Bill 96 and film production in Quebec: language requirements for crew communications

Bill 96, which amended Quebec's Charter of the French Language in 2022, expanded French-language requirements for businesses operating in the province. For film and TV production companies, the law affects how call sheets are written, how contracts are drafted, how crew communications are distributed, and how workplace operations are conducted on set.

Since June 2025, the most significant provisions are fully in effect, including the lowered threshold that now requires businesses with 25 or more employees to register with the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) and comply with the Francisation process. Most film productions meet or exceed that threshold when crew is counted. Bill 96 is one of several compliance layers Canadian productions must navigate, alongside PIPEDA, Law 25, and union requirements.

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What Bill 96 requires for workplaces

Bill 96 strengthened existing requirements under Quebec's Charter of the French Language in several areas that directly affect production companies.

French as the language of work. Employers must ensure that French is the predominant language of the workplace. This applies to internal communications, memos, emails, meetings, and official documents. Production companies operating in Quebec are not exempt from this requirement.

Employment documentation. Job offers, employment contracts, and all official written communications with employees must be available in French. An employer may also provide an English version, but the French version takes precedence if there is any discrepancy.

Francisation for businesses with 25 or more employees. As of June 2025, businesses in Quebec with 25 or more employees must register with the OQLF and undertake a Francisation process. This involves demonstrating that French is used as the language of work, that communications to employees are in French, and that the workplace environment reflects the generalized use of French. For productions that hire 25 or more crew members (which includes most productions beyond the very small), this registration requirement applies.

Anti-discrimination protections. Bill 96 added explicit protections against discrimination based on an employee's use of French. Employers must take reasonable measures to prevent harassment related to language use. Requiring knowledge of a language other than French for a position is permitted only if the employer can demonstrate it is necessary for the role.

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How Bill 96 affects production operations

Call sheets

Call sheets are workplace documents distributed to all crew members. Under Bill 96, they must be available in French. A production company can distribute bilingual call sheets (French and English), but the French version must be present.

For productions with anglophone and francophone crew (which is the norm in Montreal and across Quebec), bilingual call sheets are the practical standard. The challenge is ensuring that both language versions contain identical, up-to-date information. When a revision is made to the English call sheet at 9:00 PM, the French version must be updated at the same time. Manual translation of revised call sheets under time pressure is where errors and compliance gaps typically occur.

Contracts and deal memos

Employment contracts and deal memos for crew working in Quebec must be available in French. The French version is the legally binding version in the event of a dispute. Productions that draft contracts in English and translate them later need to ensure the French version is legally reviewed, not just linguistically translated.

For co-productions with partners outside Quebec, this can create complexity: the co-production agreement may be in English, but individual crew contracts for Quebec-based crew must comply with French-language requirements.

Crew communications

Emails, memos, schedules, safety briefings, and other communications sent to crew members are covered by the French-language requirement. This includes daily production emails, schedule changes, wrap reports, and department-specific communications.

The practical challenge is volume. A busy production generates dozens of communications per day. Ensuring that all of them comply with French-language requirements requires either bilingual drafting from the start, or a translation workflow that can keep pace with production speed.

Signage and on-set materials

Safety signage, directional signs, department labels, and any written materials visible to employees on set must be in French. This extends to digital displays, printed handouts, and posted schedules.

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Practical compliance strategies

Build bilingual workflows from day one

The most common compliance failure is treating translation as an afterthought. When the English call sheet is created first and the French version is translated later, the French version is always behind. Revisions widen the gap further.

The more effective approach is to build bilingual workflows into the production's systems from the start. Call sheets, contracts, and communications should be drafted bilingually, or generated from a single data source that outputs both languages simultaneously.

Use production software with bilingual support

Production management software that supports bilingual output eliminates the manual translation bottleneck for operational documents. When crew data, schedule information, and location details are stored in a structured system, generating a French call sheet and an English call sheet from the same data is automatic rather than manual. When a revision is made, both versions update at the same time.

Siasola Production Management includes Bill 96 compliance support with bilingual call sheet generation and crew communications. Both language versions are generated from the same underlying data, ensuring consistency and eliminating the delay between English and French revisions.

Designate a Francisation coordinator

For productions that reach the 25-employee threshold, designating someone responsible for Francisation compliance is a practical necessity. This person (often the production coordinator or line producer) ensures that communications go out in French, that new crew contracts are properly bilingual, and that the production is prepared for OQLF inquiries.

Plan for multilingual crew

Quebec productions frequently include crew members whose primary language is neither French nor English. Bill 96 does not prohibit the use of other languages on set, but it requires that French be the predominant workplace language and that all official documents be available in French. Safety briefings in particular should be delivered in French and, where necessary for comprehension, in additional languages.

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Penalties for non-compliance

The OQLF has authority to investigate complaints and conduct inspections. Penalties for non-compliance with the Charter of the French Language can include fines ranging from $3,000 to $30,000 for a first offence, with higher amounts for repeat violations. For businesses, fines can reach $6,000 to $60,000 and increase for subsequent offences.

Beyond fines, non-compliance creates operational risk. A crew member who files a complaint with the OQLF can trigger an investigation that disrupts production timelines. In a province where reputation and relationships drive crew availability, being known as a non-compliant production company has practical consequences beyond the financial penalties.

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Getting started

If your production company shoots in Quebec and you are not confident in your Bill 96 compliance, the first step is auditing your current workflows: how call sheets are created and distributed, whether contracts are bilingual, and whether crew communications consistently include French.

Contact us through our contact form at siasola.com/contact to discuss how siasola Production Management can support your Bill 96 compliance with bilingual call sheets and crew communications built into the system.

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This post is for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Language requirements under Bill 96 and the Charter of the French Language are subject to regulatory interpretation and enforcement by the OQLF. Production companies should consult qualified legal counsel for compliance guidance specific to their operations.