Summary#

Bill 58, the Franco-Ontarian Bookstore Promotion and Protection Act, 2025, would create a new law and amend Ontario’s French Language Services Act. Its stated goal is to support Franco-Ontarian bookstores and cultural institutions; that goal is not a guaranteed result.

• The Minister of Francophone Affairs must appoint a Registrar, who must keep a public register of accredited Franco-Ontarian bookstores.
• Bookstore owners or operators may apply. The Registrar must accredit a bookstore if it sells French-language books at a physical location in Ontario and meets the bill’s requirements for inventory and community involvement.
• Listed publicly funded institutions must buy French-language books only from accredited bookstores. This requirement starts six months after Royal Assent.
• Anyone selling books in Ontario would be barred from certain pricing or undisclosed advantages intended to unfairly capture institutional market share. If the Registrar finds an accredited bookstore’s owner or operator broke this rule, the Registrar must revoke its accreditation.
• The Minister may establish a support fund for bookstores, but only if the Legislature appropriates money for it. The bill also requires government agencies covered by the French Language Services Act to contribute to Franco-Ontarian cultural institutions, as set out in regulations.

What it means for you#

• Publicly funded institutions: Ministries, government agencies, municipalities, local boards, long-term care homes and other listed or prescribed entities would have to buy French-language books only from accredited bookstores. The bill does not say how to handle a purchase if no accredited bookstore can supply it.
• Bookstores seeking accreditation: A bookstore must sell French-language books from a physical Ontario location, show a substantial commitment to serving the Franco-Ontarian community—including a significant inventory of Franco-Ontarian and other French-language books—and actively take part in that community’s cultural life. The bill gives examples such as events, author talks and partnerships.
• Book sellers: The prohibition applies to people selling books in Ontario, not just accredited bookstores. “Disguised advantages” include donated books, unpublished discounts or another unpublished advantage. The bill does not set a price threshold for predatory pricing itself; regulations may do so.
• Accredited bookstore owners and operators: If the Registrar determines they contravened the prohibition, accreditation must be revoked. The bill does not set out a separate fine or other penalty.
• Government agencies under the French Language Services Act: They would have a new duty to contribute to the maintenance and development of Franco-Ontarian cultural institutions, including bookstores, in accordance with regulations. The bill does not specify what each agency must do.
• General public: The bill does not create a direct public benefit, individual right or requirement to buy books from accredited stores.

Money#

No publicly available information on the bill’s expected cost is included in the supplied material.

• The Minister may establish and pay from a support fund only if the Legislature appropriates money for that purpose. The bill does not require the fund to be created or set an amount.
• The fund may support digital changes, infrastructure, community outreach and cultural programming.
• The bill provides no estimate for staffing the Registrar’s office or for the costs to public institutions of the purchasing rule.

What is unclear#

• The supplied material does not include the current French Language Services Act, so the existing duties of covered agencies and the full effect of the amendment could not be verified against current law.
• The bill does not define “substantial commitment,” “significant inventory,” or “actively participates.” It gives examples but no minimum standards.
• Regulations may set the price used to identify predatory pricing and prohibit other pricing practices. Those rules are not in the bill.
• The bill does not describe how complaints or investigations would work, what evidence the Registrar would use, or whether there would be a way to challenge a decision.
• Regulations are needed to explain how government agencies must contribute. The bill also does not say how the new duty fits with existing programs.
• The bill does not give a start date for most of its provisions beyond saying they begin on Royal Assent; the purchasing rule begins six months later.

Case for#

• The bill appears intended to address the stated risk that smaller Franco-Ontarian bookstores face competition from larger out-of-province retailers, online platforms and institutions’ purchasing practices.
• Requiring public institutions to buy French-language books from accredited stores could direct public purchasing toward bookstores that serve Franco-Ontarian communities.
• Accreditation criteria connect access to the purchasing rule with a physical Ontario location, French-language inventory and community participation.
• A support fund, if created and funded, could help bookstores pay for modernization, infrastructure or cultural programming.

Case against#

• The purchasing rule could limit public institutions’ choices, but the bill does not explain what happens when accredited stores cannot meet a need or offer suitable terms.
• Key accreditation standards and pricing rules depend on broad terms or future regulations, leaving important details unsettled in the bill.
• The Registrar must revoke accreditation after determining a contravention, but the bill does not set out an investigation process or appeal route.
• The support fund is optional and depends on an appropriation, so the bill does not guarantee that bookstores will receive support.
• The new agency duty may create work or costs, but the bill does not define the required contributions or provide a cost estimate.