The Quebec government released a new health care directive on Monday that clearly states that English speakers have the right to receive health and social services in English.
Intended to allay concerns from some who feared the government was trying to restrict access to health care in languages other than French, the clarification repeatedly reiterates that English speakers do not have to prove their identity to receive care in their language.
The five-page document, released Monday, states that recent changes to Quebec’s Charter of the French Language do not affect the right of anglophones to receive health care in English.
The update is intended to replace a previous directive, published in July, which had raised concerns in some English-speaking circles. Some saw it as a government limitation on access to health care in “languages other than French.”
The government promised last month to rewrite the directive to make it more precise, following criticism from English-speaking groups and federal Liberal MPs.
The original directive was “absurd, offensive and concerning, and we’re glad to see it go,” Ingrid Kovitch, chair of the patients’ committee at Montreal’s McGill University Health Centre, said in an interview Monday. “People were really, really concerned about their ability to communicate effectively in a time of great need.”
The Coalition avenir Québec government has always stated that it had no intention of limiting services in languages other than French, a message repeated Monday by Health Minister Christian Dubé.
“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 population,” wrote Minister Dubé on X. “We will treat you, regardless of your language.”
Montreal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, who had denounced the initial directive, says the problem is now “largely resolved.”
“Basically, it says there’s nothing changing in the law,” he said of the new document. “It reflects the right of English-speaking Quebecers to receive services in their own language.”
No more “certificate of eligibility”
The initial 23-page directive was issued in response to the update of the Charter of the French Language. The “Act respecting the official and common language of Quebec, French” requires government agencies to communicate with citizens in French, except in certain situations. The directive was intended to clarify cases where health care workers could offer services in languages other than French.
Premier François Legault had insisted that access to health care would not be affected by the new law. However, the directive seemed to suggest that English could only be used in exceptional circumstances. One list of examples included a case in which a 10-year-old boy needed emergency medical care. In that case, the directive said, health professionals were allowed to ask his English-speaking father for consent in English.
The directive also stipulated that members of Quebec’s historic English-speaking community had to provide a certificate proving their eligibility to attend the province’s English-language school (the “Canada clause”) if they wanted to receive all medical services exclusively in English.
The government promised last month to review the directive following a barrage of criticism. It said the directive should apply to administrative communications, not all forms of care.
Kovitch said it was “dishonest” for the government to claim the original directive was not about patient care. “The government said one thing, but they certainly wrote something else, and those two things were completely inconsistent and nobody was fooled,” she said.
“I think the outcry over this situation was fully justified.”
The new, much shorter document does not include a list of examples of when English can be spoken, nor does it mention any certificates of eligibility. It states that the “Act respecting the official and common language of Quebec, French” has had no impact on health and social services offered in English in Quebec. Patients can still receive oral and written communications in English at designated bilingual facilities, such as the McGill University Health Centre.
In other settings, a language other than French may be used when a patient requests it or when a health care provider believes a patient does not understand the language, according to the new guidance. Written communication may be provided in a language other than French as long as a French version is included.
“I think it’s reassuring after all the confusion and fear that this original document created,” said Eva Ludvig, president of the Quebec Community Groups Network, which advocates on behalf of Quebec’s English-speaking communities.
“English-speaking Quebecers spoke out, and they spoke loudly and clearly, and they didn’t back down. I think that’s a good sign that we’ve succeeded in bringing about change.”