Liberal MP Paule Robitaille received a report from health authorities after she wanted to give Valentine’s Day chocolates to employees of a Montreal CHSLD despite advice to the contrary, learned The duty.
The CIUSSS Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (CIUSSS-NIM) recorded the facts in a report following this visit on February 14, stressing that the situation raises issues of “non-compliance with instructions”, “image taking without signed consent” and “unnecessary mobilization of resources”.
According to the document, entitled “State of the situation”, Ms. Robitaille presented herself twice, on Valentine’s Day, at the CHSLD Paul-Lizotte located in her riding of Bourassa-Sauvé. On February 11, the establishment had declined its proposal to distribute chocolates to workers on site as part of a broader movement called #madosedamour.
“Considering the current health context, we could not authorize such an activity but we proposed to the MP to distribute the chocolates on her behalf”, writes the CIUSSS-NIM in the document, sent to the Homework.
According to the administration, the member also ignored a second notice from the authorities, on February 14, by returning to the CHSLD after being turned away for the first time, earlier that day, which the member disputes.
Poster and balloons
According to the report, Ms. Robitaille’s office contacted the CHSLD coordinator directly on February 14 to inform him that she would be coming around 11:30 a.m., an hour that did not suit the employee. Around 12:15 p.m., the coordinator then saw Ms. Robitaille with her office manager and a photographer, on the ground floor.
“The deputy, Paule Robitaille, does not wear a mask, indicates the State of situation. She is being filmed with balloons and an unlaminated cardboard poster (not compliant with infection protection standards) that she has hung on the wall. »
The coordinator, whose name is not given, removed the poster and the balloons and warned that it is impossible to take images without authorization.
In its status report, the CIUSSS-NIM states that after leaving the premises, Ms. Robitaille then made a request for authorization to the public relations office, around 1:19 p.m. With her director, however, she would have returned to the site at 2:30 p.m. “without waiting for a response,” says the report.
“They insist on putting up the poster and making the video,” the document says, adding that they later apologized and left.
Misunderstanding
In an interview at HomeworkMs. Robitaille pleaded that a misunderstanding was the cause of her presence on site, when dropping off the chocolates to be distributed.
“It was my director who took care of that and her understanding was that we could go and wear them,” she said. In good faith we went to wear them because I wanted to say hello to the director and convey the message that my heart was with the nursing staff. »
Ms. Robitaille admitted that she was not wearing her mask when the coordinator informed her that the taking of an image was not authorized.
“When I made the video, yes, it’s true that I took off my mask to speak to the camera. He arrived in the meantime. When we saw that there was a misunderstanding we left, ”she explained.
Contrary to what is written in the CIUSSS-NIM report, Ms. Robitaille claims not to have returned after being turned away.
“That is completely false, I did not return to the CHSLD at 2:30 p.m., she said. I don’t know where it came from but it’s completely false. »
Ms. Robitaille maintains that at that time she was at her office in the riding of Bourassa-Sauvé, specifying that she has witnesses.
“It’s very disturbing,” she said. I just wanted to do a good thing by going to carry my chocolates and there the story is turned completely differently, ”she lamented.
Contacted about this contradiction, the CIUSSS-NIM declined to comment.
“This event was reported internally only, for the sake of respecting our established protocols, replied spokesperson Marie-Hélène Giguère. We will not comment further on this situation. »