French-only Quebec election voter guides prompted 160 complaints over five days

Quebec’s election oversight body received an influx of complaints after it announced that it was sending unilingual French information guides to all voters ahead of the Oct. 5 elections.

Documents released through access to information legislation reveal Élections Québec received 160 complaints over five days after the agency announced the change on its website on Sept. 1.

The agency said it made the decision due to provincial legislation adopted in 2022 making French the sole language of communication for public institutions.

A Westmount Quebec resident also took Élections Québec to court to challenge the decision.

The legal challenge prompted a Quebec Superior Court judge to order the agency on Sept. 16 to mail out voter reminder cards in both languages.

The court ruling temporarily suspended provisions of Quebec’s French Language Charter to give the agency time to print the reminder cards.

Derek Heatherington, a retired university professor living in the Eastern Townships region of the province, shared a template on social media to help others file complaints to Élections Québec. 

He says he wanted to act against what he described as voter suppression.

He says he hopes the complaints help push for permanent change to the French Language law.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2026.

By Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.