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While Lego says the law will not change access to health and social services, human rights groups say its provisions will make it impossible to guarantee access to English-language services.
Author of the article:
Jason Magder • Montreal Gazette
Publication date:
May 17, 2022 • 12 hours ago • 3 minutes reading • 29 comments Prime Minister Francois Lego, campaigning with Sainte-Rose MNA Christopher Skeet in Laval on Tuesday, said: “Bill 96 does not change anything about our obligations to provide services in English language, even on new arrivals in Quebec. “Skeet is Parliamentary Assistant to the Prime Minister for Relations with English-speaking Quebec Citizens. Photo by Dave Sidway / Montreal Gazette
Content of the article
Prime Minister Francois Lego accused opponents of Bill 96 of being involved in “misinformation”, saying he had heard a lot of concerns about the bill in recent days that were simply not true.
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Bill 96, a law amending the French-language charter, is expected to be put to a vote in the National Assembly before the legislative break for the summer.
Anglophone human rights groups have raised concerns about several provisions in the bill, including those affecting access to health and judicial services in English, as well as changes to the French language requirements in the English CEGEP. They are also concerned about the increased powers given to the provincial linguist to search and seize without the need for an order, among other measures.
“I have seen misinformation about health services, but Bill 96 does not change anything about our obligations to provide services in English, even to newcomers to Quebec,” Lego told a news conference in Laval on Tuesday. “A lot of misinformation is happening right now.”
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It was the second day in a row that the CAQ government has been trying to calm the waters after thousands protested against the proposed law on the streets of downtown Montreal on Saturday. On Monday, Justice and French Minister Simon Jolin-Barrett called concerns about access to healthcare “unfounded”.
Lego said there was no need to worry about receiving health services in English for all Quebecers, saying the law would not change the guarantees set out in section 15 of the Quebec Health and Social Services Act, which reads ” English speakers have the right to receive health and social services in English. “
“I want to assure everyone who speaks English, including immigrants, that we will not refuse to treat patients in English if necessary,” he said. “I want to be very clear: there is no change in the actual situation of the services provided to English speakers and immigrants in English in our healthcare system.
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However, not everyone shares Lego’s point of view.
“No matter how many times they repeat this, it will not be true,” said Eric Maldoff, a Montreal lawyer and chairman of the Coalition for Quality Health and Social Services, to Lego’s comments. “What matters is what the law says.”
Maldof explained that proper communication is essential for the provision of health services, and Bill 96 will put services at risk, as the health sector is not completely exempt from the law.
“What is written in the law creates serious obstacles to receiving a service in a language other than French,” he said.
Maldof has publicly asked the province to vacate the healthcare sector, as the proposed law makes it difficult to hire English-speaking people to provide English services. The bill states that employers must prove that proficiency in English is necessary for the proper performance of tasks and that the employer must prove that he has done everything possible to avoid such a requirement.
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An amendment approved during a committee’s review of Bill 96 adds an article stating that the exclusive use of French by the civil administration does not abolish the right of Anglophones to receive health and social services in English.
But Maldof said the bill was unclear on whether all English-speakers would be allowed access to English healthcare services or just so-called historic Anglophones – meaning those eligible to receive English education in the countryside.
In response to Lego’s comments, the president of the Quebec community group, Marlene Jennings, turned the table, saying the government was also spreading false information.
“We have seen a lot of misinformation from supporters and opponents of Bill 96 and it is a great shame,” Jennings said in a statement. “This is a complex and far-reaching piece of legislation that the Quebec community group network and many others are trying to discuss with our government representatives, to no avail.
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Jennings agreed with Maldof that the hiring provisions in the bill make it difficult to guarantee English services.
“If you can’t hire staff to provide services in English, are they really guaranteed?”
Lego said the bill was sensible and necessary to secure a future for French in Quebec.
“I understand that it may be difficult to accept the English community, but it is a matter of survival for the French people,” he said.
jmagder@postmedia.com
twitter.com/jasonmagder
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Opinion: It is essential that health and social services be exempted from the bill 96
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Breakdown of key points of the bill 96
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