Quebec government is urged to scale back English on its websites

French language commissioner says government websites should be in French only, with limited exceptions.

English remains too freely available on Quebec government websites and should be sharply reduced, the province’s French language commissioner says. Content on the websites of seven major government bodies should generally be offered in French only, except in narrowly defined cases covered by legal exemptions, the commissioner said in a report released Wednesday.

The recommendation follows an examination of how agencies, including Hydro-Québec, Revenu Québec, Services Québec and the workplace safety, auto insurance and health insurance boards, communicate with the public.

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“It’s unjustifiable to try to limit services for the English-speaking community. Government websites are not there to promote a government. They’re there to provide services to the public, and the public includes the English-speaking community.”

Even if anglophones are comfortable using French in daily life and at work, they still need access to specific government information in English, she said. And that need goes beyond health and education — a wide range of government services should be equally accessible in English as in French, Ludvig added.