A couple in Quebec have been fined for operating an
English-language only web site. This violates a Quebec language law
which states that advertising must be published in both English and
French. The law allows retailers to display words in English, but
there must also be a visible French translation. The law, designed
to protect the French language, applies to all mediums of
advertising.
Muriel and Stanley Reid follow ten other people in the province to
be fined under the French Language Charter. However, The Reids'
lawyer, Brent Tyler, says that the Quebec law was written before
the world got ‘wired’, and therefore does not make any mention of
the internet.
The lawyer also maintains that the law should not apply to them
as they are only selling to English speaking customers outside
Quebec.
