By Ruby Pratka,

Local Journalism Initiative

On Sept. 12, members of the National Assembly passed a unanimous motion stating that English-speaking Quebecers do not need to obtain or provide a certificate of eligibility for English education to access health care or social services in English.

The motion, tabled by Liberal health critic André Fortin, called for the National Assembly to declare that English-speaking Quebecers “don’t need to obtain a certificate of eligibility for English-language education to have access to English-language health care and social services in Quebec” and that “clear and explicit” directives to that effect need to be given to local health authorities.

Fortin tabled the motion with the support of Québec Solidaire health critic Vincent Marissal and independent MNA Marie-Claude Nichols. The motion was to have been sent to every regional health authority (CISSS or CIUSSS) in the province.

Although the motion doesn’t have the force of law, Liberal critic for relations with English-speaking Quebecers Greg Kelley said the multi-party support it received “sends a strong signal.”

“Lucien Bouchard said that when you go to the hospital, you might need a blood test, but you certainly don’t need a language test… and the [Coalition Avenir Québec government] should not play with that,” he added.

Kelley, who represents the Montreal-area riding of Jacques-Cartier, said his office has received calls from anglophone constituents concerned about health care access in light of a directive issued by Minister of the French Language Jean-François Roberge in July. The directive, which laid out a list of situations where a language other than French might be used in health care, was widely interpreted in the anglophone community as potentially restricting the use of English with patients, although Roberge has denied that was the government’s intention.

Roberge later promised to issue a new, clearer directive, but no such document has been released as of this writing. Kelley said it was “time for the government to do the right thing” and clarify matters.

Townshippers’ president Don Warnholtz called the motion “a step in the right direction.”

Warnholtz, also a former member of the provincial access committee for English-language health care, said it remained to be seen how the motion would translate into law or into new directives or regulations. “If [regulations] change, people need to be aware,” he said. “If it gets too technical, it’s not easy for health care professionals or for the average person to figure out.”

He was also concerned by the reference to eligibility certificates in the motion. “They are being very specific about eligibility certificates; I would have hoped for them to say clearly that the only thing a patient needs to access health care in English is to request it.”

Kelley, for his part, said patients didn’t have to worry about showing any kind of documentation to get English-language service. “The only type of proof [of membership in the English-speaking community] that exists is the eligibility certificate, which a lot of people can’t get,” he said. “When you go to a hospital, they are obligated to try to serve you in English – capacity is another issue, but you do always have the right to walk in and ask.” He added that initiatives like the “sunflower project” at Memphremagog and Brome-Missisquoi–Perkins hospitals, where bilingual staff can choose to wear crocheted sunflowers on their ID badges to signal that they can serve patients in English, are “a win-win for everyone.” 

A spokesperson for the CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS could not say whether a copy of the motion had been sent to the health authority. However, Caroline Van Rossum, point person for English services at the CIUSSS, told the BCN that the “sunflower project” is still in full swing at both hospitals and has not been affected by the directive.

“We are quite fortunate in the Townships, because the CIUSSS has been quite open to providing [bilingual] services to the best of their ability,” Warnholtz said. “They are considering how we can get the best quality health care. That’s what we need more of [in the province] – this idea of ‘Let’s just work together.’”