French language: CAQ ignoring the commissioner it appointed itself

Benoit Dubreuil, commissary to the French language, speaks during a news conference after he presented his his annual report, Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at the legislature in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

The Legault government did not consult the French Language Commissioner (CLF) before publishing its new economic vision in November 2025.

The CLF is a position the government itself created in 2022 to “monitor the evolution of the linguistic situation in Quebec and curb the decline of French.”

Yet in his new report released Thursday, Commissioner Benoît Dubreuil notes that the government did not listen to him before publishing “Le pouvoir québécois: réponse au nouveau contexte mondial.”

“We recommended that the Quebec government revise its economic development support mechanisms in order to integrate linguistic considerations,” he writes.

“Our checks with government officials confirmed that the potential linguistic impacts were not taken into account in the development of Quebec’s new economic vision,” he adds.

To address this “gap,” Dubreuil chose to conduct a study on the “linguistic risks stemming from the government’s approach.”

He notes that government interventions in the economy influence the linguistic situation by transforming work environments and shifting labour demand.

For example, he says, the CAQ government adopted in December the principle of “digital sovereignty” — prioritizing local suppliers in order to protect Quebec data.

The data processing and hosting sector, which is part of the government’s economic vision, could therefore see strong growth in the coming years.

However, “the situation of French in this sector is very problematic, not only in the Montreal region, but also elsewhere in Quebec,” the Dubreuil report states.

In 2021, 18 per cent of the workforce in that sector spoke only English, while only 5 per cent spoke only French.

The commissioner is urging the government to exercise “great caution” and to “ensure the presence of a workforce likely to use French.”

“A small number of workers who do not know French can be enough to tip a workplace toward predominant use of English,” he warns.

Other sectors where the vitality of French is considered “fragile” or even “compromised” include aeronautics, computer systems design, and scientific research and development.

By contrast, sectors targeted by the government’s vision where French has good vitality include construction, electricity production, and manufacturing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 5, 2026.