Bloc Québécois leader sends U.S. secretary of state letter defending French-language laws

Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet has sent a letter, written in both French and English, to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to try to explain Quebec's new language law to Americans.

Blanchet delivered his letter to the U.S. ambassador Tuesday evening at a gathering in Ottawa. In it, he "saluted" Blinken's approach to the Israel-Hamas war and his "remarkable mastery of the French language," before defending the need for Quebec to tighten its rules on commercial signage.

The letter stated "...as the only French jurisdiction in North America, Quebec has a duty to ensure the continued existence of the French language on the continent and the cultural expressions it carries with it."

The Bloc leader says he wants to allay any concerns that may be felt by American companies doing business in Quebec. The proposed regulation stipulates that Quebec's street-front businesses have until June 1, 2025 to make French take up "twice as much space on their storefronts."

"It's important that 100 per cent of businesses respect that Quebec is the only state in North America where French is the only official language," said Jean-François Roberge, Quebec's Minister of the French Language, earlier this month.

WATCH | CBC's Isaac Olson breaks down new regulations:

See how supersized some store signs could get under new Quebec rules

10 months ago

Duration 5:17

We dig into the bold draft regulations the government announced in early 2024 as a part of its updated language laws, the costs and signage involved, and the many questions that remain unanswered.

Washington voiced its concerns last week about Bill 96's potential impact on U.S. businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises, but did not go into details. Blanchet maintains the changes are necessary.

Blanchet, who has scheduled a trip to Washington in March, also proposed to meet personally with U.S. government officials to present "the content, relevance and legitimacy" of Bill 96.

In his letter, Blanchet points out that American companies who want to be on the market in countries where English is not the language of business adopt the language in their signage, such as French, Italian, Japanese and Spanish.

"We believe the same should apply in Quebec," wrote Blanchet.

The Bloc leader points out that Quebec "can only speak for itself," and goes on to say that "the Canadian government is generally opposed to Quebec's language laws."

Quebec predicts it will cost businesses provincewide between $7 million and $15 million to change their signage. However, experts consulted by the CBC said they expect it will cost far more than that since there are hundreds of stores that will need to make changes.

The draft regulations are subject to consultation until the end of February.

The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa declined Radio-Canada's request to comment on the Bloc leader's letter, and referred us to last week's statement from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.