Strategic Plan, 2005–06 to 2008–09
Canada–Quebec Agreement on French‑Language Services
- Canada‑Quebec Agreement on English Language Services 2005‑06 to 2008‑09
- B1. 2005‑2010 STRATEGIC PLAN TO MAINTAIN, IMPROVE AND RESTORE THE HEALTH AND WELL‑BEING OF ENGLISH‑SPEAKING QUEBECERS
- B2. STRATEGIC PLAN OF THE MINISTÈRE DE LA JUSTICE TO MAINTAIN, IMPROVE AND IMPLEMENT THE SERVICES OFFERED TO ENGLISH‑SPEAKING QUEBECERS FOR 2006‑2007, 2007‑2008 and 2008‑2009
Schedule B
B1. 2005‑2010 STRATEGIC PLAN TO MAINTAIN, IMPROVE AND RESTORE THE HEALTH AND WELL‑BEING OF ENGLISH‑SPEAKING QUEBECERS
The priorities of the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux[1] are set out in its 2005‑2010 strategic plan. They fall within the scope of the government's results‑based management framework. In this perspective, the government's desire to maintain, improve and restore the health and well‑being of English‑speaking Quebecers must be based on these priorities. Furthermore, any future financing from the federal Development of Official‑Language Communities Program covering all or part of the period will have to support these priorities.
It is up to the Quebec Government to decide on the relevance, appropriateness, and terms of any consultation relating to the provision of health and social services in the English language on its territory. The Provincial Committee on the dispensing of health and social services in the English language contributed to the development of the 2005‑2010 Strategic Plan to Maintain, Improve and Restore the Health and Well‑being of English‑speaking Quebecers.
Current Situation
The right of English‑speaking persons to receive health and social services in the English language is recognized in the Act respecting health services and social services.[2]
In order to ensure that service delivery meets the needs and expectations of the population, health and social services centres (CSSSs[3]) have the responsibility to develop clinical and organizational projects in cooperation with other local network partners. The planning and implementation of new service delivery methods better suited to local realities and taking into account the sociocultural and linguistic characteristics of the territory's population are the main challenges facing the network in consolidating a range of primary health care services. At the regional level, health and social services agencies are responsible for supporting the health and social services centres in this process and in the development of demographic profiles for their respective territories. Among other things, they must consider the geographical distribution of the English‑speaking population. The development of clinical projects is a dynamic and ongoing process. The revision of these access programs and development of clinical projects will shed more light on these profiles.
The clinical and organizational project, undertaken in such a way as to take into account the right of English‑speaking persons to receive health services and social services in the English language, will maximize efforts made in the development of access programs for English‑language services.
Under Section 348 of the Act respecting health services and social services, health and social services agencies are also responsible for developing access programs for English language health services and social services. These programs, revised at least every three years, present a portrait of access to services offered in the English language in a given region at a particular point in time. A frame of reference produced by the Ministère specifies the nature, objectives and components of the access program and determines the preferred options. It describes the steps to be followed in the development, approval, follow‑up and revision of access programs and sets out the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders. Updating of the access programs should be announced soon and the revision by health and social services agencies, in cooperation with the health and social services centres, other institutions of the region, and representatives of the English‑speaking community, should begin shortly.
In the field of health and social services, access to English‑language information for English‑speaking persons is essential to their participation both at the community level, in terms of the planning and implementation of programs and clinical projects, and as individuals, in terms of their participation in treatment plans essential to successful clinical outcomes.
1.1 ISSUE: Adapting the organization of services to ensure improved access and greater continuity of service, particularly for more vulnerable clients[4]
Thrust: Improve access to health services and social services in the English language for English‑speaking persons within the nine service programs[5]
| PRIORITIES | OBJECTIVES | RESULTS | INDICATORS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revision of access programs | Support the revision and development of access programs, taking into account the new organization of local networks; i.e., service delivery as close to home as possible | Revised access programs | Number of access programs revised and translated |
| Foster the participation of the English‑speaking community in the revision of access programs at the local, regional and provincial levels | Increased participation of persons from the English‑speaking community at the various decision‑making levels of the Quebec network | Number of meetings at the various decision‑making levels with representatives of the English‑speaking community for the revision of access programs Number of documents available in the English language | |
| Evaluate the implementation and assess the impact of access programs | Follow‑up on the implementation of access programs and impact studies of these programs | Level of satisfaction of English‑speaking persons regarding access to and delivery of services in the English language | |
| Support for voluntary action | Foster the participation of persons from the English‑speaking community in the development of clinical projects to be defined by local authorities (CSSSs) | Partnership established between community organizations serving English‑speaking communities, health and social services centres and other local network institutions | Number of meetings with representatives of the English‑speaking communities, health and social services centres and other local network institutions Number of documents available in the English language |
| Foster the creation of innovative means to offer English language health services and social services to English‑speaking persons | Innovative projects to provide services resulting from cooperation between organizations from English‑speaking communities and public institutions | Number of projects completed Sustainability of projects completed |
1.2 ISSUE: Improving service quality and optimizing the use of resources that support service delivery[6]
Thrust: Inform the population of its health and well‑being status and how to maintain or improve the latter
| PRIORITIES | OBJECTIVES | RESULTS | INDICATORS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access to information on services offered in the English language | Promote the successful completion of information campaigns on access to and delivery of health and social services in the English language for the English‑speaking population with regard to:
| Information sessions and public meetings with persons from English‑speaking communities Documentation available in the English language on access to and delivery of services to English‑speaking persons and on departmental orientations and policies | Number of information sessions and public meetings held with the English‑speaking population (number of English‑speaking persons met) Number of documents available in the English language and distributed to English‑speaking persons |
| Promote the sharing of clinical documents available in the English language between institutions, community organizations, etc. | Implementation of a bank of clinical documents translated into English Implementation of sharing mechanisms for these documents | Documentation bank implemented Number of documents shared | |
| Foster access to English language clinical software tools for English‑speaking users (Web, information systems) | Clinical software tools available in the English language for English‑speaking users | Number of software tools available in the English language to English‑speaking users |
B2. STRATEGIC PLAN OF THE MINISTÈRE DE LA JUSTICE TO MAINTAIN, IMPROVE AND IMPLEMENT THE SERVICES OFFERED TO ENGLISH‑SPEAKING QUEBECERS FOR 2006‑2007, 2007‑2008 and 2008‑2009
Introduction
The priorities of the Ministère de la Justice for 2006‑2007, 2007‑2008 and 2008‑2009 are identified in this document. They are in keeping with the government's results-based management framework. From this perspective, the government's wish to maintain, improve and implement the services offered to English-speaking Quebecers must be based on these priorities. Moreover, any potential funding provided under the federal program entitled "Development of Official-Language Communities" and covering all or part of the reference period will have to support these same priorities.
It is up to Quebec to decide on the relevance, appropriateness, and terms of any consultation pertaining to the delivery of services offered in the justice field in English on its territory. Within the context of the establishment of the priorities of the Ministère de la Justice in this field, the General Directorates of the Department were called upon to make a contribution.
Current Situation
Quebec's Ministre de la Justice is responsible, as a Central Authority, for the application in Quebec of The Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (hereinafter the Convention). This international convention has been implemented in Quebec by the Act respecting civil aspects of international and interprovincial child abduction[7] (hereinafter the Act).
The objective of the Convention and the Act is to locate and repatriate children who have been wrongfully removed or retained abroad or in Quebec by establishing close cooperation between the legal and administrative authorities of the signatory States. Two specific objectives are targeted by this collaboration: (i) to make sure that a child who is wrongfully removed or retained in a designated State is promptly returned to the place where he or she lived before, so that the situation that prevailed prior to the removal or retention is re-established as quickly as possible; and, (ii) to ensure that the rights of custody and access under the laws of a signatory State are effectively respected in the signatory State or to help organize rights of access in another signatory State.
The Central Authority of Quebec also plays an information and reference role for parents and their lawyers on the means of prevention to combat abduction threats as well as on possible solutions when an abduction has already occurred.
The nature of these interventions entails numerous contacts with English-speaking citizens in addition to those with the central authorities in the other countries that are Convention signatories and that communicate solely in English.
Access to legal information represents a major concern of the Ministère de la Justice. More specifically, access to the government's regulations allows members of the public to know exactly what their rights and obligations are. Under the Constitution Act, 1867, regulations must be in both official languages. It is the translation service of the Ministère de la Justice that is responsible for translating regulations from French into English.
Moreover, training for prosecutors and attorneys with the Procureur général du Québec has proven to be pertinent. Although they do not generally serve English-speaking citizens, they find it very useful to be able to interact in both languages if the accused, the plaintiff or a witness is an English-speaker or if the evidence requires a knowledge of English.
Occasionally, there may be important variations across regions in terms of the services offered in the English language. Quebec will pay special attention to the measures put in place to maintain, improve and implement the services offered to English-speaking Quebecers in all regions of Quebec.
2.1 ISSUE: Improving the quality of services as well as optimizing the use of resources that support the delivery of services
Orientation: Inform the public on the operation of The Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and on available resources to assist in an abduction or prevention situation
| PRIORITIES | OBJECTIVES | RESULTS | INDICATORS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access to information on services offered in English | Promote the distribution of documents, in English, to communities, community organizations, etc. | Creation of a pamphlet available in English | Pamphlet created and available Number of pamphlets distributed |
| Promote access, for English-speaking parents, to English-language information tools (WEB) | Creation of a file on the web site of the Ministère de la Justice, available in English | Number of visits to the web site | |
| Services offered during oral or written communications in English | Offer a better service in English, both oral and written, in the processing of files/cases | Advanced English and business English course to learn how to draft correspondence for persons responsible for the sector | Number of courses taken by persons responsible for the sector |
2.2 ISSUE: Optimize the process for translating the government's statutory instruments into English
Orientation: Improve computer tools used for the purposes of translating government's orders in council and regulations
| PRIORITIES | OBJECTIVES | RESULTS | INDICATORS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acquisition of state-of-the-art computer tools (software, databanks, etc.) | Arrive at an optimal process for translating regulations and orders in council | Greater efficiency in the translation of regulations and orders in council | Number of computer tools acquired |
2.3 ISSUE: Improve the knowledge of English of the Procureur général du Québec's prosecutors acting in criminal and penal matters and of attorneys for the Procureur général du Québec acting in non-criminal and non-penal matters
Orientation: Allow the Procureur général du Québec's prosecutors acting in criminal and penal matters and attorneys for the Procureur général du Québec acting in non-criminal and non-penal matters to take intermediate and advanced level English courses
| PRIORITIES | OBJECTIVES | RESULTS | INDICATORS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Improve the knowledge of English of the Procureur general du Québec's prosecutors acting in criminal and penal matters and attorneys for the Procureur général du Québec acting in non-criminal and non-penal matters | Facilitate their interactions with English-speaking witnesses and their handling of evidence or written documents in English | English courses taken by a certain number of the Procureur général du Québec's prosecutors acting in criminal and penal matters and by a certain number of attorneys for the Procureur général du Québec acting in non-criminal and non-penal matters | Number of the Procureur général du Québec's prosecutors and attorneys having taken English courses Number of hours of English courses |
2.4 ISSUE: Adaptation of services to ensure better access for all citizens
Orientation: Improve access to information and to legal services in English
| PRIORITIES | OBJECTIVES | RESULTS | INDICATORS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Availability of forms that are in English or that are bilingual | Allow English-speaking citizens to have access, in their native language, to all tools needed to deal with the Ministère de la Justice | Access to forms that are in English or in both languages | 100 % of the forms are available, either in English or in both languages |
| Interpreter services for English-speaking parties or witnesses | Allow English-speaking citizens to be able to express themselves in their native language before the courts, mainly in criminal and penal matters | Improvement of the conduct of hearings | % of cases postponed due to the non-availability of interpreters |
| Translation of judgments from French into English | Allow the parties to obtain, upon request, the translation of their judgment into English | Availability of translations | Number of translation requests satisfied 80% of the translations done within a 15-day period |
| Further training of judges | Allow judges called upon to preside over English-language hearings to improve, at their request, their knowledge of the language | Improvement of the conduct of hearings | Number of judges having taken further training courses |
| Training of employees of the Ministère de la Justice offering direct services to English-speaking citizens | Maintain a sufficient number of employees capable of adequately responding to English-speaking citizens | Improvement of the services available in English | Number of employees having taken English courses Satisfaction of citizens regarding the services received in their native language, measured by survey, carried out with the English-speaking clientele |
Notes:
- [1] Department of health and social services.
- [2] R.S.Q. chapter S-4.2, section 15.
- [3] Centres de santé et des services sociaux.
- [4] Government of Quebec, Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, 2005-2010 Strategic Plan, p. 19.
- [5] For the record: 1. general services; 2. public health; 3. decreased autonomy related to ageing; 4. physical disability; 5. intellectual disability and invasive developmental disorders; 6. youth in difficulty; 7. addictions; 8. mental health; and 9. physical health.
- [6] Government of Quebec, Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, 2005-2010 Strategic Plan, p. 19.
- [7] R.S.Q., c. A-23.01.