After controversial directive, Quebec now says anglophones have right to English health services

The Quebec government has clarified that anglophones have the right to receive health and social services in English in a new directive meant to allay concerns the province was trying to restrict access to health care in languages other than French.

The five-page document, published Monday, states that recent changes to Quebec’s Charter of the French language do not affect the right of anglophones to receive health care in English. It also states multiple times that English-speakers do not have to prove their identity to receive care in their language.

The new directive replaces a previous version, published in July, that angered members of Quebec’s anglophone community who worried it could restrict their access to health care in English. Several Liberal MPs from the Montreal area also voiced concerns about the document.

The original directive was “preposterous and offensive and worrisome, and we’re glad to see it go,” Ingrid Kovitch, chair of the patients’ committee at Montreal’s McGill University Health Centre, said in an interview Monday. “People were really, really concerned about their ability to communicate effectively at times of great need.”

The Coalition Avenir Québec government has always maintained it did not intend to limit services in languages other than French, a message repeated Monday by Health Minister Christian Dubé.

“The changes to the directive are simply intended to ensure that its text reflects the government’s intentions and that it is simpler to understand for our employees and the public,” he said on X. “We will treat you, regardless of your language.”

Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, who spoke out against the original directive, says the issue is now “largely resolved.”

“Basically it says that there’s