The Charter of the French Language and your marketing: a practical guide

What changed on June 1, 2025

The short answer: outdoor signage now has to give French a much larger place when a name or trademark is in another language. According to the OQLF, the Regulation respecting the language of commerce and business was published on June 26, 2024, and its new obligations have applied since June 1, 2025.

For signage, the main change concerns the notion of the "marked predominance" of French. According to the OQLF page on displaying trademarks and names, when the French text must markedly predominate, it must in particular:

• take up at least twice the space of the text in the other language;
• be permanent and at least as visible and legible, including under lighting;
• on a dynamic display, such as a screen, be shown for at least twice as long.

The French terms must also sit in the same visual field as the name or trademark: you should be able to read them together without moving.

Business names

A business name can keep a distinctive element in another language, on one condition: it must come with a French generic term that says what the business does. The OQLF gives the example of a generic term such as "Vêtements" placed in front of a distinctive name. A French descriptor or slogan can be added.

For your marketing, this is more an opportunity than a problem. A well-chosen generic term helps customers understand in a second what you offer. Compare:

The third version is often the strongest for a sign, a Google listing or a website header. Our French-first marketing service starts precisely from that work on words.

Trademarks

According to the OQLF, a trademark may be wholly or partly in another language if no French version is registered with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. If a registered French version exists, that is the one that must be displayed, inside and outside.

When a recognised trademark in another language is visible from outside, it must come with French terms that ensure the marked predominance of French. The OQLF specifies that this covers signage visible from outside a premises, on a building, inside a shopping centre, and on kiosks and pylon signs.

What doesn't count as French

Some elements don't help achieve predominance, according to the OQLF: opening hours, phone numbers, addresses, numbers, percentages and articles such as "le" or "la". A sign that only adds "Ouvert 7 jours" and a number therefore gains almost nothing.

The exceptions

The OQLF states that marked predominance isn't required for indoor signage that can't be seen from outside, for signage on vehicles, or for kiosks or pylon signs showing more than two names or trademarks. Even in those cases, the business name must include a French generic term.

Your website and online sales

The website is often a small business's main shop window. According to Éducaloi, a business with a Québec address offering its products or services to Quebecers must have a French version of its website; other versions are allowed in addition. For a transactional site, Éducaloi specifies that the information needed to make a purchase, such as product descriptions, order forms, invoices and receipts, must be offered in French.

In practice, for marketing, three tips follow from these rules:

1. Write in French first. The French version isn't a translation of the English one; it is the reference version.
2. Keep both versions at the same level. An English version richer than the French one sends the wrong signal to customers and to search engines.
3. Link the two versions. Every French page should lead to its English equivalent, and vice versa, so Google shows the right language to the right visitor.

Our French-first website service follows exactly that logic.

Social media

According to Éducaloi, a business's social media pages must be offered in French. When a customer comments in another language, you may reply in that language; a comment in French calls for a reply in French.

For a small team, the simplest solution is a set of standard replies written in both languages: a thank-you, a request for details, a response to a complaint, an invitation to call. They keep things consistent even when the owner is replying from a phone in the evening.

Contracts, packaging and small businesses

Other rules affect commercial documents. Éducaloi explains that adhesion contracts, meaning standard non-negotiated contracts, must be in French, and that anything written on a product, its packaging and the documents that come with it must be too, with another language allowed alongside.

On the company side, the OQLF states that businesses employing 25 or more people in Québec over a six-month period must register with the Office as part of francization. Smaller businesses aren't covered by that process, but they remain subject to the rules on signage, commerce and communications.

Penalties

Éducaloi reports that a business that doesn't comply within the time set in a warning faces a fine of $3,000 to $30,000 for each day the offence continues. The fine doubles for a second offence and triples for subsequent ones. It is one more reason to plan for French at the design stage, rather than correcting things afterwards.

A marketing checklist

Before launching a sign, a campaign or a website, ask yourself these questions. They don't replace legal advice, but they avoid the most common oversights.

• Does the displayed name include a clear French generic term?
• If a trademark is in another language, is a French version registered?
• Does the French text take up at least twice the space on outdoor signage?
• Does the site offer a complete French version, including the information needed to buy?
• Do your standard social media replies exist in French?
• Do your online ads lead to a page in French?

If an answer is "no" or "I don't know", consult the OQLF or your lawyer. For the marketing side, we can help you write a message that sounds right in French; tell us about it through the Contact page, or read our other guides.