Quebec doctors warn language Bill 96 could hurt patient care

Bill 96 would require public service providers to communicate exclusively in French with new immigrants beginning six months after their arrival.

A coalition of doctors and health-care professionals in Quebec is asking that the health and social services network be excluded from the provincial government’s language-reform legislation known as Bill 96.

La Coalition pour des services sociaux et de santé de qualité (CSSSQ) — made up of some 500 physicians and health professionals as well as 30 organizations — worries about the impact of the bill on newcomers to the province with little to no knowledge of French. If adopted, doctors would be required to address newcomers in French.

In an open letter published Wednesday, the CSSSQ said it believes the proposed law, in its current form, “could endanger people’s lives or have negative impacts on mental health if applied.”

“It’s already difficult enough to understand information under stressful circumstances, adding unnecessary barriers will only increase this risk and undermine providers’ ability to deliver optimal care,” the letter reads in French.

Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, who is also the minister responsible for the French language, tabled Bill 96 to overhaul the province’s landmark Charter of the French language known as Bill 101.

Bill 96 would require public service providers to communicate exclusively in French with new immigrants beginning six months after their arrival.

While there is a provision for exemptions when “health, public security or issues of natural justice require it,” the coalition said it feels it lacks clarity and is imprecise.

Dr. Suzanne Gagnon, who works with refugees in the Quebec City area, says asking health professionals to communicate in French with immigrants after six months is “completely unrealistic.”