After being refused access to the Yvon-Brunet Accommodation Centre last June, the Member for Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne, Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, will finally be able to visit the CHSLD in his riding on Wednesday.
The elected representative in solidarity will therefore make a two-hour visit to the establishment. “We will be able to talk to the residents, see the entire site – including the interior, the exterior, the basement and the rooms that are being renovated – and then we will be able to talk with the team of workers,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press. Conditions that he considers acceptable.
Last June, Guillaume Cliche-Rivard told The Canadian Press that he wanted to visit the Yvon-Brunet Accommodation Centre after a citizen expressed her concerns about the dilapidated state of the establishment.
At that time, the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal – which oversees the Yvon-Brunet Accommodation Centre – indicated that it had refused the MP access to the CHSLD, citing reasons of privacy, confidentiality, but also political neutrality.
On July 3 – two weeks after the publication of a first article on the subject – the elected representative met with the CEO of the CIUSSS, Vincent Lehouillier. “I expected to make a certain plea […] Finally, right from the start, I didn’t have to say a lot, they told us they were ready to offer us the tour,” says Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, who indicates he was surprised by the speed with which the CIUSSS changed its mind.
The CIUSSS says that “the situation has not changed.” “From the outset, it was agreed that we would be pleased to welcome Mr. Cliche-Rivard to our facilities and answer his questions. We first had to establish the objectives of his request for a visit during an initial meeting with our management, which was done as quickly as possible,” said CIUSSS spokesperson Marianne Paquette in a written statement sent to The Canadian Press.
“We spoke with Mr. Cliche-Rivard and his team to explain our reality before organizing the visit,” she adds.
Last June, regarding allegations of dilapidation of the CHSLD, Mr.me Paquette had indicated that the “facilities are subject to Accreditation Canada visits aimed at evaluating the quality of our care and services” and that the Ministry of Health and Social Services “regularly evaluates the quality of the living environment for people housed in the accommodation centres.”
Although the solidarity MP will finally be able to visit the facility as he wished, he believes that all the efforts made by him and his team to get there should not have been necessary. “We must be at a good full work week, a good 40 hours of work, to visit a CHSLD in my riding. It doesn’t make sense!” he says.
“When I make a request […]it should be granted to me within a reasonable time frame without having to make considerable efforts and without mobilizing the press to change it,” adds the member for Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne.
Not the first time
A similar situation occurred with the Solidarity MNA for Sherbrooke, Christine Labrie, who was refused access to the Val-du-Lac youth centre a few months ago. She had then tabled a bill aimed at facilitating access for elected officials to public institutions.
The issue had sparked debate in the National Assembly. A few weeks later, she was finally able to visit the youth centre with the Minister of Social Services, Lionel Carmant.
The minister’s press attaché, Lambert Drainville, then indicated: “We agree that MPs should be able to see the resources of their constituency, especially those of a social nature.”