Motion and Resolution Board meeting of March 20, 2012

Solidarité Cornwall Background

Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH) obtained its designation under ’s French Language Services Act .

This designation for Cornwall Community Hospital stems from a directive set by the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care when the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital and the Cornwall General Hospital were amalgamated to create the Cornwall Community Hospital.

Consequently, Cornwall Community Hospital is required by law to provide services in both official languages (English/French) to the community.

The municipality of South Stormont has decided to not honour its financial commitment towards the expansion of the hospital as long as CCH’s hiring policy is not modified.

Citizens have expressed their opposition to both the French Language Services Act and the designation it confers to the Cornwall Community Hospital.

The Cornwall and surrounding region has a francophone population that makes up 30% of the total population.

Resolution

WHEREAS French and English are the official languages of Canada since the adoption of the 1969 Official Languages Act ;

WHEREAS the Ontario legislature unanimously adopted the French Language Services Act in 1986, designating bilingual regions and public service agencies;

WHEREAS access to health services in one’s own language is a decisive factor in the quality of services;

WHEREAS The Francophone Assembly of Ontario adopted a position on March 6, 2012 supporting the francophone community in its struggle to maintain services in French;

WHEREAS Cornwall’s francophone community has distinguished itself in supporting the creation of a Monument de la francophonie in Lamoureux Parc;

WHEREAS Hôpital Montfort has a constitutional responsibility, bestowed by the Ontario Court of Appeals on December 7, 2001, to promote the French language, disseminate francophone culture and build solidarity among the Franco-Ontarian community in order to prevent any form of assimilation;

WHEREAS the theme of the 15th anniversary of the historic rally of March 22, 1997, which saw over 10 000 people gather at the Civic Centre, is the ‘celebration of Franco-Ontarian solidarity’;

Resolution

It is moved by Mr. Bernard Grandmaître, seconded by Mrs. Mona Fortier, that the board of Hôpital Montfort publicly support, via media release and visibility on its website, the community of Cornwall and surrounding region, as well as express our solidarity in maintaining the respect of its language rights and access to health services in French;

That the Montfort board congratulates and supports Cornwall Community Hospital in its determination to maintain access and its on-going efforts to improve the quality of French-language health services.

Motion carried unanimously