Number of complaints to the OQLF on the rise

The number of complaints to the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) surged over the past year, according to a report from the OQLF.

From 2023-2024, there were 9,125 reports filed to the province’s French language watchdog – a 33 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

The OQLF received 6,884 complaints in 2022-2023.

“The degree of attention that’s being directed towards this issue is probably encouraging people to issue more complaints,” said Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies. “There’s also some misunderstanding of what the represents or reflects a legitimate complaint, because there’s a high percentage of the complaints in the report that are deemed not receivable or have already been rectified.”

According to the data, 34 per cent of complaints or reports were based on language services, 27 per cent were concerned about websites or commercial documents (invoices, contracts, etc.) and 20 per cent reported public and commercial displays.

“I speak French and English, but I came to do my studies and also perfect my French,” said a newly arrived international student while on the streets of downtown Montreal. “So the fact that people are complaining is a good thing, and they should definitely look into trying to preserve the French.”

“I’m Anglophone, I do speak French, as I think a lot of the population does, especially in Quebec,” says Montrealer Emily Pike. “I do think complaining more about the lack of French does make English speaking people less inclined to be alright with such strict laws.”

“In Montreal, there is a big Anglophone presence, but we can’t forget that we’re bilingual and I think it’s a nice thing to see the diversity in the two languages,” said Montrealer Noémie Bannes in French. “But at the same time, I find it’s good that Quebecers use their voices to say what doesn’t please them.”

The majority of reported cases were in Montreal (58 per cent), followed by the South Shore (11 per cent) and Laval (five per cent).

“A lot of this has to do, I think with the mood of the population at this particular time, particularly in Montreal,” Jedwab said. “The reality is that the demographics haven’t shifted tremendously, the behaviours of people that run businesses or that are placing information online haven’t modified considerably either.”

The OQLF says they’ve increased their presence to ensure that the rules are being followed, and they caried out 9,367 inspections last year – a 40.4 per cent increase.

“The ability to lodge these complaints has always been there, they seem to vary based on the degree of anxiety that people are feeling and whatever underlies that anxiety which has a lot to do with messaging

In 2024, only four companies were fined for not complying with the Quebec Charter of the French Language. In 2023, 10 companies received fines ranging from $1,500 to $7,500.

“I think it’s important to use the tools that we have to denounce things, while remaining conscious that here in Montreal, it’s bilingual and people do what they can to respond in both languages,” Bannes said.