Category: Canada

Jewish General Hospital opposes Bill 60 as patently discriminatory

News Release

The Jewish General Hospital (JGH) strongly opposes Bill 60, on the grounds that the plan by the current Government of Quebec to ban overt religious symbols in the clothing of healthcare employees is discriminatory and deeply insulting to public-sector workers.
Contrary to statements in the bill, the JGH believes that neutrality in the delivery of healthcare services is not compromised by religious symbols in the clothing of employees. As long as services are delivered with professional competence, courtesy and respect, no legislation should be allowed to override the freedoms of religion or expression that are guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and by the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

“This bill is flawed and contrary to Quebec’s spirit of inclusiveness and tolerance,” says Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, JGH Executive Director. “Since the bill is inherently prejudicial, there is no point in taking advantage of any clause that would grant us temporary, short-term relief. If approved, this offensive legislation would make it extremely difficult for the JGH to function as an exemplary member of Quebec’s public healthcare system.” Dr. Rosenberg’s statement is endorsed by the JGH Board of Directors.

For nearly 80 years, the JGH has prided itself on the fact that its staff—representing a wide diversity of faiths, with many employees wearing conspicuous items of clothing with religious symbols—has provided care of superior quality to Quebecers of all backgrounds. JGH patients continue to come to this hospital in ever-increasing numbers with only one thought in mind: to receive treatment and care of the highest quality. This is what matters most to residents of the hospital’s Côte-des-Neiges area, which is widely regarded as one of the most ethnically, racially, culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse neighbourhoods in Canada. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the JGH receives no complaints about the religious or cultural apparel of its staff.

A brief outlining the position of the Jewish General Hospital will be submitted to the National Assembly at a later date.

No interviews will be given on the matter.

Contact:

Glenn J. Nashen, Director
Astrid Morin, Media Relations

Public Affairs and Communications Jewish General Hospital

Tel.: 514-340-8222  ext. 4612

Email: amorin@jgh.mcgill.ca

Website: jgh.ca

Hearings on Quebec Bill 52: Committee of Legal Experts

Jean-Pierre Ménard, Michelle Giroux

Thursday, 10 October 2013 – Vol. 43 No. 46

Note: The following translation is the product of a first run through Google Translate.  In most cases it is sufficient to identify statements of interest, but more careful translation is required to properly understand the text.  Translation block numbers (T#) have been assigned by the Project as references to facilitate analysis and discussion.

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Caution: raw machine translation
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(Reprise à 17 h 14)
La Présidente (Mme Proulx) : À l’ordre, s’il vous plaît! La commission va poursuivre ses travaux. 001 The Chair (Mrs. Proulx): Order, please! The Committee will continue its work.
Alors, je souhaite la bienvenue à nos invités. Je vous demanderais tout d’abord de vous présenter et je vous rappelle que vous disposez d’environ 15 minutes pour votre présentation. La parole est à vous. 002 So I welcome our guests. I would ask you first introduce yourself and let me remind you that you have 15 minutes for your presentation. The floor is yours.
M. Ménard (Jean-Pierre): Alors donc, bonjour, Mme la ministre, mesdames, messieurs les députés. Alors, mon nom est Jean-Pierre Ménard, je suis président du Comité de juristes experts que le précédent gouvernement avait désigné en 2012 pour examiner la suite à donner aux recommandations de la commission de mourir dans la dignité. 003 Mr. Ménard (Jean-Pierre): So then, hello, Madam Minister, ladies and gentlemen. So, my name is Jean-Pierre Ménard, I am Chairman of the legal experts that the previous government had appointed in 2012 to review the follow-up to the recommendations of the Committee on Dying with Dignity

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Hearings on Quebec Bill 52: Palliative Home Care Society of Greater Montreal

Elsie Monereau, Bérard Riverin

Thursday, 10 October 2013 – Vol. 43 No. 46

Note: The following translation is the product of a first run through Google Translate.  In most cases it is sufficient to identify statements of interest, but more careful translation is required to properly understand the text.  Translation block numbers (T#) have been assigned by the Project as references to facilitate analysis and discussion.

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Le Président (M. Bergman) : (panne de son) …du Grand Montréal pour prendre leur place à la table. M. Riverin, Mme Monereau. 001 The Chairman (Mr. Bergman) (failure of the) … Greater Montreal to take their place at the table. Mr. Riverin, Ms. Monereau.
Des voix : … 002
Le Président (M. Bergman) : À l’ordre, s’il vous plaît! Alors, M. Riverin, Mme Monereau, bienvenue. Vous avez 15 minutes pour faire votre présentation, suivi d’un échange avec les membres de la commission. On vous demande de nous donner vos noms et vos titres, et les prochaines 15 minutes sont à vous. M. Riverin. 003 The Chairman (Mr. Bergman): Order, please! So Mr. Riverin, Ms. Monereau, welcome. You have 15 minutes to make your presentation, followed by a discussion with the members of the commission. We ask you to give us your names and titles, and the next 15 minutes are yours. Mr. Riverin.
Mme Monereau (Elsie) : Alors, je suis Elsie Monereau, je suis la directrice de soins palliatifs à la société de soins palliatifs du Grand Montréal. 004 Ms. Monereau (Elsie): So I am Elsie Monereau, I am the director of palliative care at the Palliative Home Care Society of Greater Montreal.
M. Riverin (Bérard): Je suis Bérard Riverin, directeur général, donc je suis un simple laïque parmi les cliniciens. Je travaille avec des grands cliniciens comme Mme Monereau à chaque jour, mais… Je vais essayer de vous livrer mon point de vue en tant que directeur général, et Mme Monereau, qui est, à mon point de vue, une des sommités en matière de soins palliatifs au Québec, vous livrera la partie un petit peu plus clinique et organisation des soins. 005 Mr. Riverin (Bérard): I Riverin Bérard, CEO, so I am a layman among clinicians. I work with great clinicians as Ms. Monereau every day, but … I’ll try to give you my perspective as CEO, and Ms. Monereau, which is, in my view, one of the leading experts in palliative care in Quebec, will deliver the a little more clinical part and organization of care.

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B.C. Court of appeal overturns assisted suicide judgement

In a 2/1 decision, the British Columbia Court of Appeal has overturned the Supreme Court ruling in Carter v. Canada, which would have legalized physician assisted suicide.  The case will almost certainly be appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Hearings on Quebec Bill 52: Professor Margaret Somerville

Wednesday, 9 October 2013 – Vol. 43 N° 45

Note: The following translation is the product of a first run through Google Translate.  In most cases it is sufficient to identify statements of interest, but more careful translation is required to properly understand the text.  Translation block numbers (T#) have been assigned by the Project as references to facilitate analysis and discussion.

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15H (version non révisée)
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(Reprise à 15 h 10)
Le Président (M. Bergman): À l’ordre, s’il vous plaît! La commission reprend ses travaux. Je demande à toutes les personnes dans la salle de bien vouloir éteindre leurs téléphones cellulaires. 001 The Chairman (Mr. Bergman): Order, please! The committee resumed. I ask everyone in the room to please turn off their cell phones.
Nous allons poursuivre, sans plus tarder, les consultations particulières et les auditions publiques sur le projet de loi no. 52, Loi concernant les soins de fin de vie. 002 We will continue, without further ado, the special consultations and public hearings on the Bill. 52, An Act respecting the end-of-life.
Je souhaite la bienvenue à notre invitée, qui s’exprime en anglais. Et vous avez la possibilité d’avoir la traduction avec les items devant vous. 003 Welcome to our guest, who speaks English. And you can have the translation with the items before you.

Caution: raw machine translation

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Le Président (M. Bergman): Mme Somerville, je vous souhaite la bienvenue à la Commission des services sociaux et de santé. Je comprends que vous serez vous exprimer sur une présentation de 15 minutes, suivie de la … collègues … mes collègues des deux côtés de la Chambre. Tous les côtés de la Chambre auront une chance de vous poser quelques questions. Donc, si vous pouviez nous donner votre nom et votre titre, et aller de l’avant avec la présentation de 15 minutes. Je vous remercie. 004 Le Président (M. Bergman): Mrs. Somerville, I want to welcome you to the Health and Social services Commission. I understand that you’ll be expressing yourself on a presentation of 15 minutes, followed the… colleagues… my colleagues on both sides of the House. All sides of the House will have a chance to ask you some questions. So, if you could just give us your name and your title, and go ahead with your presentation of 15 minutes. Thank you.
Mme Somerville (Margaret): Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président. Mon nom est Margaret Somerville, je suis la chaire Samuel Gale en droit, professeur à la Faculté de médecine, fondateur et directeur du Centre McGill pour la médecine, éthique et droit, tous à l’Université McGill à Montréal. 005 Mme Somerville (Margaret):Thank you, Mr. President. My name is Margaret Somerville, I’m the Samuel Gale Professor of Law, Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Founding Director of the McGill Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law, all at McGill University in Montréal.

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