The OQLF Offered To Help An Entrepreneur Who Might Quit Quebec Because Of Language Laws
A tech entrepreneur says it would be economically unfeasible for his new online robotics marketplace to conform to Quebec’s French-language laws. About a month ago, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), sent Mario Tremblay, the founder and CEO of RobotShop.com, notice that his company was in violation of Article 51 of the language charter, which mandates that all products have inscriptions in French.
As a result, he’s stated that he might have to move his headquarters elsewhere.
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The office assists companies in their efforts to become French-speaking and works with them to examine solutions.
OQLF spokesperson Chantal Bouchard
In a Monday email, OQLF spokesperson Chantal Bouchard said “the office has offered its assistance and support to the company in its francization efforts and hopes to be able to do so in full cooperation.”
“The office has also informed [RobotShop] that it takes into account the specific situations of companies,” she continued.
“It remains available to assist companies in this process, answering their questions and requests for clarification.”
In addition, the OQLF has provided the company with a glossary of French terms used in the IT field, she stated.
Tremblay said it would be "impossible" for him to comply with the language charter, as he has no control over the manufacturers selling what could be millions of products on his website, as most of them are outside the province.
"A lot of products in robotics are not for the mass market," he told MTL Blog. "These are very niche specialized products in low volume coming from manufacturers outside Quebec."
