Montreal woman allegedly denied service in English by paramedic, told ‘we’re in Quebec, we speak French’

A Montreal woman is speaking out after a paramedic in Côte Saint-Luc allegedly told her in French, “We’re in Quebec, we speak French.”

Lana Mastromonaco had asked a paramedic to clarify a detail in English while overseeing her friend’s 91-year-old mother who was being treated by paramedics at her home.

“She’s elderly, she was obviously talking more in French. So everything was OK. I didn’t mind, because I was understanding everything,” explained Mastromonaco. “And at one point, something about taking her to the Jewish General, I did not understand. And I turned to the paramedic, and I asked her to please explain that in English. And she said, ‘non ici on est au Québec, on parle le français.’

“I was not surprised because of all the stories I hear. But I was angry. I was angry, definitely angry.”

The patient’s daughter, Nancy Benabou Librati, says she was present and heard the paramedic’s comment.

“I heard it,” she said. “But what happened was, when I was on the phone with my sister and I heard that, I immediately hung up with my sister and tried to videotape as much as I can to get it on my phone, which I’m very happy I did.

“My main concern is about the language. We don’t tell people, ‘on est au Québec, on parle le français.’ She is working in an anglophone area, Côte Saint-Luc is anglophone. What’s going to happen, God forbid, if it’s someone else? Is she going to refuse to speak to that person in English? That’s not right. And this is unacceptable.”

In a written response to CityNews, Urgences-santé said that for reasons of confidentiality, paramedics are not obliged to answer questions from anyone unrelated to the patient. They added that the paramedics were focusing on the patient and the conversation was geared towards the needs of the patient and their family.

“We never said she was not a family member,” said Benabou Librati. “All I said was, ‘Lana take over.’ They don’t know if it could have been a sister, a cousin of mine. But that being said, it was in my mother’s home. It was in my mother’s home. And if I asked her, because I was on the phone with my sister, my sister was very nervous. She wanted to know what was going on.”

“I am not just a neighbour,” explained Mastromonaco. “I’m part of the family. But her excuse was never that. She didn’t say I don’t have to talk to you. She said, ‘ici on est au Québec, on parle le français.'”

Benabou Librati says she has since contacted her local MP and now wants an apology.

“I will keep making this very loud and clear,” she said. “We’ve written a letter now with Anthony Housefather to the head office of Urgences-santé, and I want an apology for her behavior, because it was unacceptable. Unacceptable.”

“I don’t mind speaking French at all,” added Mastromonaco.” But if I don’t understand something, I should be allowed to ask it in English, especially when the medical system is concerned.”