Anna Gainey, the MP for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, is calling on federal Health Minister Mark Holland to intervene in a controversial provincial language directive in health care.
In a statement posted to social media Wednesday, she said she has “serious concerns” about the 31-page directive issued on July 18 that restricts the use of languages other than French in the health sector to exceptional situations like emergencies.
Please read my statement on Quebec’s health-care language Directive: https://t.co/73ASPonAJE pic.twitter.com/DvfIw55u3h
— Anna Gainey (@annamgainey) August 7, 2024
The Liberal MP said constituents are worried about the directive that now requires historic anglophones to obtain an eligibility certificate from the Education Ministry to seek and receive medical services in English only, leaving many worried they won’t be able to access healthcare in the language of their choice.
“They are very worried because the directive would interfere with effective communication between them and their caregivers,” Gainey wrote.
New French-language directives in the province’s health care network, released on July 18, have raised concerns among anglophones and allophones now worried they won’t be able to access healthcare in the language of their choice.
Gainey said she spoke to federal Health Minister Mark Holland about it, along with legal experts as well as health and social services providers and advocates “to understand the impact of the recent Quebec directive on situations in which a language other than French may be used in the health and social service network.”
She added that it may interfere with the Canada Health Act (CHA), which guarantees accessibility to insured hospital, medical and surgical-dental services.
Gainey wrote in her statement that the federal government will be prepared to insist upon patients being able to receive care in both official languages.
I share the views expressed by @annamgainey as expressed in her statement on Quebec’s directive. When it comes to health care the language preferred by the patient is paramount. https://t.co/7Tizu4bW4W
— Anthony Housefather (@AHousefather) August 8, 2024
Anthony Housefather, MP for Mount Royal, echoed Gainey’s concerns. “When it comes to health care the language preferred by the patient is paramount,” he wrote on social media.
Meanwhile, Quebec French language minister Jean-François Roberge has responded twice on social media platform X to defend the directive — once at the end of July and another time on Tuesday.
Il est impératif de poser des gestes forts pour assurer la vitalité de la langue française et c’est ce que nous faisons depuis 2018.
Il est cependant important de le réitérer: en matière de santé, le gouvernement n’impose absolument aucune condition linguistique avant de…
— Jean-F. Roberge (@jfrobergeQc) August 6, 2024
He wrote, “It is imperative to take strong action to ensure the vitality of the French language and this is what we have been doing since 2018. It is important to reiterate, however, that when it comes to health, the government imposes absolutely no language conditions before providing care in English to anyone who requests it.”
Roberge on July 31 said he would meet with leaders of the English-speaking community to hear their concerns and provide clarifications.
Gainey, in her statement, said clarity is needed,
“While the precise impact of the directive on English-speaking people in Quebec remains undetermined, it is clear that the confusion and uncertainty created by the directive is likely to have adverse consequences that cannot be ignored,” she wrote.
CityNews reached out to both the Quebec Health Ministry and the Ministry responsible for the French language and have not heard back.