA, the proposed regulations will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, 30 sitting days of both Houses of Parliament before they are ultimately adopted, in order to afford Canadians, interested groups and stakeholders an opportunity to comment.

Complaints process

Once the UFPBA is in force, anyone who believes their rights have been violated may file a complaint with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL) if the FRPB in question is subject to the federal regime.

OCOL will receive and deal with complaints in a confidential manner. In the case of language-of-work complaints only and under certain conditions, OCOL may refer the complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) after attempting to resolve it itself. In addition, the CIRB’s role will be to address complaints that are more complex or call for specialized expertise in official languages within the labour-relations context. The Canada Labour Code and the UFPBA will specify the powers and mandate of the Canada Industrial Relations Board in relation to such cases.

In Quebec, where a business has opted for the provincial regime, it is the recourse process in the Charter of the French Language that will apply. The provincial regime will stand in for the federal regime.

For more information on the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and its regulations

• News release
• Document describing the proposed regulations
• Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act