Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital: Marissal denounces a service “in English only”

To illustrate the extent of the linguistic challenge in Montreal, the solidarity deputy Vincent Marissal confided Tuesday that a member of his family was treated in English only during a recent visit to the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital.

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The MNA for Rosemont recounted his misadventure during the study of credits which begins today in the National Assembly.

“I’m talking to you about Francophones who find themselves in Maisonneuve-Rosemont and who receive orthopedic follow-ups in English only, and twice rather than once. I was there”, underlined Mr. Marissal.

The supportive MP says he understands that the labor shortage may force the establishment to use available specialists, regardless of language. But “we find ourselves in a hospital in the east of Montreal to be treated in extremely technical terms after an operation in English only. It makes no sense,” he said.

The Minister responsible for the French Language, Simon Jolin-Barrette, jumped on the ball to explain that his Bill 96 precisely addresses these issues.

Patients already have the right to be treated in French, regardless of the establishment, he points out. But his bill ensured that professional orders would require their members to maintain a sufficient knowledge of French.

“It’s not a right to be a member of a professional order, it’s a privilege,” said the minister.

Listen to Sophie Durocher’s interview with Vincent Marissal on QUB radio:

Louisianization of Quebec

Premier François Legault also stressed the importance of adopting Bill 96, during a press briefing on a completely different subject, along with his new MP, Shirley Dorismond.

Asked about the arrival of two new parties close to the Anglophone community – Mouvement Québec and the Parti canadien du Québec – François Legault stressed that the two parties want a bilingual Quebec.

“I think they have to understand that if Quebec is bilingual, unfortunately the force of attraction of English in North America will be so strong that it would be a matter of time before we no longer speak French in Quebec and that we become [comme la] Louisiana”, commented the Prime Minister, when questioned in English.

Controversial Amendment

After leaving a doubt during the study of the credits, Tuesday morning, Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette confirmed at the end of the day that he will modify a controversial amendment to Bill 96 introduced by the PLQ.

This provided that students from English-speaking CEGEPs, including rights holders, should take three courses of their course in French. The proposal had created an outcry in the English-speaking communities, the electoral base of the Liberal Party of Quebec.

Finally, the rights holders (the historical English-speaking community who can attend elementary and secondary school in English) will instead be able to take three additional second-language courses in French, in addition to the two already planned.

Allophones and Francophones attending an English-language CEGEP must take all three courses of their program in French.

In both cases, it will be a 45-hour training course that will be taken into account for the R rating.

Hélène David admitted on Tuesday that she had “brought the wolf into the sheepfold” with her amendment. But the member now says that her training realizes that the mastery of French among young Anglophones is insufficient.

Conversely, Simon Jolin-Barrette argues that, precisely, college education must allow students to work in French in Quebec.