Montreal protesters decry French-language law impacts in hospitals

Around 50 protestors gathered outside of the Jewish General Hospital on Sunday, objecting to Quebec's French-language law's impact on the health care sector.

English community and civil rights groups rallied outside of the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal on Sunday against Quebec's French-language law.

It was the latest protest against the law, which came after demonstrators said gains were made against it in the National Assembly.

Antoinette Mercurio, 64, said she came to the emergency room at the Jewish General Hospital in need of medical assistance last year but that the triage nurse wouldn't speak to her in English.

"I shouldn't be pressured into speaking another language, especially when I'm distressed for medical reasons," she said from the protest on Sunday. "At the time, I didn't know, but it turned out to be uterine cancer."

Mercurio said that there were no other language issues during her treatment but that the experience led her to join a coalition of groups protesting outside of the hospital.

The coalition is against the newly amended French-language law, and they say it places linguistic barriers on Quebec's diverse communities, especially in health care settings.

"In a life and death situation, it shouldn't matter what language you're talking about," said Let's Talk About Quebec director Marc Perez.