November 8, 2003 – The Chomedey News, Laval’s English community newspaper
Health minister reinstates provincial committee on English-language health services
BY BARBARA LAVOIE
Health and social services minister Philippe Couillard announced the appointment of 11 new regional representatives to serve a three-year term on the reinstated provincial advisory committee on access to health and social services in the English language at a press conference held Monday, October 27 in Montreal.
Ralph Bienstock, nominated by the president of the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, was named to represent the region of Laval.
“The law on health and social services requires this type of committee, …” said Russell Williams MNA (Nelligan) and parliamentary assistant to the minister. “With this announcement, we can once again rely on the precious contribution of ideas from the anglophone community,” added Williams.
Acknowledging the committee’s breakdown two years ago when all its members resigned in 2001 following a proposed policy review by the PQ government, Williams noted the newly-constituted committee is composed of users of health and social services, representatives of community organizations as well as members from the education, municipal and economic sectors.
In addition to the advisory committee, Williams also announced a new secretariat will be set up within the ministry to better coordinate the actions of the ministry and access to services for anglophone Quebecers.
The federal Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages in its 2001-2002 annual report conceded language is central to Canada’s health care system because communication is vital to the delivery of quality health care.
Citing the conflict that resulted between the Montfort Hospital in Ottawa and the Ontario government, which highlighted the importance of being able “to be born, to be cared for, and to die in one’s own language,” the commissioner recommended measures be taken to improve health services available for official language minorities to the Romanow commission on the future of health care in Canada.
According to Census Canada statistics for Laval taken in 2001, 20,535 (6.6% of the total population) persons identified their mother tongue as English compared to 248,925 (73.43%) who indicated French. A current Alliance Quebec web site states more than one million anglophones live in the province, the majority located in and around Montreal.
With the announcement offering English-speaking Lavallers a heads up that the new Liberal government intends to abide by Quebec’s Act respecting health services and social services (Bill 142) and the recommendations of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, The Chomedey News (TCN) decided to follow up a story it ran five years ago.
In October 1998 Ioannis Psaras was turned away from the Norman-Bethune CLSC. Psaras, of Greek origin and aged 64 at the time, visited the health facility to have his old age pension papers filled out, but was told instead to go to the Greek Community Organization for the service.
Last week visits were made to two LAVAL CLSCs. For three hours each on two afternoons, observations were made on the treatment English-speaking patients received at both the Pavillion Norman-Bethune and the CLSC du Ruisseau-Papineau.
The number of anglophone visitors to the health care facilities was extremely low, even though many were of visible ethnic origin, every individual was greeted and served in English if they registered in that language at reception. Staff also called out numbers in both French and English and greeted known anglophones in English. A telephone call to Info-Santé CLSC found an English-speaking nurse readily available.
Unfortunately though, it was found the CLSC Laval web site contains no English information nor does it include the address of the Pavillion Norman-Bethune, the CLSC office in Saint-Martin which is known to serve most of Laval’s English-speaking population. The majority of pamphlets and signs at both facilities were also in French.
An in-person visit to the offices of the Régie régionale de la santé et des services sociaux Laval found reception and assistance services were conducted in English, but only one of their many published documents in English, a 1999 report titled, Program of Access to Health and Social Services in English for the English-speaking Persons of the Laval Region. However, staff suggested some of their published documents were available in English upon request at all the area CLSCs.
Full marks go to staff at the two local CLSCs. And that’s encouraging considering the treatment Mr. Psaras received just five short years ago.