Bill 96: preparing your Shopify store, 10 points to check
Bill 96 (assented to on June 1, 2022) strengthened the Charter of the French Language. For an online store, the rule is simple to state and slow to apply: everything a Québec consumer sees must exist in French, and French must not be less accessible than English. This applies to a store in Montréal just as much as to a store in Toronto or Lyon that ships to Québec. Here are the ten points to check first.
1. Product pages
Title, description, variants (“Small” → “Petit”), size guide, tabs. Shopify Markets and the Translate & Adapt app let you have a native French version with URLs under /fr. Watch out for descriptions imported from suppliers, which are often in English.
2. The language selector
Visible from the first page, not hidden in the footer. And French must be the default language for a visitor from Québec: set the primary language of the “Canada” market to French, or detect the visitor’s location.
3. Cart and checkout
The buttons (“Ajouter au panier”, “Passer la commande”), error messages, shipping methods and tax notices. Shopify checkout is translated if French is enabled under Settings → Languages; still, check your custom text.
4. Notification emails
This is the point most often forgotten. Order confirmation, shipping, refund, abandoned cart: these emails are sent in the language of the templates under Settings → Notifications, which are in English by default in many stores. Every template must be translated or replaced with a French version.
5. Policies
Refund, shipping and privacy policies, terms of sale: these are contracts of adhesion (section 55). They must be drawn up in French; an English version may be offered only if the customer expressly asks for it.
6. Invoices and receipts
Section 57: invoices and receipts in French. If you use an invoicing app, check the language of the PDF it generates. Ideally, also show your GST and QST numbers.
7. Advertising and newsletters
Meta and Google ads, Klaviyo or Shopify Email newsletters: in French for a Québec audience, or bilingual with French that is at least equivalent. An “English only” newsletter sent to Québec subscribers is an offence.
8. Customer service
Consumers have the right to be served in French (sections 5 and 50.2). Chat, email, automatic replies: at a minimum, plan for an automatic reply in French and a person able to answer in French.
9. The products themselves
Packaging, labels, instructions for use and warranties: in French, with French at least as visible as any other language. Since June 1, 2025, this also applies to inscriptions engraved or moulded on a product; a grace period to sell off existing stock runs until June 1, 2027.
10. Third-party apps
Customer reviews, chat, newsletter pop-up, loyalty program: each app displays its own text. Go through all of them; most have a “Translations” tab.
Where to start?
In order of impact: notification emails (point 4), the language selector and default language (2), then product pages (1). These three tasks cover a large share of what a customer sees. For a store with fewer than 200 products, work through them in stages rather than redoing everything at once.
The Kit Loi 96 pour boutique Shopify (Bill 96 kit for Shopify stores) contains the 40-point checklist, 8 notification emails in French, 10 Liquid snippets and the installation guide. $29 CAD, paid once. Amounts before taxes.
See the Kit Loi 96: $29 CAD