Government inspectors to go undercover to verify French being spoken in Quebec stores

The OQLF is sending undercover inspectors into thousands of businesses across Quebec to evaluate whether customers are greeted and served in French, as required under the Charter of the French Language.

The visits are part of a province-wide study, not an enforcement operation, and businesses will not be fined or publicly identified; instead, the findings will contribute to a future report on the state of French in commerce. TALQ president Eva Ludvig told CTV’s Mutsumi Takahashi that while protecting the French language is important, this is petty. “I don’t think it goes anywhere in terms of protecting and promoting French,” said Ludvig.