The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) has sent new instructions to its staff to clarify the rules that should govern communication in the field with English-speaking and allophone users without contravening the Act respecting the official and common language of Quebec, French.
The new directive (New window) – which has been reduced from 31 to 10 pages – was published Monday morning on the MSSS website, together with a two-page aide-mémoire.
The documentation, it is explained, has been simplified in order to dispel some confusion surrounding the use of French, English and other languages in the public network since the entry into force of “law 96”.
Its previous version, published in July, was widely criticized by the English-speaking community.
Interest groups, elected officials and health care workers, in particular, had expressed concerns about the respect of their acquired rights, arguing that the right of English-speaking people to have access to health services in their language was guaranteed in Canadian and Quebec laws.
The revised directive specifies, among other things, that no validation of the user’s identity is required to access these services.
Such a mention will be seen as a gain by the English-speaking community, which feared that its members would be forced to present a certificate of eligibility proving their English-speaking roots in order to obtain care in their language.
In French, except in exceptional circumstances
The directive published on Monday reminds that staff can use languages other than French to communicate with users if they work in one of the establishments designated by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) (New window).
For example, an organization that has obtained recognition for the Italian language can continue to offer, orally or in writing, its services in Italian in addition to French, she illustrates.
According to the OQLF website, Quebec has around sixty public establishments and facilities designated to offer services to the English-speaking population, including around thirty on the island of Montreal.
Four establishments are also recognized for offering services to people from ethnocultural communities: the Montreal Chinese Hospital (Chinese), the Santa Cabrini Hospital (Italian), the CHSLD Dante (Italian) and the Polish CHSLD Marie-Curie Sklodowska (Polish).
In the rest of the network, the use of English or another language is permitted orally if a user does not understand French well enough and expresses his or her desire to communicate in another language, is summarized in the aide-mémoire distributed on Monday.
If necessary, the speaker can communicate [dans la langue] of the user if he has the capacity or to use interpretation services, underlines the MSSS.
In writing, however, any communication in a language other than French must be accompanied by a French version.
Only public establishments and facilities designated to offer services to the English-speaking population can, in certain cases, ignore this obligation. But the aide-mémoire distributed on Monday reminds us that in all circumstances, the user has the right to communications and services in French.
We will treat you, no matter what language you speak, assures Dubé
The MSSS directive was rewritten following a commitment made to groups met a few weeks ago, explained Health Minister Christian Dubé in a statement broadcast on the X network on Monday.
Let’s be clear: there will be no verification of a citizen’s status for their access to health and social services in English, he certified.
The changes to the directive are simply intended to ensure that its text reflects the government’s intentions and that it is easier to understand for our employees and the public. Access programs and recognized institutions are in no way affected by the directive and this is what the new version confirms.
A quote from Christian Dubé, Minister of Health of Quebec
“There was never any question of restricting access to health and social services on the basis of a linguistic criterion,” he assured. “We will treat you, regardless of your language.”
A delicate subject
The application of “Bill 96” in the health network had been severely criticized by Justin Trudeau two weeks ago. In an interview on Montreal radio station CJAD on September 13, the Prime Minister accused his Quebec counterpart of wanting to protect French by attacking English speakers.
To know that someone goes to the hospital to have a test or something, that they wonder if they have cancer, if they are sick, and that they worry about whether they will be able to be treated in English because their French is not that strong… It just doesn’t work, he said.
This statement provoked the ire of Quebec sovereignists, but also of the government of François Legault.
With the support of QS, the PQ and two independents, the CAQ presented a motion without notice to denounce the disinformation of the Prime Minister of Canada on access to hospitals for the English-speaking population of Quebec, last Wednesday. The PLQ did not, however, consent to its being tabled.
With information from CBC
