Trump administration lists Quebec language law Bill 96 as trade barrier

Peter Zimonjic · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 01, 2025 1:14 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released its yearly database of planetary commercialized barriers Tuesday, and it includes Quebec's arguable connection instrumentality Bill 96 arsenic a commercialized irritant betwixt the 2 countries. 

The astir 400-page National Trade Estimate Report lists successful astir encyclopedic item each of the tariff and non-tariff barriers contiguous successful countries that import U.S. goods and services. 

While the study is simply a catch-all of commercialized irritants compiled by bureaucrats each year and does not needfully bespeak the priorities of U.S. President Donald Trump, it inactive prompted a beardown effect successful Canada connected Tuesday. 

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet accused Mark Carney of siding with Trump and urged Quebecers to crook connected the Liberal leader. 

"Mr. Carney seems to deliberation the aforesaid happening arsenic Mr. Trump does. How could Quebecers see adjacent 1 instant placing their spot into that man?" Blanchet said during a run halt successful Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Que.  

"There's 1 mode [for Qubecers] to support their close to unrecorded and enactment and beryllium blessed successful French, is to spot Quebecers," helium added. 

Blanchet's disapproval follows Carney's remarks Monday that a authorities led by him would enactment arsenic an intervenor astatine the Supreme Court of Canada should it each perceive a situation to Bill 96.

Carney said helium would bash truthful not due to the fact that helium has a occupation with the legislation, but due to the fact that helium opposes immoderate province's pre-emptive usage of the notwithstanding clause to walk laws. 

In Winnipeg connected Tuesday, Carney dismissed the conception that helium would each negociate with the U.S. astir issues that impact the French language, civilization oregon proviso management. Asked if helium was consenting to basal by that commitment and support Quebec immoderate the cost, Carney answered "yes."

"In a dialog erstwhile you acceptable things aside, they stay disconnected the table," helium said. "I've been making that committedness repeatedly. I'm mounting speech French connection and civilization and proviso management. 

"I cognize however to negociate and I privation this to beryllium clear — those things are disconnected the table."

U.S. concerns implicit trademarks, labels

Bill 96 passed the Quebec Legislature successful June 2022 with provisions that kicked successful close away. Other provisions of the instrumentality took effect successful June 2023 with further measures taking effect this June. The instrumentality amends the Charter of the French Language successful Quebec, different known arsenic Bill 101. 

Among different things, Bill 96 limits the usage of English — 1 of Canada's 2 authoritative languages — successful the nationalist service and permits inspectors to behaviour searches and seizures without warrants at businesses.

The changes interaction the usage of French successful the judicial system, wellness care, schools, workplaces and businesses crossed the provincial economy, but the contented singled retired arsenic a commercialized obstruction by the U.S. is however it impacts trademarks and labelling. 

"U.S. businesses person expressed concerns astir the interaction that Bill 96 volition person connected their federally registered trademarks for products manufactured aft June 1, 2025, which is erstwhile the applicable provisions of Bill 96 participate into force," the National Trade Estimate Report said. 

When the caller provisions footwear successful this summer, trademarks displayed connected a merchandise tin lone look successful English if there's no French mentation of the trademark registered. If the trademark oregon statement contains generic presumption oregon descriptions that are not successful French, the trademark indispensable beryllium changed to see a French mentation of those presumption and descriptions, arsenic good arsenic the English version. 

Companies recovered to person violated these changes to the instrumentality tin look fines of up to $90,000 per time for their 3rd offence, portion individuals tin beryllium fined up to $42,000 a time for their 3rd offence. 

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said its officials met with Canada's commercialized counterparts astatine the World Trade Organization past June, wherever Bill 96 came up. 

"The United States encouraged the Quebec provincial authorities to instrumentality into information concern assemblage concerns and impact businesses successful the drafting of further interpretive guidance connected this instrumentality and the last regulation," the National Trade Estimate Report said.

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of Quebec's Parti Québécois, said the U.S. determination to database Bill 96 arsenic a obstruction to commercialized demonstrated the Trump administration's hostility toward Quebec's economical and linguistic interests. 

Plamondon besides took purpose astatine Carney's objections to however the instrumentality was passed. 

"We're going to beryllium successful a imaginable dialog wherever Donald Trump says, 'I person a occupation with Bill 96,' and Mark Carney says, 'Me too,'" St-Pierre Plamondon said.