iAtoday

On June 1, 2022, most of the sections of the Act respecting French, the official and common language of Quebec (the “Act”) came into effect.

The Act amends the Charter of the French language (the “Charter”) which stipulates situations in which French must be used in Quebec and those in which another language may be used. The Charter applies to all businesses operating in Quebec, including employers under federal jurisdiction.

The Act introduces new obligations with regard to the use of French, particularly for contracts and related documents such as invoices. Here is a summary of the key changes that apply to our sector of activity.

1. General employer obligations

Unless a person requests to use another language, employers operating in Quebec must namely, for their employees in Quebec:

• Use French in their written communications;
• Make available, at no cost, within 30 days of a written request, certain documents in French, including those relating to working conditions (benefits, insurance and pension plans) and training.

In addition, employers who offer a registered pension plan (RPP) to their employees in Quebec must make certain documents related to the plan available in French.

2. Language of contracts

Before June 1, 2022, contracts in Quebec had to be entered into in French but could be written in another language if the parties so wished.

As of June 1, 2022, the Act requires that group insurance and annuity contracts in which Quebec employees may enrol by virtue of their employment relationship with the employer now be written and entered into in French. However, these contracts may be entered into in English if iA Financial Group provides the client with a French version.

For contracts entered into in English before June 1, 2022, the Act gives issuers until June 1, 2023 to send a French copy to the client (the contract holder or plan sponsor).

Additional language requirements for proposals and contracts will come into effect in 2023. Stay tuned to our communications for more information.

3. Language of communication with plan members

We want to reassure you that the Act allows iA to continue to communicate with current and future plan members in the language of their choice. There is no change in this regard.

Also note that documents and information related to the group plan must be sent in French or in both languages (French and English) to employees eligible to enrol.

We have begun to adapt our various processes and to put in place measures to comply with this new legislation. We will not be contacting plan sponsors or plan holders until we have completed our work. We will keep you informed as the situation evolves.