Language watchdog tells Gatineau, Que. cafe to write Instagram posts in French
The owner of a Gatineau, Que. café says it's "silly" that Quebec's language watchdog is telling the business to write its Instagram posts in French.
The Petites Gamines dessert shop says it received a letter from l'Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) on Wednesday about a complaint that the café's social media posts are in English only.
"The office asks you to correct the situation as soon as possible," says the letter posted on the Petites Gamines Instagram page. "To do this, you can write publications of a commercial nature in French and in one or more other languages, provided that their French version is accessible under at least as favourable conditions."
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Quebec requires businesses to post signs and advertising in French. The letter from l'Office québécois de la langue française says it's a violation of the Charter of the French Language to make a social media post that is not in French when a French version is "not accessible under at least equivalent conditions."
The letter tells the Petites Gamines, "We are counting on you to take the necessary measures now."
The OQLF tells CTV News Ottawa it received a complaint regarding the language used on the Petites Gamines Instagram account, and sent a warning letter to the business.
"As part of handling a complaint, the Office communicates with the company to explain the nature of the infraction," the OQLF said.
"Depending on the subject of the complaint, the Office may intervene by sending a warning or by assisting the company until the identified issues are resolved. In this case, since it was the first complaint received concerning this company, a warning was sent to inform them of the provisions of the law and to urge them to correct the situation. The complaint file has since been closed."
The language watchdog notes the Charter of the French Language states that commercial publications, including those on social media, must be written in French.
"They may also be written in one or more other languages, provided that the French version is accessible under at least equally favourable conditions," OQLF said.
Owner Gabrielle Sexton tells CTV News Ottawa a signficant portion of her clientele is English-speaking.
"I would say almost more than half of our clientele is anglophone when they come here, or at least are more comfortable speaking in English. We serve a lot of people from the federal government so, I mean, it's vital for a business to be able to supply with the customer needs so, of course, we're going to offer the English, speaking option if someone is more comfortable," she said.
"Of course we're not anti-French language or anything of that sort, but it's just resting on our Instagram right now where the complaint stems from."
In a post on Instagram, Sexton said she thinks she knows who made the complaint to the language watchdog.
"Though we understand your right to be served in French in Quebec businesses, which by the way is always the case here, as well as all our internal signage being in French only, we reserve the right to do (what) we want on our Instagram," the post says.
"Our Facebook page is in French only since the beginning so receiving this is an extremely petty move from a person who should really find a new hobby. Stay tuned for this battle!"
Sexton said the café is having fun with the whole affair.
"It's very silly and that's why we've been taking that very silly as well, and we're kind of trying to make light of it and seeing how, you know, there's way more important issues to be taking a stand against for other small businesses that are operating in the region," she said. "Especially since Instagram is built with a button that you can just press to translate."
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Tyler Fleming
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A turbulent campaign nears its finale as Americans choose between Harris and Trump
A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancour headed for its Election Day finale on Tuesday, as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.
Suspect seen shooting man during Toronto-area home invasion in new video
Police have released video footage that appears to show a suspect shooting a man who had attempted to intervene in a home invasion in York Region on Monday night.
How exit polls work and what they will tell us on election night
Exit polls are a set of surveys that ask voters whom they voted for, as well as additional questions about their political opinions, the factors they considered in the election and their own backgrounds more broadly.
Trump snaps at reporter when asked about abortion: 'Stop talking about that'
Donald Trump is refusing to say how he voted on Florida's abortion measure -- and getting testy about it.
Government calls $9M condo purchase an 'operational decision'
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly defends the purchase of a $9 million condo for the Consulate General of New York City at a parliamentary committee, as a necessary investment.
Lamborghini driver who crashed into parked cars while trying to pass streetcar sentenced to prison
A mortgage broker who totalled his Lamborghini and left a passenger with life-altering injuries after trying to pass a Toronto streetcar at nearly three times the speed limit has been handed a two-and-a-half year prison sentence.
'I’m not proud of it': Jason Kelce apologizes after video shows him spiking a cellphone after fan used a homophobic slur
Jason Kelce issued an apology during ESPN's 'Monday Night Countdown' after a viral video captured a 'heated moment' between the retired Super Bowl champion and a fan over the weekend.
B.C.'s chief electoral officer defends election integrity after 'human errors'
British Columbia's chief electoral officer says "extremely challenging weather conditions" and a new voting system factored into human errors that saw ballots go uncounted in the provincial election — though none were large enough to change results.
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.