Posted at 5:00 am
Maxime Bergeron The press
More than 150 Quebec business leaders are calling on the Legault government to “suspend” the application of “Law 96” protecting French. This diverse group includes makers of energy drinks, meats, eyewear and even fine lingerie from across the province.
These businessmen signed an open letter to Prime Minister François Legault published by the Canadian Council of Innovators (CCI) in mid-June. The letter originally had 37 signers, with 110 leaders joining over the summer.
“I think it demonstrates the hasty aspect of this law that worries all the CEOs who find themselves in this letter,” said Pierre-Philippe Lortie, director of the Quebec section of the CCI.
The first signatories came mainly from the world of information technology, which the IHK represents. Among these are big names from Quebec Inc. such as Eric Boyko (Stingray), Germain Lalonde (EXFO) and Louis Têtu (Coveo).
Those who have added their support come from more diverse industries. These include Carl Goyette (Guru Organic Energy), Antoine Amiel (Groupe Vision New Look), Christian Daigle (Frima), Maxime Lacroix (Viandes Lacroix) and Bill Haddad (of delicates manufacturer Montelle Intimates).
“Proud” but concerned
The signatories insist they are “proud” of French-speaking culture and support the “spirit” of “Act 96” — officially dubbed the Act Respecting Quebec’s official and common language, French — to be passed by the National Assembly in May 2022 became. However, they believe its application should be “paused” until Quebec unveils all the franchising tools made available to them.
your biggest fear? This hasty deployment puts Quebec companies at a disadvantage as labor shortages worsen. One of the most worrying elements of the law is the requirement that all newcomers communicate with the state exclusively in French within six months of their arrival.
“We have employees who come from all over the world and are concerned about the impact of this law on their professional lives, on their families,” says Louis-Philippe Maurice, co-founder of the roughly 50-year-old techno SME Busbud Employees in Montreal.
PHOTO IVANOH DEMERS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Louis-Philippe Maurice, co-founder of techno-SME Busbud, in 2017
Competition to recruit skilled workers has gone global, particularly in the techno sector, and Quebec could become less attractive by making life more difficult for newcomers, Mr Maurice fears. He would have liked to see business people being more consulted in the drafting of the law and then benefiting from “the resources to enable such a law to have the desired effect”.
The same goes for Carl Goyette, President and CEO of Guru, a Montreal-based energy drink company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Carl Goyette, President and CEO of Guru
“Quebec companies that want to innovate and compete on a global scale need to be agile and able to hire and work with the best candidates, regardless of their location in the world,” he argues. The addition of restrictive rules only puts a spoke in the wheel by reducing the competitiveness of Quebec’s businesses, and it does so while in no way improving the situation of the French in Quebec. »
Mathieu Allaire, president of Sherbrooke-based scheduling software company Agendrix, also fears the law’s impact on worker recruitment.
“As the petition shows, I think protecting French is important,” he said. At Agendrix, more than 90% of our customers are French speakers and we only communicate in French internally. However, I believe that certain variables of the law need to be adjusted to the reality of the current economy and labor market in order for Quebec to remain attractive in terms of talent. »
D-Box Technologies, which designs mechanized seats for cinemas that are exported around the world, fears the administrative burden that will result from the law’s rapid implementation. The new requirements could weigh on the finances of the Toronto-listed group, which has been battered by two-and-a-half years of the pandemic, fears Stéphane Vidal, vice president, products and brand, at Longueuil.
“If we, a company like D-Box, spend 5% of our time taking regulatory action to comply with the law, that affects us more than larger companies,” he explains. It’s fast, it’s very demanding and it doesn’t give us much time to turn around and adapt. »
Jolin-Barrette defends his law
In an interview with La Presse, Simon Jolin-Barrette, outgoing justice minister in charge of the French language who will seek re-election in Borduas on October 3, minimized the concerns of the business community.
“We are making an orderly transition, we will support companies, and I want to reassure them: there is no need to panic, he argues. Everything will be put in order and above all we will give good support to the companies so that their fears are unfounded. »
Without quantifying them, he assures that when all the provisions of the law come into effect, the future organization Francisation Québec will be equipped with all the necessary resources to support newcomers. He further believes that “a lot of misinformation” has surrounded this law.
“What Law 96 in particular seeks to do is ensure that the workplace is in French,” he points out. And everyone in the company has to make an effort. As we saw from the last census figures, French as a society is in sharp decline, French survival is at risk, so all sectors of society must play their part. »
Bill 96, very comprehensive, came to change the French language charter and about twenty other laws. Some provisions came into force last June, while others will be implemented gradually by mid-2025.
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Should Law 96 be relaxed to accommodate businesses?