Navigating Bill C-32: A Guide for Multilingual Content

Canada’s linguistic identity runs deep. With two official languages and centuries of French and English coexistence, the country has long championed bilingualism as a core value. Now, proposed updates to the Official Languages Act through Bill C-32 could make bilingualism a legal requirement for businesses — including their websites.

Here’s what Bill C-32 means, where it stands, and what business owners should be doing right now.

How Canada Became a Bilingual Nation

Canada’s French roots predate British influence — Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec in 1608. It wasn’t until September 9, 1969, however, that the government passed the Official Languages Act, formally recognizing both French and English. The last major update was in 1988, over three decades ago.

The law’s original purpose was not to force everyone to speak both languages, but to give citizens the freedom to choose which language the federal government would serve them in. Today, that focus is expanding into the private sector — driven by the social, demographic, and technological shifts of the past 30 years.

What Bill C-32 Proposes

Bill C-32 would bring substantial changes to how bilingualism is applied across Canada. Educational institutions, workplaces, businesses, and government agencies would all be required to comply. Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages Mélanie Joly introduced the bill to the House of Commons on June 15, 2021, where it passed its initial reading with broad support from the Liberal Party.

For businesses, the key implication is straightforward: any company offering services or products in Quebec or regions with a strong Francophone presence must provide both French and English options — across physical locations, websites, chat support, and customer service. Bill C-32 also includes protections for Indigenous language rights, ensuring the Act does not weaken the status or development of Indigenous languages.

Where Bill C-32 Stands Today

Bill C-32 has not progressed beyond its initial reading in the House of Commons and has not yet been presented to the Senate. The bill expired when the 43rd Parliament concluded in August 2021 ahead of the federal election. Despite Liberal promises to reintroduce it within the first 100 days of the new government, it has not yet been enacted into law.

That said, the social and political pressure behind bilingualism legislation is not fading. The momentum is building, and businesses that wait for the law to pass before acting may find themselves scrambling to catch up.

What This Means for Your Website

If Bill C-32 passes, any business with a Canadian presence that advertises products or services in the country will need to offer both French and English versions of their website. There are two ways to approach this: build and maintain two entirely separate sites, or use a translation solution like ConveyThis to handle it automatically.

Maintaining two separate websites means managing two inventories, two accounts, and double the development costs — an approach that quickly becomes expensive and time-consuming. A translation platform is faster to implement, more cost-effective, and far easier to maintain long-term. With ConveyThis, your site can be live in French and English in minutes, with machine translation, human editing controls, and automatic content syncing built in.

Get Ahead of Bill C-32 Now

Bill C-32 hasn’t been enacted yet — but that’s exactly why now is the right time to act. Businesses that modernize their websites before the legislation passes will have a head start on compliance, and a real competitive advantage with French-speaking customers in the meantime.

Better translations mean a better browsing experience, more trust, and ultimately more conversions. You can have your website displaying in both French and English within minutes with a free ConveyThis trial.