I can only imagine what you are going through.
In this golden age of disinformation, you may have heard all sorts of contradictory statements about what Bill 96 actually purports to do. I’ve seen many rumours circulating online, and I worry about their impact. Here are some of the elements of the bill that many find problematic, regardless of where they stand on the language issue.
If adopted in its current form, Bill 96 would give more powers to the Office québécois de la langue française to search and seize data from workplaces that are suspected to not use enough French — including confidential data. There are some real privacy concerns here.
The bill would also make it more complex for employees of the public sector to offer services in a language other than French. People who went to elementary school in English in Canada, Indigenous peoples and immigrants who have been living in the province for less than six months are to be exempted from this measure. The obligation to speak French would also not apply to a situation where “health, public safety or principles of natural justice” demand an exception.
