Law 25 French Language Requirements for Quebec Businesses

Quick links

PIPEDA Compliance Guide CASL Compliance Guide Quebec Law 25 Guide Free compliance check

Quebec's privacy law obligations don't operate in isolation from the province's language laws. The Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) requires that communications with Quebec consumers, employees, and the public be in French. For privacy compliance, this means your privacy policy, notices, and communications must be available in French for Quebec audiences.

Last updated: April 2026

The Language Framework for Privacy in Quebec

Quebec's language requirements stem from two sources:

1. The Charter of the French Language (Bill 101 / Loi 101) Requires that:

Contracts of adhesion (standard-form contracts, which include most privacy policies) offered to consumers be in French
Employees have a right to work in French
Consumer-facing forms, notices, and documents be available in French

2. Law 25 (Quebec Privacy Law) Requires that privacy disclosures, notices, and communications be in compliance with Quebec law — which includes the language requirements imposed by the Charter.

What Must Be in French for Quebec Businesses?

Privacy Policy

Your privacy policy is a document offered to individuals (consumers, employees) in Quebec. Under the Charter of the French Language, it must be available in French.

If you offer a French and English version, either version may be consulted — but the French version must be at least equivalent in content to the English version.

Common mistake: Having an English privacy policy and a French translation that is outdated or truncated. Both versions must be substantively equivalent and kept updated in parallel.

Privacy Notice at Collection

When collecting personal information from Quebec residents, the notice you provide (explaining why you're collecting the information) must be in French or bilingual.

Individual Rights Communications

When communicating with Quebec residents about:

Access requests
Correction requests
Portability requests
De-indexing requests
Breach notifications

...you should communicate in the individual's preferred language. If they initiate in French, respond in French.

Website Privacy-Related Content

Any privacy-related content on your website addressed to Quebec consumers — cookie banners, consent notices, data collection disclosures — must be available in French.

Employee Privacy Notices

For employees working in Quebec, privacy notices and workplace policies must be in French (or bilingual). Employees have the right to work in French under the Charter.

How to Structure Your Bilingual Privacy Programme

Option 1: Single Bilingual Document

Create a single privacy policy document that presents both languages side by side or in sections. Example:

Protection of Personal Information / Protection des renseignements personnels

[English text] / [Texte en français]

This approach ensures both versions are always in sync.

Option 2: Separate English and French Pages

Maintain two separate pages (e.g., /privacy and /confidentialite or /fr/privacy) with equivalent content. This is common for larger businesses with full bilingual websites.

Risk: Two separate documents require discipline to keep in sync when policies are updated. A French page that hasn't been updated in 18 months while the English page has been revised creates a compliance problem.

Option 3: Language Toggle

A single page with a language toggle (EN/FR) that displays the policy in the selected language. Works well for SaaS platforms and bilingual websites.

What Makes a Good French Privacy Policy Translation?

Accuracy Over Word-for-Word Translation

Legal and technical terms require proper French-language equivalents, not just word-for-word translation. Key terms:

English Term	French Equivalent
Personal information	Renseignements personnels
Privacy Officer	Responsable de la protection des renseignements personnels
Privacy Impact Assessment	Évaluation des facteurs relatifs à la vie privée (EFVP)
Breach / Incident	Incident de confidentialité
Consent	Consentement
Data portability	Portabilité des données

Avoid Machine Translation for Legal Documents

Machine translation tools (DeepL, Google Translate) have improved but should not be used without review by a qualified bilingual editor for legal or compliance documents. Translation errors in privacy policies can create legal misrepresentation.

Options for quality French translation:

Certified translation services specialising in legal documents
Bilingual lawyers or compliance professionals
In-house French-language capability with legal review

Update Both Versions Simultaneously

When you update your privacy policy (for Law 25 amendments, new data practices, or any other reason), update both the English and French versions simultaneously. Never let one version lag.

Cookie Consent Banners in French

If your website uses cookie consent management (CMP), the consent banner must be in French for Quebec visitors. Most CMPs (OneTrust, Cookiebot, Osano) support French language configuration. Ensure:

The default language shown to visitors is French (or the visitor's browser language)
All cookie categories and descriptions are translated
The cookie policy linked from the banner is available in French

The CAI and Language

The Commission d'accès à l'information (CAI) publishes its guidance and enforcement decisions in French. If you correspond with the CAI about a complaint or investigation, communications will typically be in French. Having internal compliance documentation available in French (or bilingual) will facilitate interactions with the regulator.

Practical Checklist for French Language Compliance

Privacy policy available in French (equivalent content to English version)
Website cookie consent banner and notices available in French
Employee privacy notices available in French for Quebec employees
Data collection notices available in French for Quebec users
Privacy Officer contact information published in French on your website
Process for responding to access/correction requests in French
Breach notification letter templates available in French
Both language versions updated simultaneously when policy changes

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Our company is based in Toronto. Do we need a French privacy policy? A: If you collect personal information from Quebec consumers or employ anyone in Quebec, you should have a French version of your privacy policy (or a bilingual policy) available for Quebec audiences.

Q: Is it sufficient to say "French version available on request"? A: Under the Charter, the French version should be readily accessible — not just available on request. Publishing it on your website is the expected standard.

Q: What happens if our French privacy policy is a poor-quality translation? A: A materially inadequate or inaccurate French translation could be treated as a failure to comply with the Charter of the French Language obligations. In a regulatory context, it could be seen as not genuinely meeting the bilingual requirement.

Q: Does Law 25 itself require French specifically, or is that the Charter? A: The language requirement flows from the Charter of the French Language, not Law 25 directly. But Law 25 operates within Quebec's legal framework, which includes the Charter. The practical effect is the same.

Bilingual Privacy Compliance for Quebec Businesses

Canada Compliance AI helps Canadian SMEs work through CASL, PIPEDA and Quebec Law 25: a free two-minute compliance check, readiness scores, a prioritized task plan, a 24-month breach register and an exportable audit log. See what's live and what's planned.

Start your free trial today — Quebec compliance in the language of your customers.