U.S government officials have discussed the possibility of trade sanctions against Canada as a result of Quebec's controversial Bill 96 language law, CBC News has learned. The U.S. government is also being told that Bill 96 could affect the availability of products throughout Canada. The government of Canada is tracking U.S. concerns about Quebec's new language law, a federal official confirmed. U.
The documents, which cover the period of November 2022 to late January 2024, don't reveal whether USTR officials have reached a conclusion on trade sanctions.Quebec judge rules part of Bill 96 calling for judgments to be translated is invalid "We are still at the stage of enacting the regulation. It will soon be final," he wrote. "We held a consultation period to gather all the comments."
The documents obtained by CBC News show that Bill 96 has been on the U.S government's radar since at least November 2022, and the International Trademark Association has been urging the U.S. government to raise their concerns about Bill 96 with the Canadian government and to consider trade sanctions against Canada.
"The Quebec consumer is who will be hurt, as they will either be deprived of goods available to others or will pay higher prices to recoup compliance cost," the document says. "There is no obligation in the WTO about language use," she wrote on Dec. 19. "I can't see raising an issue in TBT because a different language is required. Sometimes we ask for stickering in that case, but we don't claim a trade violation or request dispute."
"To date, I have not heard one way or the other what the thinking is of USTR," she said. "They remain engaged, which we're very grateful for."