Ottawa preparing new rules on the use of French in key sectors of the Quebec economy

Federal government being pressured by Quebec over use of French in federally regulated workplaces.

The federal government is planning to use an upcoming reform of the Official Languages Act to draft new rules on the use of French in federally regulated companies in Quebec, sources tell Radio-Canada.

The measures would form Ottawa’s response to growing pressure from the Quebec government to protect the rights of French-speaking workers in federally regulated sectors such as banking and telecommunications. As it stands, companies in these sectors do not fall under the federal Official Languages Act or Quebec’s Charter of the French Language.

Read more