allison hanes: sorry, you're too old to be a historic anglophone

amid all the confusion about whether anglophone quebecers need an eligibility certificate for schooling in english to obtain health care in english, 77-year-old montreal resident gary bernstein decided to apply for a document parents typically seek when they register their children for kindergarten.

bernstein has never had one of the papers, which were introduced after bill 101 restricted access to english education in quebec in the 1970s. but he would qualify as a “historic anglophone” — a vague term the government of premier françois legault coined as it tightened language laws over the last few years — under almost any definition.

“i wrote to them, not even expecting an answer,” said bernstein of the brief email he sent to the bureau de l’admissibilité à l’enseignement en anglais  requesting his document.

besides seniors who graduated before bill 101 came into effect, others who could fall through the cracks include english speakers from other canadian provinces; babies and toddlers who haven’t started school yet; many inuit and indigenous people who were schooled in their native tongues, even if their communities gravitate toward english as a second language; and cegep students who attended french school who would have qualified before they graduated but are now being told they forfeited their rights.

the new health guidelines obviously failed to take into consideration that the bureau de l’admissibilité à l’enseignement en anglais has no mandate to issue eligibility certificates to english-speaking quebecers who have completed their studies — even if their rights are supposed to be legacied. whoever drafted the health regulations may have been ignorant of this reality. but even if it wasn’t outside the body’s jurisdiction, why should the education department be in charge of vetting who qualifies for health care in english, anyway? it’s a crude mechanism that doesn’t make any sense.

“we would like to draw your attention to the fact that, in an open letter published in the montreal gazette on aug. 9, 2024, the government of quebec reaffirmed that there will be no restriction on the provision of health and social services in english for members of the english-speaking community,” the organization told bernstein in its correspondence.

this echoes the comments roberge made on the social media platform x and in the aforementioned letter co-signed by health minister christian dubé and minister responsible for relations with the english-speaking community eric girard. it would be a lot more reassuring if those statements weren’t at odds with the text of the 31 pages of health directives . maybe someone in the education ministry should have a little chat with their counterparts in the health department.

after a meeting last week with select organizations providing english-language health and social services organizations, roberge finally admitted these regulations require more than the clarification he promised. he said they need to be rewritten . (how about rescinded?) in the meantime, the problematic rules remain in effect, which means more anglophones may hit this bureaucratic wall trying to secure their rights.

on the other hand, he feels it’s an insult to the english-speaking (and jewish and italian and chinese) communities, who built and nurtured many of quebec’s health institutions , that people would be refused documentation that is supposedly needed to guarantee access to services in their language.

historic anglo stickers that gary bernstein gave out outside the jewish general hospital in montreal tuesday aug. 20, 2024. john mahoney / montreal gazette