The U.S. Trade Rep office is considering if Quebec’s language laws warrant imposing trade sanctions.
The Canadian province where French is the predominant language makes up nearly 25% of the country’s population and is set to require all product labels to carry information in French. However, the U.S. is questioning if the Bill 96 Legislation contradicts longstanding trade agreements between the two countries.
Quebec’s Premier has taken a strong stance on the matter, explaining the bill’s importance.
“We have to protect French because it makes us distinct, and we have to be careful to make sure that in the future, Quebec will stay French. Of course, there are a few anglophones who say, ‘We are in Canada, everything must be bilingual.’ It will be a matter of time before everybody switch to English,” Francois Legault explains.
Quebec’s new language laws through Bill 96 are set to go into effect in 2025.
