quebec liberals say government needs to withdraw health language directive
if the government wants to clarify the scope of its new language directives by meeting representatives of the community it needs to act soon because misconceptions are spreading, says the liberal critic for relations with the community, greg kelley.
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"the directive is an obvious example of the persnickety and dehumanizing approach which we feared from the get-go given the wording of bill 96," says andré pratte, chairperson of the quebec liberal policy committee.
john mahoney
/
montreal gazette
the chairperson of the quebec liberal policy committee is calling on the legault government to withdraw a controversial health directive detailing where services can be provided in english. in a long message posted on x thursday evening, andré pratte accuses the government of doublespeak: stating in public that access to english services is maintained but at the same time keeping a directive that, in his view, aims to use the health system as a tool to promote french.
“the directive is an obvious example of the persnickety and dehumanizing approach which we feared from the get-go given the wording of bill 96 (the law overhauling the charter of the french language),” pratte, a former senator, writes.
“the system is there to help people when at their most vulnerable but is being used as part of the first mission (of the government) which is to make quebec more french. the minister of health should rapidly withdraw this sad directive.”
pratte was reacting to a 31-page government directive issued in july spelling out the “exceptional” circumstances in which english is allowed to be spoken in hospitals and other medical facilities.
representatives of the english-speaking community have said the directive is confusing and could even be dangerous to citizens seeking health care.
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on thursday, quebec moved to clarify the directive. in an open letter published in the gazette and signed by three cabinet ministers, the government says it has no intention of restricting access to services in english.
it specifically says “organizations in the health and social services network do not request documentation or proof from users for the provision of care in a particular language.”
the ministers, including the minister of the french language, jean-françois roberge, say they want to meet representatives of the community to clarify the situation. they argue the new rules touch mainly administrative matters, not front-line care.
“we are open to clarifying the directive to make it clear there will never be language requirements in quebec to treat a patient,” they state.
in halifax on friday for meetings of the ministers’ council on the canadian francophonie, roberge repeated the comments, describing some of the reactions to the directive from the english-speaking community as needlessly alarmist.
“the government of quebec has taken no actions and will not take any actions putting in doubt the right of quebec anglophones to be welcomed and treated in the language of their choice, that is to say english,” roberge told reporters.
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at his side for the meeting, federal official languages minister randy boissonnault said that after a meeting with roberge he is reassured the issue will be resolved.
“i know there are concerns in the quebec anglophone community and it is very important that the minister (roberge) and his colleagues had the possibility of clarifying things and i think this is a good development,” boissonnault said.
speaking to reporters friday in quebec city, federal health minister mark holland said it is essential that people can access health care in their mother tongue.
“it’s very clear to me that the intention of the quebec government is to ensure that services are available in both languages,” he said.
“it is essential that persons be able to access services (in health) in their maternal language. it’s a question of safety for someone, if there is an emergency.”
pratte, however, notes that while the government is right in saying there are clauses in the health and social services act that guarantee the community services in english, they are now buried under the new directive, making them more difficult and complex to apply.
and in a separate interview, greg kelley, the liberal mna responsible for relations with english-speaking quebecers, said despite the government’s efforts to patch up the situation the damage has already been done.
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he said there is now widespread perception among anglophones that they need to show english education eligibility certificates to get care in english.
“the government has not done anything to dispel that,” kelley said. “they really need to clarify this because their 31-page directive is packed with different confusing clauses.
“the government needs to reassure the community that this directive will not impact services. they should withdraw the directive and come back with something that is very clear.
“what i am hearing from my constituents is they think they will need a certificate to get services in the english language. the government has not done enough to clarify that is not the case. what is the government waiting for? we urge the government to pick a date.
“i am happy to see in their letter they are willing to correct the directive, but now let’s get to work and get it done.”
no date has been set for the meeting between the minister and the community.
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