December 21, 2006 – To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Montreal Children’s Hospital Multicultural Program and 10th anniversary of its Multicultural Clinic, the Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities, Lise Thériault, visited the hospital. Thériault was accompanied by the Deputy for Crémazie, Michèle Lamquin-Éthier and by a number of entertainers and sports celebrities. During a guided tour of the hospital the group handed out gifts to patients.

The Montreal Children’s Hospital serves a diverse clientele of which 40% are francophone, 40% are allophone and 20% are anglophone. The Children’s provides interpretation services in over 60 different languages. This service ensures children receive health care that is both culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate.

Building on its expertise in the field, The Children's will be hosting the National Transcultural Health Conference in May 2007. The conference will bring together experts in the field and one of its key goals is to highlight good practices in the area of intercultural/transcultural diversity and to set priorities for future action. To learn more about the conference log on to www.thechildren.com/en/info/conference.aspx [1].