Biden administration raises ‘concerns’ about aspects of Quebec language law

A proposed regulation around the language of commercial signage in Quebec is attracting skepticism from U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, which has “concerns” about the potential impact on American businesses.

The issue came up during a wide-ranging meeting between high-level trade officials from both countries in Toronto on Wednesday.

A summary of the meeting said an advisor for the United States Trade Representative used the gathering to share “concerns about
trademark provisions of Quebec’s Bill 96 and their potential implications for U.S. businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises.”

Passed in 2022, Quebec’s Law 14  –better known as Bill 96– was a sweeping set of reforms to provincial language laws that the government says will further protect and advance the position of French in the province.

A draft regulation published on Jan. 10 clarifies aspects of the law, including a proposed rule for retailers that dictates French must occupy a space “at least twice as large” as other languages on signage that is visible from the outside.

Signs that display a trademark or company name would also have to include at least some French terms, such as “a description of the products or services concerned, or a slogan,” the draft regulation states.

It proposes a June 2025 deadline for businesses to comply with the signage rules.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has not detailed its concerns and did not respond to questions from The Canadian Press on Friday.

But Michel Rochette, president of the Quebec branch of the Retail Council of Canada, sees the Biden administration’s message as a
“signal” couched in diplomatic language.

“We have to understand that there is concern on the American side, and we have