Being an English-speaking allophone Quebecer who supports Bill 101 and its enforcement is a bit of a torn existence.

On the one hand, I strongly believe in the need to protect French and understand the reasons for language legislation. French will always remain under pressure within a North American context, and I don’t see anything controversial or surprising about a government agency tasked with ensuring that the rules around Quebec’s official and common language are followed.

On the other hand, it feels like not a month goes by when we don’t get hit by groan-worthy headlines involving the overzealousness of inspectors from the Office québécois de la langue française — when interventions come off looking like harassment rather than guidance, and hard-working people who contribute to our economy are made to feel more as threats than partners in preserving Quebec’s uniqueness.

The fact that citizen complaints to the OQLF are anonymous doesn’t help to endear the agency to those who fear disgruntled consumers can easily weaponize a government service for their own petty grudge matches. OQLF data for the 2024-2025 reporting period reveals 22 per cent of complaints were........

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