Quebec’s language watchdog cracks down on Uber

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Under pressure from Quebec’s French language watchdog, Uber is cautioning its drivers to speak French to clients when they request it or risk being booted off the ride-hailing service, The Gazette can reveal.

In an email sent in late October, Uber reminded drivers that while they are “free to accommodate” English or other languages, they must communicate in French upon a client’s request.

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“Failure to comply with this requirement may result in your loss of access to the Uber platform,” the message said.

The message was sent “in collaboration” with the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), according to an Uber spokesperson.

As the agency responsible for preserving French in the province, the OQLF had reached out to Uber “to help it make the necessary corrections” after receiving 15 complaints since April, an OQLF spokesperson told The Gazette.

“These complaints mainly concerned the availability of service in French, particularly during deliveries or for online customer service,” the spokesperson said.

“The agency contacted the company to inform it that it had received the complaints and to help it make the necessary corrections to comply with the Charter.”

Uber’s ultimatum to its drivers represents the OQLF’s latest initiative bolstering the use of French in the Montreal area, amid concerns about a perceived decline in Quebec’s sole official language. In July, an OQLF francization advisor visited the operating rooms of Santa Cabrini hospital to ensure that the manuals were published in French.

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The OQLF is also in the process of ensuring that businesses are complying with Bill 96, the Coalition Avenir Québec’s legislative overhaul strengthening the Charter of the French Language.

While Uber drivers are self-employed, they are still bound by Quebec’s language laws. Drivers are also required to understand and communicate in French under the 2020 law governing paid passenger transport.

To support its drivers, Uber said the company is offering free access to the Rosetta Stone language-learning platform for high-performing drivers.

But not all drivers welcomed the reminder.

“Focusing on meaningless language things like this is just ridiculous,” said long-time Uber driver Ahmed Tlili.

Tlili finds the emphasis on French divisive and unnecessary. Instead, he argued the focus should be on customer experience.

He said drivers should be able to speak both French and English in a city like Montreal.

Val Cultrone, another Uber driver, said: “We can’t be told what language to speak or listen to in our homes or cars.”

“We are in Canada, not North Korea,” she added.

Cultrone said she rarely hears complaints about language barriers, especially from tourists who often prefer English.

“It’s our business, and we should run it as we like,” she added.

hnorth@postmedia.com

With files from Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman

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