Quebec language reform could lead to 'medical errors, even deaths': health advocates
A group of doctors and professionals is asking that the health and social services network be excluded from Quebec’s plans to reform language laws with Bill 96.
The Coalition for Quality Health and Social Services (CSSSQ) says it is concerned about the harmful effects the law could have because of the obligation to speak in French to newcomers who may have limited knowledge of the language.
In an open letter published on Wednesday, the CSSSQ says the current version of the bill "could put people's lives at risk or have negative impacts on mental health if implemented."
"It is hard enough to understand information under stressful conditions, adding unnecessary barriers will only increase this risk and undermine providers' ability to deliver optimal care," wrote the group, which includes 500 physicians and health professionals, as well as 30 other organizations.
The reform of Bill 101 tabled by French Language Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette proposes that public services communicate exclusively in French with immigrants six months after their arrival in Quebec.
An exemption is provided "where health, public safety or the principles of natural justice require it."
"Citizens will continue to have access to health care," a spokesperson for the minister’s office told The Canadian Press. "There is nothing in the bill that will prevent Quebecers from seeking treatment."
For Dr. Suzanne Gagnon, who works with refugees in the Quebec City area, asking health professionals to speak to them in French after six months is "completely unrealistic."
"It is a clientele that is vulnerable," she said. "Eighty per cent of them speak neither French nor English when they arrive."
"Some had been in refugee camps for 20 years, have alphabets different from ours. Some have little education and are older," said Gagnon, co-founder of the Refugee Health Clinic at the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale.
'EVERY WORD IS IMPORTANT'
Communication is an essential element in the treatment of patients, says Gagnon, who often has to call on interpreters – sometimes speaking English – during her appointments.
"If the person has had a splinter in the finger we can arrange it," she said, but complex cases involve nuances and subtleties. "If we have to talk about sensitive subjects such as mental health problems, children who have behavioural problems for which we should involve youth protection, depression, withdrawal of care; every word is important. If the person half understands us, all this can go very wrong, lead to medical errors, even deaths."
Although she considers it important to foster French fluency among newcomers, she says that responsibility shouldn't fall on health-care providers.
Jolin Barrette’s office insists that the Health and Social Services Act will "remain intact."
-- This report from The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 13, 2022.
--This article was produced with the financial support of the Meta Fellowships and The Canadian Press for News.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.