Quebec doctors who provide care in English say they're concerned about new language legislation

MONTREAL -

The people who provide health care in Montreal in English say they are extremely concerned about what Bill 96 might mean for them and their patients.

Doctors at the Jewish General Hospital were given a briefing this week on Quebec’s new language legislation meant to strengthen French in the province.

“I think it seems more to obliterate and oppress an English minority,” said Adriana Decker, who is originally from Uruguay, but has been a family doctor in Montreal for the past decade.

Decker said she was stunned when she saw how Bill 96 as it's written could affect health care.

“The law is written in the most complicated way possible,” said Eric Maldoff, a prominent Montreal lawyer and long-time language rights advocate.

Under Bill 96, Maldoff said only people who attended English school in Canada will be allowed to receive health-care services in English.

That could disqualify between 300,000 and 500,000 English speakers in the province, Maldoff said.

“It says that the provider has an option to provide services in English in certain limited number of circumstances. And even when they do, they should do everything possible not to be providing services in English – and when they do, it shouldn't be systematic,” he said.

Bilingual institutions like the Jewish General Hospital and the MUHC are excluded from that, but Maldoff said he worries about English speakers who don't live near those facilities.

“Two thirds of the English-speaking population get their services from institutions which are not bilingual services, but obligated to make services available in English,” he said.

Adding to the concern, the Liberal opposition is worried the government is getting rid of the committee that determines who qualifies for English health services.

“If you're a senior in Sherbrooke who just received a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, you need to be able to receive the necessary information in English,” said David Birnbaum, the Liberal language critic. “And for the past 35 years, under Liberal and PQ premiers alike, that sacred compromise has worked.”

Another issue in the bill is that anyone seeking health care could complain anonymously to the province's language watchdog, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), if they feel a medical professional's French skills are not good enough.

“And to boot, the OQLF has been given the power. If it's investigating a complaint – an anonymous complaint – to go into any premises like the doctor's office and search and seize their computers, electronic devices in the course of their inquiry without a warrant, without probable cause,” said Maldoff.

“This seems completely unreasonable,” said family physician Michael Kalin.

Kalin said he wonders why the government seems more concerned about language than the health of its citizens.

“So little of this has to do medicine. It has to do with all these other agendas. Why can't we get back to the idea of providing the best care to our population?” he said.

Decker says she has no problem communicating well enough with her French-speaking patients, but admits her written French isn't perfect.

“With the Quebec government on top of that telling us that we have to work more, and having two kids, one with special needs, I don't even know how I would have time even if I wanted to improve my French, to do it at this point in my life,” she said.

She worries if Bill 96 is passed as it is, she would have no choice but to practice elsewhere.

CTV News reached out to the language minister for comment. In an email, a spokesperson said that Bill 96 will have "no impact on access to health services in English."

"In fact, Bill 96 does not affect the rights provided for in the Act respecting health services and social services. During its development, we have ensured that the rights of the English-speaking community and institutions are preserved and protected," wrote Élisabeth Gosselin, press secretary for Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette. 

The Liberal opposition says it plans to propose changes to the bill, saying in its current form, it has great concerns.