Some French senators think their language could use a little Quebec-inspired muscle to protect it.
Under a new bill filed in the French Senate in August by Parti socialiste Senator Yan Chantrel, online ads using foreign-language wording would reportedly have to display a French translation just as prominently and public services would face stricter duties.
The Quebec model was looked to in the 2024 cross-party Senate inquiry from which the proposal emerged, according to local media. Its report called for France’s language-policy office to be strengthened with more powers to investigate breaches. Speaking on Quebec’s language watchdog, Senator Catherine Morin-Desailly said during the inquiry France’s “Canadian friends” defended French more forcefully and with stricter laws and heavier sanctions.