Faced with the obligation to translate the settings into French as warming zone, start, high/lowstarting next year, manufacturers of household appliances are threatening to no longer offer their products on the Quebec market.
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Quebec recently submitted a draft regulation to businesses to notify them of upcoming changes as part of its reform of Bill 101.
Among these, the inscriptions engraved or inlaid on large household appliances will have to be translated into French, as will the instructions displayed digitally.
Thus, from 1er June 2025, buttons On/Off electric stoves or the cycles of a washer, for example, will now be accompanied by an equivalent in the language of Molière.
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“What we hear from our members is that there could be certain products that risk disappearing from the Quebec market,” confides Karl Blackburn, president and CEO of the Conseil du patronat du Québec.
For many large manufacturers, modifying an assembly or supply line in order to comply with the new Quebec regulations is simply not worth the cost.
Non-compliant devices
In its brief submitted to the government, the Association of Household Appliance Manufacturers (which represents well-known brands such as Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, etc.) emphasizes that Quebec represents barely 2% of the North American market and that 90% of the models sold by its members will become non-compliant.
If Quebec moves forward with the regulation in its current form, the association writes that “an overwhelming majority of respondents indicated that they would be forced to stop selling their products in Quebec.” “For many of them, this decision would be permanent,” the brief states.
Quebec on March 7, 2024. From next year, household appliances will have to display settings in French. Here cookers at Lévesque Électroménagers, at the Galerie du furniture. QMI Agency, René Baillargeon.
Photo Agence QMI, René Baillargeon
The association made the same arguments in 2012, when the Charest government published a similar pre-regulation, which ultimately never came into force.
In the Legault government, a source points out that such translations are found on devices in several other countries. In Belgium, for example, a Samsung washer presents its settings in French and… Dutch, two of the country’s three official languages.
The digital control panel can be displayed in German, English, French, Dutch or using symbols.
Moreover, small devices already present in Quebec, such as a slow cooker or a blender, already display instructions in both languages.
In addition, it is argued, manufacturers could simply provide stickers to affix to the English indications. But the Association of Household Appliance Manufacturers counters that the stickers risk melting under the effect of heat, harming tactile buttons or peeling off under the effect of water.
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Millions of dollars annually
For Karl Blackburn, consumers may simply turn to the web to find items not available in stores, to the detriment of local retailers.
“Consumers today are just one click away from ordering a product, no matter where it is on the planet,” he recalls.
While saying it is aware of the importance of defending the French language, the Employers’ Council therefore invites the government to withdraw its measure so as not to harm the competitiveness of Quebec businesses.
In its own analysis of the impact of its regulation, the Ministry of the French Language also estimates that companies will have to pay between $7 and $15 million annually to comply with all the measures provided for in the new law 101 ( display, translation of contracts, etc.).
The Employers’ Council estimates that the real cost will exceed the assessments made by Quebec.
Strengthen French
In the office of the Minister of the French Language, they say they are analyzing the concerns raised in the briefs submitted in recent weeks.
“The main objective of the draft regulation is simple: to strengthen the French-speaking linguistic face of Quebec and increase the place occupied by French in businesses,” says Jean-François Roberge in a written statement.
Why manufacturers object
The appliance industry depends on global supply chains that enable economies of scale
- Quebec only represents 2% of the 52 million units sold each year on the North American market
- If the draft regulation comes into force, 90% of models would become non-compliant
- According to a survey of its members, a majority “overwhelming” would stop selling their products in Quebec
- “Many people” jobs in Quebec would be compromised if these products were withdrawn or limited
- Modifying the electronic display would complicated since operating systems “were not originally designed to be multilingual”
- Additionally, most electronic panels “don’t have enough memory” to add a second language
Quebec’s arguments
- In 1977, almost 80% of devices had inscriptions in French, compared to only 2% now
- Other countries, such as Belgium, Poland, Portugal have appliances with settings in the local language
- Of small appliances on the Quebec market already have bilingual registrations