Facebook page complaint in Quebec over language settled
Chelsea, Que., boutique owner comes to agreement with the French-language office
A Chelsea, Que., store owner says the province's French-language office has "softened" its position over her English Facebook page.
- Store owner ordered to change Facebook page to French
- Facebook exempt from Quebec's language law, lawyer says
In February, Eva Cooper received a letter from the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) with orders to translate the page for her women's clothing boutique Delilah in the Parc to French by March — or face legal consequences.
Cooper told CBC on Monday that she came to an agreement with the director of the office to incorporate French into her posts.
"The position has softened," she said. "The conversation was conciliatory, there's no doubt about that."
A spokesperson for the OQLF told CBC that Facebook posts that advertise the business must include French, but that Cooper can continue to post in English if the conversation is of a social nature.
Cooper said she has requested that the office send her permission in writing to post bilingually.
Cooper's store has bilingual signs, and she offers customer service in French and English, but her Facebook page was in English.
She received a letter from the language office after a customer complained that her page did not meet the requirements of Bill 101, the main legislation in Quebec’s language policy. Cooper argued that the French language legislation did not apply to social media.