At least three Quebec Liberal MPs have expressed concerns to federal ministers about a new provincial directive that would limit the extent to which patients who cannot communicate in French can receive medical care in the province.
A 31-page directive released by Quebec Health last month says health-care workers in the province can only provide services in languages other than French in exceptional circumstances — when patients can prove they cannot communicate or understand French adequately, or when they can present documentation showing they have a right to services in English because of their historical Anglophone roots.
“I’m all for protecting the French people, but when it comes to health, this is going a bit too far,” Emmanuella Lambropoulos, MP for Montreal’s Saint-Laurent riding, told CBC News.
The directive states that English speakers who have official documentation showing they are eligible to receive educational services in English can receive health care services in English.
This certificate is a document issued to Anglophones living in Quebec who can prove that their ancestors had English-speaking roots.
The directive states that for patients who speak other languages and are unable to communicate in French, health care providers “may not comply with the obligation to use French exclusively” if necessary.
Lambropoulos said that still gives too much power to individual health care providers.
“I don’t think it’s enough to say that doctors can provide services in the language of their choice,” she said, adding that she had written to federal Health Minister Mark Holland about the issue.
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount MP Anna Gainey said in a statement published by The X on Wednesday night that she had spoken with Holland and “shared the serious concerns her constituents have expressed about this directive.”
“They are very concerned that the directive will prevent effective communication between them and their caregivers.”
Gainey also said he would speak with his peers to “ensure that the federal government, our key partner under the Canada Health Act, is aware of these concerns and stands ready to assert and enforce, where necessary, respect for its fundamental principles, particularly with regard to universal access to health care in both official languages.”
Mount Royal MP Anthony Housefather told CBC News he has contacted both Holland and Employment Minister Randy Boissonneau, the federal minister responsible for official languages.
Councillors Samir Zuberi of Pierrefonds-Doral and Francis Scarpareggia of Lac Saint-Louis also said they were concerned about the directive.
“If we start doing linguistic testing at the same time as medical testing, we’re not going to be able to provide care efficiently,” Zuberi said.
“We have a sacred principle that the government should not interfere, or anyone should interfere, in the doctor-patient relationship,” Scarpaleggia said.
Legislators’ intervention could make a difference: Advocates
Eric Maldoff, a longtime advocate for Anglophone rights and chair of the Coalition for Quality Health and Social Services, said it was encouraging to see federal lawmakers joining the discussion.
“The problem has been going from the whining Anglos who are always complaining to [provincial] The government is ignoring it and explaining it away,” he said.
“If Quebec is not providing the services it should be providing, the federal government can withhold funds,” he added, referring to how provincial health transfers are managed under the Canada Health Act.
During a press conference Thursday, federal Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who is also an aide to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Quebec, was asked if he thought the federal government should intervene.
“Going to the doctor is a really stressful moment and a critical moment, you don’t know what you have, and that’s a really important moment for the person you’re seeing to understand,” he said, before deferring to Boissonneau and Holland for further comment.
CBC News reached out to Boissonneau, Holland and Public Security Minister Dominic Leblanc, who is responsible for intergovernmental affairs, but they did not respond to requests for comment.
CBC News also reached out to Quebec’s French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge, who said his office would look into the question.
