West Island health authority launches awareness campaign on language rights

The CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, has launched a new campaign aimed at informing patients of their language rights when obtaining health care in Quebec. (Credit: CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal)

The West Island health authority has launched a new campaign aimed at informing patients of their language rights when obtaining health care in Quebec.

Electronic signs at agency facilities, including at the Lakeshore General Hospital, now display: "Service in French or English. It's your right! Tell the staff which language to speak with you."

The campaign follows the National Assembly's unanimous adoption of a motion that declares that Quebecers are not required to present certificates of eligibility to receive health care in English.

"We want to encourage a personalized approach to our customers, and we believe that in order to offer quality health and social services, a good mutual understanding is essential," Hélène Bergeron-Gamache, a spokesperson for the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, said in a statement.

"The health and social services professional must have a good understanding of the needs of the person being served, and it is essential that the person and his or her family fully understand the information they are given."

The new campaign highlights the ongoing criticism and widespread confusion over Quebec's new French-language directives for the healthcare network, released on July 18.

The directives mandate that all communications, including oral, must be in French.

In August, Quebec's French language Minister, Jean-François Roberge, announced that a new directive would be issued to clarify the situation and address the concerns of the English-speaking community.

The health authority's campaign also coincides with the release of the provincial government's own campaign to promote the French language in Quebec. That campaign, released Monday, is a not-so-subtle dig at Montreal's popular "Bonjour-Hi" greeting in businesses.

Bergeron-Gamache also noted that facilities under the West Island health authority have been designated bilingual by the Quebec Minister of Health.

Here is a list: