Quebec’s language watchdog sees surge in inspections, complaints

Quebec’s language watchdog conducted an increasing amount of inspections on employers as complaints from citizens reached new highs.

According to the annual report, published Tuesday, by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) — covering April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 — they saw a 40 per cent surge in language inspections.

“Protecting the French language is a government priority,” the agency said.

In order to ensure the linguistic rights of the Quebec population are respected, they add that “the Office is ensuring its presence on the ground by carrying out more inspections.”

✅ Au 31 mars 2024, 11 509 entreprises étaient inscrites à l’Office, comparativement à 9 698 au 31 mars 2023, ce qui représente une augmentation de 18,7%. Il s’agit de la plus forte augmentation annuelle d’entreprises inscrites à l’Office jamais observée.https://t.co/OZdjqBXVYG pic.twitter.com/uzAjsoxmC5

— OQLF (@OQLF) September 24, 2024

The report shows that the agency carried out 9,367 inspections — compared to 6,673 from the previous year.

They also add they’re aiming to boost inspections by four per cent this year; by 10 per cent in 2025-26; and by 15 per cent in 2026-27.

“People who file complaints play a vital role in ensuring respect for linguistic rights in Quebec,” they explained in the report.

“Their contribution is valuable to the Office,” they added. “As it helps it identify situations that do not comply with the Charter of the French Language and strengthen its presence in the field.”

OQLF staff received a record number of complaints in 2023-2024 — logging 9,125 complaints — an increase of over 32 per cent compared to the previous year.

“This was the third consecutive year in which the number of complaints reached a new high,” said the OQLF’s president and CEO, Dominique Malack, in the report.

“Together, we will continue the work underway to ensure the application of the Charter and respect for the linguistic rights of Quebecers.”