“We are pleased to see some clarification brought to what was a confusing situation in terms of who could access what services in which language,” the QCGN says.
In fact, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) is publicizing a list that increases the number of bilingual hospitals and other facilities that were founded by the anglophone community, rising from just a dozen to 69. What’s more, the OQLF is publicizing on a separate list of “ethnocultural institutions” the right of patients to be treated in Chinese at Hôpital chinois de Montréal, in Italian at Santa Cabrini Hospital and the CHSLD Dante nursing home, as well as in Polish at the CHSLD Polonais Marie-Curie Sklodowska.
“We are pleased to see some clarification brought to what was a confusing situation in terms of who could access what services in which language within Quebec’s health and social services network,” Sylvia Martin-Laforge, director-general of the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN), declared in a statement on Tuesday.
“It is unfortunate that it took some significant effort to persuade the government to sort out what was a needlessly confusing and complicated situation. We welcome any measure of greater clarity and simplicity when it comes to the provision of services many people only have need of in stressful situations.”
In one of those articles, The Gazette reported that the OQLF had not fully disclosed publicly the bilingual status of all of Quebec’s health and social services institutions, and that this lack of disclosure was an apparent violation of the Charter of the French Language. Under Article 29.1 of the charter, the Quebec government granted bilingual status to a number of municipalities, school boards and health and social services institutions.
The anglophone community had fought hard for Article 29.1, and for the requirement in the language charter that the OQLF publicize the list of such bilingual institutions. But following a reform of the health-care system in 2015 that created regional authorities, the list of such institutions dropped from 39 to 12. However, the original 39 had never relinquished their bilingual status.
In contrast, the updated lists now include 69 health and social services institutions of “expression anglaise,” including Jeffrey Hale-Saint Bridgid’s Hospital in Quebec City, St. Mary’s and Jewish General hospitals in Côte-des-Neiges, the Douglas Mental Health University Institute in Verdun, the McGill University Health Centre in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and the Lakeshore General Hospital in Pointe-Claire. The names of bilingual CLSC clinics and long-term care centres are also listed in Laval, the Eastern Townships, the Laurentians, the Côte Nord, Outaouais and the Montérégie.
Maldoff suggested that the OQLF publish the full list of such institutions on its web page rather than linking to Quebec.ca.
Nicolas Trudel, director of communications at the OQLF, confirmed the changes on its website to The Gazette.
“As the lists were already available on Quebec.ca, it was decided to redirect them from the OQLF website,” Trudel said in an email.
“These lists, updated by the (health ministry), contain not only recognized establishments that are responsible for compliance (such as CISSSs and CIUSSSs administrative authorities), but also entities that benefit from recognition status within other establishments (for example, Barrie Memorial Hospital, within the CISSS de la Montérégie-Ouest).”