Doing business in Quebec means doing paperwork in two languages.
Bill 96 makes French the default language of contracts under Quebec jurisdiction — while your suppliers in Toronto and clients abroad still expect English. EqualDocs drafts French-primary with an English version alongside, checks against rules that know Quebec law, and puts a Quebec-registered firm one step away. The product itself works in English, French, and Chinese.
Why Quebec paperwork is its own problem
Bill 96 changed the default
Contracts under Quebec jurisdiction are expected to be French-primary. Getting the language of the document wrong is no longer a style choice — it is an enforceability risk in a Quebec court.
One deal, two audiences
Your Quebec employees and clients work in French; your out-of-province partners and investors read English. Every agreement needs to serve both without the versions drifting apart.
Paying twice for every routine document
Drafting in one language and paying a translator for the other doubles the cost of paperwork that was already expensive — so the second version gets skipped, and the risk quietly accumulates.
Legal help in the language you actually work in
Plenty of business owners in Quebec run their company in French or Chinese and receive contracts in English. Finding help that speaks your language — legally and literally — is its own search.
What EqualDocs does about it
French-primary drafting, English alongside
Pick Quebec as the jurisdiction and the drafting engine applies the Bill 96 language policy automatically: French as the primary text, with an English version generated with it — not translated after the fact.
Checks that know Quebec law exists
Compliance rules cover Quebec and Ontario employment points with citations — and when a jurisdiction is not covered, the check says "not validated" explicitly instead of waving the document through.
The whole product in your language
Drafting, review, questions, and your client portal work in English, French, and Chinese. You do not need legal English to protect a business in Quebec.
A Quebec-registered firm behind the platform
EqualDocs is a Quebec-registered law firm working with licensed partner firms across Canada and the US. When a document needs professional judgment, a lawyer who knows Quebec takes over — at a quote you approve first.
How it goes
- 1
Describe the document
What you need, for whom, and Quebec as the jurisdiction. In English, French, or Chinese.
- 2
Get the bilingual draft
French-primary under the Bill 96 policy, with the English version generated alongside.
- 3
Check, sign, and keep both versions
Run the review, bring in a Quebec lawyer if warranted, and e-sign. Both versions stay in your account.
Common questions
- Does my contract really have to be in French?
- Under Bill 96, contracts governed by Quebec law are expected to be French-primary, and for many categories — including contracts of adhesion — French is required unless the parties expressly agree otherwise where the law permits it. The safe default for a Quebec business is French-primary with an English version alongside. For your specific contract, that judgment call is exactly what the lawyer step is for.
- Can I keep working in English only?
- In some situations parties can expressly agree to contract in English — but relying on that by default leaves enforceability questions open in a Quebec court, and Bill 96 narrowed the room considerably. Producing both versions costs you nothing extra here, which removes the reason to gamble.
- What languages does the platform itself work in?
- English, French, and Chinese — the interface, the drafting, the review, and the questions you ask. Many Quebec business owners operate in one language and sign in another; the platform is built for exactly that gap.
- Who is actually behind the platform?
- EqualDocs is a Quebec-registered law firm founded by a member of the Barreau du Québec, working with licensed partner firms across Canada and the US. AI does the fast work; when your matter needs a lawyer, a licensed one takes it on at a quote you approve before any work begins.
Paperwork that works on both sides of the language line
Draft French-primary with English alongside, check it against rules that know Quebec, and bring in a Quebec lawyer when it matters.
AI assistance is general information, not legal advice. When your situation needs a lawyer, a licensed one takes it on — at a price you agree to before any work begins.