Montreal, April 14, 2021
As part of its participation today in the public hearings on Bill 83, aimed at improving access to the health insurance plan and the prescription drug insurance plan for certain children living in Quebec whose parents have precarious migratory status, Doctors of the World Canada presents its concerns regarding the ambiguities and complexity of the bill, which will continue to exclude many children.
“When Minister Christian Dubé announced in the summer of 2020 that he intended to ‘resolve’ the issue of lack of access to health care for children of migrant parents with precarious status, Doctors of the World had hoped that this injustice would finally be addressed. However, today we are faced with a complex bill that proposes solutions for some children, but not for others who are particularly vulnerable,” notes Dr. David-Martin Milot, President of Doctors of the World Canada.
Health for all children in Quebec, without exclusion
In a brief submitted to the Health and Social Services Commission, Doctors of the World recommends granting access to Quebec’s public health insurance plan to all children living in Quebec, whether they were born here or not. For children born in Quebec, the bill requires parents to demonstrate – with supporting documents – their intention to stay in Quebec for more than six months. However, the children who attend the Doctors of the World Clinic are in precarious migratory situations where this requirement could harm them.
While Bill 83 expands eligibility for the public health insurance plan to certain categories of children born outside Quebec whose parents have temporary status, it also introduces an additional criterion for children born outside Quebec whose parents reside there; to be eligible for the RAMQ, they must now have lived with the parent residing in Quebec since their birth.
The added criterion of “having lived with the parent since their birth” for children of residents in Quebec would unjustifiably exclude children who are currently eligible. Furthermore, the most vulnerable children – those of parents without status – would still not be eligible.
“After nearly two decades of advocacy with various governments, Doctors of the World commends Minister Dubé for proposing that children born in Quebec finally have access to the public health insurance plan. We believe that a child’s rights should never be infringed upon due to characteristics of their parents, such as their migratory status. A child living in Quebec should always have access to health care,” explains Nadja Pollaert, Executive Director of Doctors of the World Canada.
Moreover, to truly ensure the protection of children, special protection should be granted to pregnant women with precarious migratory status, during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. The lack of care during these critical periods can have serious effects on the child’s health and development.
An injustice that should have been resolved 20 years ago
In 2001, the Parti Québécois amended the law to explicitly allow children to be eligible for the public health insurance plan, regardless of their parents’ migratory status. At the time, Pauline Marois, then Minister of Health and Social Services, had been very clear in stating that “when a child is born in Quebec, they should be made eligible for the plan, even if their parents are not domiciled in Quebec.” In its special report published on this issue in June 2018, the Québec Ombudsman highlights that the solution lies in applying the law as written.
Since 2011, Doctors of the World has received, every year at its Clinic for migrants with precarious status, around fifty children (some of whom were born here and are therefore Canadian citizens) who do not benefit from any public health coverage due to the precarious migratory status of their parents. The Clinic’s healthcare staff witness daily the consequences of bureaucratic hurdles and the denial of access to care, which have an irreversible impact on the health and development of children.
From 2016 to the present day, the organization has met numerous times with representatives of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), the Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration (MIFI), and the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) to denounce this injustice and propose solutions. In June 2018, in partnership with Amnesty International Canada, a petition with 20,000 signatures was presented to the former Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr. Gaétan Barrette. In April 2019, the Observatoire des tout-petits published a public report on access to health care for young children and pregnant women from migrant families.
This government has shown great concern for the rights and protection of children in Quebec. For this reason, Doctors of the World urges it to grant, without further delay, access to the public health and prescription drug insurance plans to all children living in Quebec, without differentiation and regardless of migratory status.
About Doctors of the World Canada
Present in Canada and in 74 countries, Doctors of the World is an international movement of volunteers working at the national and international levels. Through innovative medical programs and evidence-based advocacy, Doctors of the World empowers excluded individuals and communities to demand respect for their right to health, while fighting for universal access to care.
Information:
Mélissa Cabana
Senior Communications Advisor
Doctors of the World Canada
Cell: 514 799-8985
melissa.cabana@medecinsdumonde.ca