MONTREAL—A group of protesters gathered outside a Montreal hospital to express their disapproval of Quebec’s French language laws. Advocacy groups representing anglophones are concerned that these laws are making it more difficult for Quebecers to access health-care services in English.
Mario Napolitano, one of the protesters at Santa Cabrini Hospital, mentioned that staff felt pressured by Quebec language watchdog officials regarding the use of English during a recent visit to the hospital.
The Office québécois de la langue française released a statement stating that the visit was a routine procedure to ensure that health-care facilities comply with the province’s French language charter and do not hinder patients from receiving care in languages other than French.
However, community groups advocating for the rights of Quebec anglophones remain unconvinced by the OQLF’s explanation, especially as the province continues to implement provisions of Bill 96, a significant language law reform. Concerns heightened when the provincial health ministry issued a directive outlining the exceptional circumstances under which health-care workers can communicate in English.
Sylvia Martin-Laforge, the director general of Quebec Community Groups Network, expressed worries about the level of service anglophones will receive and criticized the new directives for placing the responsibility on health-care workers to determine language eligibility for care.
Eric Maldoff, a lawyer and founder of the Coalition for Quality Health and Social Services, argued that the directive restricts Quebecers’ right to access health-care in English to emergency situations only. He believes that these new rules will diminish the quality of care available to anglophones.
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