Bill 96 June 1 Deadline for Quebec Businesses - Retail Council of Canada
Advocacy | French language | Quebec

Quebec’s June 1 deadline for French signage, labelling is ‘unrealistic’ for retailers, business groups say

May 28, 2025

The Quebec government is “imposing unrealistic timelines” on the province’s businesses by asking them to change their English-only product packaging and put an emphasis on French in signage, according to two Canadian retail groups.

The deadline to update product labelling and commercial signage is Sunday.

That’s not reasonable, according to the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). They are asking the Legault government, in an open letter, to give businesses more time.

“The last thing we want is to criticize a measure aimed at protecting the French language,” said Michel Rochette, the RCC president for Quebec. “On the contrary, we want to defend, promote, and help it flourish. But to achieve that, we need to provide retailers with a clear and realistic path forward.”

 

See Also

No deadline extension for businesses to conform to Bill 96 rules: Roberge

Explainer: How do Quebec’s new French sign rules work and what are the non-compliance penalties?