A real head-scratcher in the Montreal Gazette: telephone staff at the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (the Quebec health insurance board) are now required to assess callers’ language skills to determine if they actually require service in English.
Where before callers were given the option of service in English or French by way of a simple touch of the telephone keypad, it has now become more complicated. Now some people who would prefer to have the information given in English could be denied the service on the basis of a subjective judgment of their ability to speak French.
The way it works now is that calls to RAMQ are answered automatically in French, and callers are told that the agency first communicates with its clientele in French. Only after half a minute of silence is it mentioned that service in English is available by pressing 9. But wait: that doesn’t automatically get you service in English.
What it gets you is another recorded message, this time in English, informing you once more that the board prefers to deal with customers in French. The agents who subsequently come on the line do not speak English right away, even though the language of service chosen is English. No, the agents proceed in French, and are then required by the new policy to “use their judgment” to determine whether the caller speaks French well enough to be able to hold a conversation about health in French rather than English. Only if the caller fails that test will service in English be forthcoming.
“For service in French please press 1, for service in English please GTFO of Quebec!”
I say the rest of Canada (read federal government) should turn off the money taps and let the damn province fail, like Greece.
Comment by Dwayne — July 24, 2012 @ 14:58
They perhaps should, but as we already know, they will not. Too many votes outside Quebec depend on the government being seen to cater to Quebec’s concerns. Or, perhaps more accurately, too many media voices would be alienated (past the point they’re already alienated) if the government doesn’t continue to enable Quebec’s unique language policies.
Comment by Nicholas — July 24, 2012 @ 20:04
The Quebec government takes the transfer money and spends it on what they deem necessary. Seems like a stupid way to run a program that was put in place to ensure all provices offer the same level of service. If that was really the case then all provinces would offer $7 a day daycare and be billions of dollars in debt too. Oh, and lest we forget the University fiasco, and the funding therein. Equalization is a farce that needs to be deleted.
Comment by Dwayne — July 25, 2012 @ 11:45
Don’t confuse original intent of the program with current/ongoing political purpose. Any attempt to deny Quebec their “fair share” of equalization funding would be presented to Quebeckers as a direct attack on Quebec and their national culture, regardless of the current provincial government.
No other province, not even Alberta, can credibly threaten to break up the country if they feel slighted or disrespected by the feds or by the other provinces.
It’s even possible that the real “long game” has been to encourage Quebec to go so deeply into debt that it will act as a tool to dissuade ordinary Quebec voters from going the separatist route.
We might see a similar situation if Scotland votes to break away from the United Kingdom, as the Scottish government is also spending well beyond their means because they’re getting subsidized by the UK government. Will the voters (who seem to be drifting in the separatist direction) still be willing to go through with it when it becomes clear that they won’t be able to afford current levels of government spending (and might have to undergo some pretty harsh austerity measures to balance the books)?
Comment by Nicholas — July 25, 2012 @ 15:11