Quebec language law
Anglophone opponents of Quebec's French-language law Bill 96 protest in downtown Montreal, Quebec, on May 26, 2022. (REUTERS/Christinne Muschi)

Quebec’s new language law has some in the province's business community considering opening offices outside of Quebec.

Under the new law, businesses are required to justify to the provincial government why hiring a non-French speaking employee is necessary. Additionally, new immigrants working in tech and other industries must participate in a six-month, publicly-funded language program. Those who fail to achieve the required level of workplace fluency can face thousands of dollars in fines. 

The situation has some tech companies, already in a desperate search for scarce talent, making plans to move to other provinces, said Benjamin Bergen, president of the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI).

“A lot of companies have reached out to me saying, ‘Hey, is Ontario offering anything if we relocate across the river?’; ‘Is there stuff in Nova Scotia that we should be looking into?’” said Bergen. 

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Hadassah Alencar is a bilingual journalist based near Montreal. She recently completed the journalism program at Concordia University, where she worked as a teaching assistant and became editor-in-chief...