Senior adviser in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Cara Morrow raised concerns about Quebec's Bill 96, passed on May 24, during her meeting Wednesday with Canadian Deputy Minister of International Trade Rob Stewart.
Advisor Morrow shared the concerns of the United States “regarding the provisions of Act 96 regarding commercial signage and their potential consequences for American businesses, particularly small and medium-sized businesses,” as we can read in a press release issued on Wednesday detailing the issues summarized and discussed during the meeting.
In particular, Law 96 stipulates that by 2025 all businesses in the province must ensure that their signs clearly predominate in French. In fact, French has to take up “twice as much” space as English or any other language.
- Listen to the discussion between Richard Martineau and Rémi Villemure, doctoral student in sociology QUB :
French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge explained in an interview with TVA Nouvelles on January 12 that a company whose name is English must add a slogan or French-language description in larger letters.
A company called “Cool Kids” could therefore display “Cool Kids Clothing” if the French word is big enough.
The law also requires that all products offered for sale on store shelves have a description in French. In doing so, it tightens the regulations by, for example, preventing a company from registering the entire label as a trademark.