Quebec will now assert cultural sovereignty online with new legislation

Quebec will now assert cultural sovereignty online with new legislation

Sherbrooke Record · 13 days ago
by Matthew Mccully · Civic Literacy

By Greg Duncan

While you were enjoying the holiday season this past December, the Quebec government passed a law that could dictate what you watch or stream online.

Bill 109 was adopted by the national assembly on Dec. 12, 2025. Formally titled An Act respecting the discoverability of French-language cultural content in the digital environment, the legislation empowers the provincial government to impose minimum French-language content quotas on streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, and Amazon Music. This is now officially An Act to affirm the cultural sovereignty of Québec and to enact the Act respecting the discoverability of French-language cultural content in the digital environment.

The government maintains that the new law is essential to protect Quebec’s cultural identity, claiming that only 8.5 per cent of the most listened-to songs in Quebec in 2023 were in French. The law introduces a new “right to discoverability” into Quebec’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, ensuring francophone content is not only available, but also prominently featured online.
So, what does this mean close to home? What is the local impact?

The new law could significantly reshape digital content access, raising serious concerns about a reduction of choice on streaming platforms. For anglophone residents, the bill raises questions about access to English-language content. While the legislation does not explicitly restrict English programming, critics warn that algorithmic prioritization of French-language material could push anglophone content further down in visibility, making it harder to find. There is concern that the law could limit cultural diversity in a region where bilingualism is a defining characteristic. Some worry that anglophone youth may feel increasingly disconnected from global media trends if English-language shows, films, and music become less accessible. For example, some key requirements, obligations, and features of the Act include that qualifying platforms will now be required to register with the Ministry of Culture and Communications, which will have broad powers to demand information and enforce compliance. As well, the interfaces of digital platforms or devices will be required to set the default language to French, ensuring that users encounter French first when navigating digital services.

There is industry pushback however with major streaming platforms and industry associations having already voiced strong opposition. The Digital Media Association (DiMA) for example, representing Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, has warned that the legislation could negatively impact consumer experience, artist revenues, and platform operations. A DiMA sponsored Léger survey released in late November 2025 found that 66 per cent of Quebecers oppose government intervention in streaming content, and that 76 per cent would reject the bill if it led to higher subscription costs. Meanwhile, many Québec cultural organizations and industry representatives have pushed back against claims that Bill 109 would limit consumer choice, instead framing the proposed legislation as a necessary tool to support French-language culture in an increasingly globalized digital environment.
In the Eastern Townships, where anglophone and francophone communities coexist closely, the law could intensify debates over cultural identity and access to media. While francophone advocates see the law as a necessary safeguard for Quebec’s heritage, anglophone residents fear it may erode a historical bilingual balance and reduce our ability to freely choose digital content.

Enforcement and Penalties

The law allows Quebec to set quotas on content within 18 months, with fines of up to $15,000 per day for non-compliance. A new “Discoverability Office” within the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications will oversee monitoring, investigations, and enforcement, publish reports every three years, and negotiate “alternative measures” with platforms unable to meet quotas.
The new law may strengthen Quebec’s cultural sovereignty, but it also risks narrowing anglophone access to global digital content, an issue that will be felt acutely in bilingual regions like the Eastern Townships. As one Townships resident put it, “We value French culture deeply, but we also want our kids to have the same access to English-language shows and music as anyone else in Canada.”

Resources and references:

• An Act to affirm the cultural sovereignty of Québec and to enact the Act respecting the discoverability of French-language cultural content in the digital environment: https://www.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/Fichiers_client/lois_et_reglements/LoisAnnuelles/en/2025/2025C38A.PDFy of French-language cultural content in the digital environment
• Découvrabilité des contenus culturels francophones – Le gouvernement du Québec se dote d’un important levier pour protéger durablement sa spécificité linguistique et culturelle: https://www.quebec.ca/nouvelles/actualites/details/decouvrabilite-des-contenus-culturels-francophones-le-gouvernement-du-quebec-se-dote-dun-important-levier-pour-proteger-durablement-sa-specificite-linguistique-et-culturelle-67656
• Quebec targets streaming giants with new bill on French-language content: https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/quebec-adopts-bill-109-on-french-language-content/

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