Federal labeling laws are administered primarily by: 

• Competition Bureau of Canada (general consumer packaging and labeling) 

• Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) (for food products) 

• Health Canada (for cosmetics, personal care, and health products) 

Key takeaways for most apparel, footwear, and beauty brands: 

• Mandatory bilingual information: 

• Product name and net quantity (if applicable) 

• Fibre content (for textiles) 

• Dealer or manufacturer identity (company name and address) 

• Safety or warning statements (if applicable) 

• Voluntary or strategic translation: 

• Marketing language, care instructions, and promotional text are not legally required to be bilingual unless the product is targeted to Quebec or the French-speaking population. 

Reference resources: 

• Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act 

• Textile Labelling Act 

• Health Canada – Cosmetic Regulations 

The Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) governs language use in the province of Quebec and is significantly stricter than federal law. If you plan to sell, advertise, or distribute products specifically in Quebec, your packaging, website, and point-of-sale materials must be fully bilingual, with French text displayed at least as prominently as English. 

However, for brands selling e-commerce only, without Quebec-specific marketing or distribution, there is no active enforcement from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) or other federal bodies at the time of import. 

• CBSA’s role is customs compliance, not language policing. 

• Non-federal enforcement occurs only if products are marketed to Quebec consumers or sold through Quebec-based retailers. 

In practice: 

A Quebec shopper buying from a U.S., U.K., or Japanese website that ships to Canada may receive packaging entirely in English, or another language and that’s perfectly permissible under current rules. 

That said, bilingual packaging remains a best practice for long-term growth and brand inclusivity in the Canadian market. 

If your products are currently English-only: 

1. Prioritize bilingual compliance for any goods intended for Canadian retail or wholesale partners. 

1. Adopt phased translation for e-commerce SKUs as Canadian volume grows. 

1. Use hangtags, inserts, or QR codes to provide bilingual information cost-effectively before committing to full bilingual packaging. 

1. Localize your website and marketing once you begin targeting Quebec or broader Canadian audiences directly. 

Taking these steps ensures readiness for expansion while keeping early-stage entry costs minimal.

• Federal labeling laws require English and French for certain product details, but CBSA does not inspect or enforce language on import. 

• Brands selling only via e-commerce and not directly targeting Quebec consumers can begin with English-only packaging. 

• If expanding into Canadian retail or Quebec marketing, bilingual compliance becomes essential. 

• Gradual implementation of French-language labeling is both compliant and commercially smart as your Canadian business scales.