Montreal doctors stunned Quebec bill would impose intense restrictions on using English in a healthcare setting

Montreal doctors who provide care in English are worried about what Bill 96 would mean for their patients and practice. “The purpose of this bill is to affirm that the only official language of Québec is French,” the explanatory notes of the bill read. “It also affirms that French is the common language of the Québec nation.” Docs at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital were briefed on the legislation’s potential ramifications. “I think it seems more to obliterate and oppress an English minority,” Dr. Adriana Decker, told CTV News. Dr. Decker is originally from Uruguay and has practiced family medicine in Montreal for a decade. She said she was shocked to learn how the bill might impact healthcare. Indeed, according to Montreal lawyer and language rights activist Eric Maldoff, “The law is written in the most complicated way possible.” Read: Quebec politicians decry Legault's black list of doctors as an abuse of power The bill would mean only those attending English-language school in Canada would be allowed to have English healthcare services, potentially impacting up to 500,000 people. “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. Jewish General Hospital and the McGill University Health Centre would be excluded from these restrictions because they are bilingual institutions. But two-thirds of Anglophones in Quebec get their healthcare from institutions that aren’t bilingual, said Maldoff. Quebec’s Liberal opposition is also concerned that the province is disbanding the committee that establishes which Quebecers qualify for health services in English. “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.” Patients could also complain about a healthcare worker’s French skills to the Office québécois de la langue française under the legislation. “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. Family physician Michael Kalin told CTV News that he wonders why the province seems to care more about the use of French than Quebecers’ health. “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. Read: Quebec tables bill that would force family docs take appointments from patients without FPs

Montreal doctors stunned Quebec bill would impose intense restrictions on using English in a healthcare setting

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