allison hanes: there are so many reasons why english eligibility certificates have no place in health care

as my colleague aaron derfel first reported , the health ministry published new regulations outlining the “situations in which the health and social services network can use a language other than french.” the directive came into effect on july 18.

contrary to premier françois legault’s vow in 2022 that there would be “no change at all” to health services for anglophones and immigrants after the passage of bill 96, and french language minister jean-françois roberge’s assertion in 2023 that “a statement made in good faith” would be sufficient to receive care in english, the new guidelines stipulate a long list of ifs, ands or buts. most notable is the repeated mention of anglophones needing to show their certificate of eligibility for education in english in order to receive health services in english.

we’ll get to the long list of problems with this particular vetting mechanism in a moment (along with the absurdity). but needless to say, it set off immediate alarm bells among organizations representing quebec’s english-speaking community and ordinary anglophones alike that the legault government is reneging on promises that health care wouldn’t be affected by the updated language laws.

roberge took to x to “set the record straight” and denounce the gazette for “publishing articles that leave the impression that it will no longer be possible to receive health or social services in a language other than french, except for those who present their declaration of eligibility for english education in quebec.”

a 96-year-old dementia patient who falls and breaks her hip, for instance, would have attended english school long before bill 101 was adopted in 1977. she sure as heck wouldn’t have one. and since the education ministry is now denying the certificates to quebecers who have already graduated , vulnerable seniors would be among a broad swath of the population excluded by this crude criterion.

some first nations communities skew toward english and others french. but as we saw with indigenous students who attend english cegep when they appealed to the legault government for an exemption from new french-language requirements at the college level and were heartlessly rebuffed , most don’t have eligibility certificates. for many, french is a third language, of which they have a limited grasp.

and they’re all the more worrisome coming on the heels of the revelation that a “francization adviser” from the office québécois de la langue française paid a visit to santa cabrini hospital last month to make sure its operating rooms were in compliance with the charter of the french language — as well as the administration’s memo to staff that “the working language must be french at all times” at a hospital that has historically had bilingual status and caters to the italian community.

honestly, why should anything other than a health card be needed to get care in english — or any other language, for that matter, if it’s available? whether or not a person can speak french should be irrelevant. this is about compassion for the vulnerable, the highest quality care for the sick and dignity for the dying.