Bill 96 It was approved last month and aims to strengthen Quebec language law with new and expanded business rules, tougher penalties for breaches and restrictions on who can access certain government services in English. Part of the law stipulates that immigrants staying in Quebec for six months or more will only be able to access most government services in French. In a letter issued Tuesday, more than 30 executives called on Legault and the county to delay the implementation of Bill 96 until there is better support in French, such as tutoring, available to employees. “We have team members from South America, from Europe. We need to give them more time and more support,” said Lloyd Segal, president and CEO of Repare Therapeutics, a Montreal-based biotechnology company. develops cancer drugs. and one of the signatories of the letter. “These amazing researchers who agree to come to Quebec – and everything to come to Quebec. They can go anywhere and we do not want to miss them.” The Repare Therapeutics lab in Montreal is developing cancer drugs, but the company’s CEO worries that the county’s new language laws will make it harder to hire staff. (Alison Northcott / CBC) Until now, the province’s existing language laws only applied to companies with more than 50 employees. However, under Bill 96, these rules will now apply to smaller businesses, with more than 25 employees. Repare has more than 50 employees, so it has been subject to French requirements since it opened in Quebec six years ago. The problem now, Segal said, is that the new law could make his company less attractive for the talent it needs, noting that Repare is already competing with companies around the world for a lack of technology workforce. CLOCKS The head of the Canadian Innovators Council explains the calls for a delay in Bill 96:
Technology companies say the Bill 96 could hurt Quebec’s economy
The head of the Canadian Innovators Council explains why dozens of Quebec technology companies have signed a letter asking the province to delay implementation of updated language legislation. Benjamin Bergen is the chairman of the Canadian Innovators Council, the organization behind the letter. He acknowledged the importance of protecting Quebec culture, but said the law had been drafted hastily and would make it more difficult for domestic companies to grow. “You are really hurting your own culture and your economy,” Bergen said.
“A duty to protect our common language”
Legault said strengthening the province’s language legislation is a matter of survival when it comes to the French language in Quebec. “We are proud to be a French-speaking nation in North America and it is our duty to protect our common language,” he said in May when Act 96 was passed. Coalition government Avenir Québec (CAQ) said that the law will not be implemented for another yearas the province works to create a new French language ministry to develop language policies for public services, municipalities and government agencies. There are many pieces of legislation that will affect businesses, and many companies are now seeking guidance on how to comply, said Brittany Carson, a labor law partner with Montreal-based Lavery. For example, companies with more than 25 employees will have to ensure that the use of French is widespread in the workplace – a requirement that previously only applied to larger companies with more than 50 employees. Quebec Prime Minister François Legault, who appeared here in Quebec’s legislature on Friday, said bill 96 was necessary to protect the French language. (Jacques Boissinot / The Canadian Press) The Office québécois de la langue française, or OQLF, which enforces the French map, will try to ensure that staff communication, training materials, policies and contracts are all in French, Carson said. “What does this mean for the person sitting in New York who runs the staff here in Quebec? Obviously, the Charter is not going to make them speak French,” he said. “I think companies should start thinking about ensuring that they respect the fundamental right of their Quebec employees to work in French.” Despite asking a lot of questions from customers, Carson said she has not heard of anyone considering leaving Quebec because of stricter rules, in part because many larger companies have been subject to the province’s French language rules for decades. Montréal International, the city’s financial promotion agency, said it had received a plethora of calls from investors about Bill 96, with questions and concerns about immigration and French requirements for employees. However, Stéphane Paquet, the organization’s president and chief executive, said in a statement that he did not expect the debate over the new law to drive out talent. “Investors take many factors into account when evaluating their investment options in a city, including the current economic climate and the existing ecosystem,” he said, adding that the agency’s recruitment activities are currently aimed primarily at French-speaking talent pools. For his part, Segal said he hoped the Quebec government would help businesses comply and clear up uncertainty about how the law would be enforced. He has no plans to move his company out of Quebec, but worries that other companies will be discouraged from moving here. “I have deep concerns as one of the creators of our biotechnology community here in Montreal that, without more certainty, it is almost certain that we will lose new businesses that are being created.”
