Outsourcing Social Media Management in Canada

Quebec: plan French before you start

Quebec's Charter of the French language says commercial advertising must be in French. It may also be in another language, provided French is markedly predominant (section 58). Consumers have a right to be informed and served in French (section 50.2). Section 59 makes an exception for advertising carried in news media that publish in another language (Charter of the French language (C-11), sections 50.2 and 58 to 59).

How the Charter applies to a particular social media account is a legal question, and we do not give legal advice. What we can say from experience is practical:

• If you sell to consumers in Quebec, budget for French content from the start, not as an afterthought.
• Decide whether you run one bilingual account or separate English and French accounts.
• Content in English or Arabic; other languages on request.
• Ask any provider how they handle French. If the answer is "machine translation", that is not good enough for Quebec customers.

Influencer and review rules

The Competition Bureau expects any material connection between a brand and an influencer, such as payment, free products or a family relationship, to be disclosed clearly (Influencer marketing and the Competition Act). Practical checks before any partnership:

• Use the platform's paid-partnership label and a plain-language disclosure at the start of the caption.
• Do not ask for, buy or write reviews and testimonials that are not genuine.
• Keep a record of what you gave each creator and when.

What it costs in Canadian dollars

Our single-platform plan is indicatively $450–$850 USD a month, about C$641–1,211, and the Instagram + Facebook + YouTube bundle is $1,200 USD, about C$1,710, using European Central Bank reference rates of 1 October 2026 (Euro foreign exchange reference rates (1 October 2026)). Invoices are in USD, so the CAD figure moves with the exchange rate. Pricing is a custom quote based on your goals: a $299 one-month starter pilot, ongoing single-platform plans (30 content assets) indicatively $450–$850 a month, or from about $1,200 for Instagram, Facebook and YouTube together, billed monthly in USD. Ad spend, ad management, long-form video production and influencer fees are not included.

When comparing Canadian quotes, check whether French content, GST/HST and community management in your time zone are included; those three items explain most of the gap between quotes. Ask your accountant how sales tax applies to services bought from outside Canada.